THUGS who climb on Winston Churchill’s statue will face up to three months in jail under new laws.
Despite not being officially classified as a war memorial, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper will give special status to the Westminster monument of our greatest ever PM.
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The bronze statue has been targeted by protesters in recent years, many of whom have escaped arrest after claiming to have merely clambered on the statue rather than damage it.
Sir Keir Starmer told The Sun: “Sir Winston Churchill stands at the summit of our country’s greatest heroes, and has been an inspiration to every Prime Minister that has followed him.
“The justifiable fury that is provoked when people use his statue as a platform for their protests speaks to the deep and enduring love that all decent British people have for Sir Winston.
“It is the least we owe him, and the rest of the greatest generation, to make those acts criminal.”
A punishment of up to three months in prison and a £1,000 fine will be included in the government’s Crime and Policing Bill.
The legislation already includes a list of war memorials such as the Cenotaph where hijacking them for protests is illegal.
Just last April trans rights campaigners climbed the Churchill statue and waved placards following the Supreme Court decision on the legal definition of a woman.
Currently only demonstrators who cause criminal damage to the monument can be prosecuted.
The 12-foot likeness was unveiled in Parliament Square in November 1973 by his widow Clementine.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper added: “As the country comes together to celebrate VE Day, it is only right that we ensure Winston Churchill’s statue is treated with the respect and reverence it deserves, along with the other sacred war memorials around our country.”
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