A new petition urged British Prime Minister Andy Burnham's government to restore an official portrait of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to public display inside 10 Downing Street.

The petition states that the painting should remain on view as part of the country's historical record rather than reflect the preferences of the government of the day.

The campaign, launched by the Margaret Thatcher Centre, called for the return of artist Richard Stone's 2009 portrait of the late Conservative leader to the "Thatcher Room," where it was previously displayed.

The petition also asked the government to confirm the painting's current location and condition, and to establish a convention that portraits of former prime ministers in the Downing Street collection remain on public display regardless of who occupies the office.

"The Iron Lady's portrait was removed from 10 Downing Street in 2024," the petition stated, adding that it should be restored "to the Thatcher Room, where it belongs."

Signatories are also given the option of having the organization write to their members of Parliament urging them to support the effort.

The portrait was commissioned by then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown in 2007 and completed by Stone in 2009.

It depicts Thatcher shortly after Britain's victory in the 1982 Falklands War and became a permanent fixture at Downing Street following its unveiling.

The painting became the subject of political controversy after it was moved from Thatcher's former study following Labour's return to power in 2024 under then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Starmer later said the decision was not intended as a slight against Thatcher, but reflected his preference for landscape paintings over portraits of political figures in his workspace.

The government confirmed at the time that the painting remained within the Downing Street collection after being relocated to another room.

The Margaret Thatcher Centre stated that the issue extends beyond one former leader, saying official portraits should be displayed as historical artifacts rather than being subject to the tastes of successive prime ministers.

The petition said the practice would help preserve continuity at the official residence and office of Britain's prime minister.

Thatcher, Britain's first female prime minister, served from 1979 to 1990, making her the country's longest-serving prime minister of the 20th century. She died in 2013 at the age of 87.