TURNER BEQUEST

Early day motion 1909, tabled 28 March 2006 by Austin Mitchell (Labour). Signed by 19 members.

That this House is concerned that the trustees of the National Gallery continue to disregard JMW Turner's intentions for his first art bequest to the nation with the consequence that they deprive the people of Great Britain of the opportunity to make this bequest a Royal Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II on her 80th Birthday as Champion of Humanity's Progress in Peace; and therefore calls on the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to intervene and require the National Gallery to display properly this crown jewel of Turner's output in time for HM the Queen's Birthday on 21st April and to review and reform the Trustee system of the National Gallery which is unaccountable to the British people who own the art therein.

Signatures by party: Labour 12, Conservative 3, Liberal Democrat 3, DUP 1.