Abolitionist William Pitt’s statue could be removed by Edinburgh council pending a public consultation on how to address the “city’s legacy of slavery and colonialism”.

       A panel reviewing local sites linked to slavery headed by Sir Geoff Palmer, who previously called for statues to remain standing, has now offered residents the option having monuments removed.

       The statue of William Pitt the Younger, who supported the abolitionist cause and branded slavery the “curse of mankind”, is among the monuments listed in consultation documents released Wednesday which could taken down.

       Edinburgh residents are asked to decide whether "features which explicitly commemorate people and events which sustained the slave trade or negative consequences of colonialism should be removed or renamed".

       Britain’s youngest ever Prime Minister, and a friend of abolitionist William Wilberforce, is listed in consultation documents in a section covering those “involved in sustaining the slavery-based economy and preventing the abolition of the slave trade”.

       Documents state that the leader, who failed to abolish slavery in a premiership dominated by struggles against France, was in power when a gradual approach to abolition was adopted by colleague Henry Dundas - whose own Edinburgh statue has already been subject to review.

       It adds on Pitt, who died year before the Slave Trade Act 1807, that: “He supported the abolition of the slave trade, but also sent British troops to the Caribbean to fight against the anti-slavery Haitian Revolution.”

       If the public backs the removal of statues linked to slavery and coloniaism, monuments to figures including missionary David Livingston and philosopher David Hume could ultimately be purged by Edinburgh City Council.

       The consultation follows work begun by the council following Black Lives matter protests in 2020, including the launch of a Review Group to assess slavery’s legacy, and its wording comes after group leader Sir Geoff stated: “I don't want statues to be taken down”.

       Residents can opt to leave monuments and street names in place - to prevent “this legacy being forgotten” - or support fitting information panels at sights links to slavery and the British Empire, which include the Royal Botanic Garden.

       Consultation documents explained that the botanic garden “provided a home for plants, seeds, and illustrations sent back from India, so supporting the process of plant transfers across the British Empire, a key element of colonial expansion”.

       As previously revealed by the Telegraph, the Bute House residence of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon could also be subject to council action because former residents were slave owners.

       The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh has been cited for receiving historical donations from slaveholders, and churches and schools have also been linked to the slave trade in consulation documents.

       Thoroughfares like Queen Street have been brought into the consultation because five slave owners once lived on the New Town road.

       Sir Geoff told reporters “I don’t think we’ll be removing a building”, but added that “if they [the public] say to remove a statue or street names, this is something that the council will have to consider when we recommend what the survey said”.

       The 12-week consultation’s results will guide the Review Group led by Sir Geoff, and its recommendations will “help the Council decide which actions it will consider”.

       Robert Poll, founder of campaign group Save Our Statues, has criticised the work, saying: "This is what happens when Edinburgh Council hands editorial control of the city's history to a secretive cabal of activists operating beyond public scrutiny.

       “They feed mollifying words to the press, while secretly plotting to remove the city's heritage.

       “We're no longer talking about slave traders. We're talking about Pitt, one of our greatest Prime Ministers and national hero who led us against Napoleon.

       “This shows the reach - and the folly - of this monomaniacal brand of revisionism, where we're only permitted to view history filtered through the single lens of slavery."

       Alongside the potential removal and reinterpretation, the consultation documents outline other potential approaches to tackling controversial aspects of British history, including a full civic apology, along with arts and education projects to highlight slavery's legacy.

       Edinburgh’s council leader Adam McVey said: “Edinburgh prides itself on being an inclusive, diverse and welcoming city but we must all continue to work to challenge and eradicate racism and prejudice from our City.

       “We have a responsibility to face up to our City’s past, the good and the bad. While this review is about the story of our City, it’s not only about the past, it’s about people who live here now and their experience.”