A statue of Queen Elizabeth II would be placed in Trafalgar Square at the heart of London under plans drawn up by the city’s Conservative candidate for mayor.

       Susan Hall, who is battling Labour mayor Sadiq Khan in the May 2 election, wants a permanent memorial of the late queen on the “Fourth Plinth” by Nelson’s Column.

       The plinth is currently used for temporary works from artists commissioned by the Mayor’s office. Examples have included a bronze sculpture of a human hand making a thumbs up signal, and a sculpture of a dollop of whipped cream with a giant fly on it. From September the plinth is to feature 850 Improntas by Mexican artist Teresa Margolles, made from casts of the faces of 850 trans people.

       Ms Hall would arrange for temporary works such as these to be displayed elsewhere in the capital and dedicate the plinth to celebrating the monarch who reigned from 1952 to 2022.

       The blue cock in Trafalgar Square where the Queen's statue would go (Image: Getty)

       She said: “The Fourth Plinth is the perfect location for a permanent tribute to our greatest monarch. Future generations should know how much Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II meant to us, which is why I will work with the Royal Family and the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee to place a statue there.

       “The public will also have a voice in the commissioning process, so that the tribute represents not only her place in history, but also how her diligent and faithful service shaped and enriched our lives.”

       The public would be invited to contribute to the cost of the statue through a crowd-funding website, Artists would be invited to submit proposals for the statue, with the public consulted on the final choice.

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       The Royal Family and Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee, set up by the Government and the Royal Household to consider options for a memorial to the late queen, would also be consulted at all stages.

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       The fourth plinth was once earmarked as the site of a statue of William IV, who reigned from 1830 to 1837, but this plan was abandoned due to a lack of funding. It remained empty for 150 years before the first temporary sculpture was placed there.

       As London Mayor in 2013 Boris Johnson unveiled a 15.5ft statue of a blue cockerel and declared it symbolic of a recent British victory in the Tour de France. He said: “We have mounted this French cock at the heart of our imperial square.”

       The other plinths carry more traditional permanent statues, including George IV, king from 1820 to 1830, General Sir Charles James Napier, a British Army commander-in-chief in India, and Major-General Sir Henry Havelock, who also served in India.

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