Barbara Castle statue unveiled in Blackburn

Barbara Castle, the pioneering British female politician and prominent national figure from 1945 to 1979, has been commemorated with a new statue in Blackburn, where she served as a Labour MP for 34 years.

Sculptor Sam Holland with her depiction of Labour MP Barbara Castle, portrayed holding a copy of the Equal Pay Act 1970, which stands in Jubilee Square, Blackburn. Photograph: Gary Calton/The Observer

Viva’s public sector experts helped Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council to host the unveiling on Saturday October 9, a few days after what would have been Barbara’s 111th birthday.

The statue has been funded mainly by individuals and organisations both locally and nationally, with additional open space contributions from a recent private housing development in the town centre.

Barbara Castle served as Blackburn MP from 1945-1979, an MEP for Greater Manchester from 1979-1989, becoming a lifetime peer in 1990, and remained active in politics until her death in 2002.

The Barbara Castle statue by Sam Holland in Blackburn. Photograph: Gary Calton/The Observer

She held a number of senior roles in the cabinet, including the positions of Transport Minister, Health Secretary and First Secretary of State.

Instrumental in the Equal Pay Act 1970 and championing women’s rights, she also introduced the Carer’s Allowance, as well as road safety legislation that led to the introduction of seatbelts and breathalyser tests.

Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner was on hand to unveil the statue in Blackburn.

She said: “Being here today is tremendous – being ginger, outspoken, Northern! I can relate to quite a lot of what Barbara stands for.”

Sculpted by Sam Holland, the statue is clutching a bronze copy of the Equal Pay Act 1970. It is the latest in a string of commissioned works slowly redressing the heavy dominance of male statues in the UK.

Sam spoke to ITV Granada Reports and explained how Barbara’s legacy inspired her and how the statue is her way of saying thank you.

Before the statue was unveiled, deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner spoke to the crowds about Barbara.

“She was ginger, like myself, a bit Northern, a bit outspoken, a bit controversial – but I like that.

“It’s people like Barbara who inspired me to say what you mean and mean what you say, and always be true to the people that elect you.

“The people of Blackburn could not be prouder, I think, of having a legacy such as Barbara Castle. She was the person, who when it wasn’t popular to support the Dagenham machinists, the women, she went in there, she supported them, she was the person who got that machinist strike and the Equal Pay Act into legislation.

“She was a staunch trade unionist, like myself, and the work that I’ve done that myself and Kier unveiled – which will be a blueprint of what the next Labour government comes forward with, with a new deal for working people – is absolutely on the foundations that Barbara Castle and her generation gave us.

“I often speak about ‘let’s be a 1945 Labour government again’ and Barbara was one of those people who made it such a great time for our country. The Labour movement at that time had the grit that I think we all have here in Blackburn, where you roll your sleeves up, you all come together to build a community.

“You say ‘we’re not going to be down and out, we’re going to build together and look out for each other’ – so I think it’s absolutely fitting that we’re all here today to support what Barbara did when she was your MP and an absolute treasure to our whole United Kingdom.

“She gave us the cornerstone of what I call our ‘Modern Society’.”