King’s portrait public sector snub slammed by Badenoch ‘needs to stop’ | Politics | News
Photo taken at King Charles’ coronation – his official portrait looked slightly different (Image: Getty)
Britain’s hospitals and universities have turned their backs on the free image of their own King in numbers that shock even seasoned observers – and Kemi Badenoch has a clear explanation: public sector managers are paralyzed by fear of causing crime.
The numbers tell a damning story. Between November 2023 and August 2024, more than 20,500 framed portraits were made available free of charge to eligible public bodies in the UK under Her Majesty’s Portrait Scheme, a scheme that has reportedly cost taxpayers a total of £2.7 million. But fewer than one in three institutions bothered to request it. Among hospitals, noncompliance was almost complete, with a participation rate of almost 2.8 percent. Universities were slightly more enthusiastic, with 7.4 percent.
Faith institutions and schools showed significantly greater appetite. Almost three in ten schools took part and nearly a quarter of Church of England churches claimed a portrait. At the other extreme, every Coroner’s Court in the country received one.
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‘Some people might be disturbed’
Conservative Party leader Ms Badenoch told GB News’ Chopper’s Political Podcast that the dismal figures reflected a culture of unnecessary anxiety among public sector managers.
He said: “There are a lot of people worrying about things they don’t need to worry about.
“Some people might be upset, so let’s not do this.
“The truth is that we are a constitutional monarchy.”
He added: “The King is the best of our brand. The Royal Family is the best of our brand.
“People look up to them. I think they’ve done a lot for this country.
“Frankly, I am very glad that the King is the Head of State and not Keir Starmer.
“And that’s something we should be proud of. But we’re constantly told, ‘let’s suppress this so we can upset some people.’
“‘Someone is worried about colonialism, someone is worried about racism or white privilege.
“All this nonsense needs to stop. And there are people who think, ‘I don’t want to fight, so I won’t buy a portrait of the King.'”
“All this nonsense needs to stop,” Ms Badenoch told GB News’ Chopper’s Political Podcast. (Image: Getty)
Badenoch Conservative Party controls councils
The Conservative leader, who displayed one of the portraits in his office, said he planned to audit every Tory-controlled council to make sure none had refused to take part.
He added: “If you don’t stand up for your values, if you don’t push the boundaries, if you don’t say I know, it’s not good enough, then things get diluted.
“And the Conservative Party that I lead is a party where I want us to be bold and proud and defend those values.”
Cabinet Office response
A Cabinet Office spokesman said: “The His Majesty the King Portrait Scheme was a voluntary scheme that offered a free, framed portrait to any eligible public body that requested it.
“As part of the programme, more than 20,500 portraits were distributed across the UK to celebrate the new reign.
“Portraits of HM The King hang in Government offices in Whitehall and Downing Street.”
Officials cautioned that the numbers may not tell the whole story; Institutions with the ruler’s portrait hanging on their walls would not be included in their program numbers, even if they had no objection to displaying this picture.
