BBC's Chris Packham sparks frenzy with response to Keir Starmer's Margaret Thatcher row

Springwatch presenter Chris Packham had a playful response after learning Keir Starmer had removed a painting of Margaret Thatcher from 10 Downing Street.

The Labour leader sparked outrage after he said the £100,000 painting of the former prime minister made him feel "unsettled," leading to its removal from Number 10.

But his removal of the portrait has been condemned as "vindictive" and "petty" by Tory MPs, with the move being seen as a snub to Thatcher, who was prime minister for 11 years from 1979 until 1990. Packham, 63, shared an image of a newspaper headline, "Outrage as Starmer removes Maggie's portrait." He added the caption: "Right, that’s it, I’m taking mine down too..."

The TV presenter received mixed responses to the post as one commented: "Thanks Chris! Very funny made my day." Another sarcastically penned: "What? You mean that we can all move into new offices and don’t need to keep the decor from the previous occupants?!"

A third shared: " I think the car boot market will be flooded with an over supply. I’m surprised she lasted this long."

Someone else declared: "I wasn't a huge fan of Thatcher. But she was and still is a significant figure in British politics. Your comment is trite and surly." Meanwhile a fifth weighed in: "I’m sure the next occupant of number 10 will remove his too. Seriously how petty."

Art critic Estelle Lovatt hit out at the prime minister's decision to remove the portrait, telling BBC Radio 2: "This story is really quite bizarre, and on the one hand it shows that Starmer is weak and insecure in himself.

"The painting hangs above a fireplace, so it is up high. Traditionally in the world of art...if there was something perhaps a little indiscreet like a naked body in a painting, it would be hung up high so that the men wouldn't be able to glance at it."

A number of Conservatives also criticised Mr Starmer, with Baroness Foster, the former first minister of Northern Ireland, writing on X: “I think it is ‘unsettling’ that the PM should remove the first female PM from No 10.

"He cannot deny her role in our nation as the most significant PM after Churchill. Not a good start from Labour, looks and feels vindictive and petty."