Council “exploring all options” for Banksy’s flag statue in London

Westminster City Council has said it is “exploring all options” for the future of Banksy’s flag statue in central London, which the artist installed in Waterloo Place earlier this year.

The work, commonly referred to as Blinded by the Flag, depicts a suited man marching forward off a plinth while carrying a large flag that completely obscures his face.

It appeared in Waterloo Place in the early hours of April 29, close to statues of Edward VII and Florence Nightingale and the Crimean War Memorial. Although Banksy’s signature was visible on the sculpture, he formally confirmed it was his work the following day by sharing footage of its overnight installation.

At the time, Westminster City Council welcomed the piece as a “striking addition to the city’s vibrant public art scene” and said it would remain accessible for the public to enjoy.

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Five months later, however, the council is considering what should happen to the work in the longer term.

“Over the summer the council has been exploring all options for the Banksy Statue in Waterloo Place,” a council spokesperson said. “No formal decision has been made about its long-term future.”

The council did not specify what those options are, although it is understood that the statue is due to be discussed at an upcoming council cabinet meeting.

Westminster has described itself as the work’s custodian and has been in contact with Banksy’s team. Banksy retains the copyright to the artwork, while the council has taken responsibility for keeping the physical statue safe.

In August, an earlier Freedom of Information response from the council said that “ownership of the statue now sits with the council as landowner”, and that it had notified Banksy’s agent that it was reviewing its “short, medium and long term” options.

The same month, it emerged that Westminster had spent almost £60,000 safeguarding the piece, including the costs of safety barriers, administration and a security guard.

The statue itself has remained largely undisturbed, although graffiti has since been sprayed on its plinth.

The image of its subject marching towards the edge of the plinth while unable to see past the flag has been widely interpreted as a commentary on blind allegiance to national symbols.

Banksy has continued to make politically charged work in London in recent years. In September 2025, he created a mural at the Royal Courts Of Justice depicting a protester on the ground with a blood-spattered placard as a judge loomed over them holding a gavel.

The work was widely interpreted in the context of arrests of people protesting in support of Palestine Action and was subsequently removed. Kneecap later said the piece had hit the “fucking nail on the head”.

A year earlier, Banksy staged a run of animal-themed works around the capital, including a goat in Richmond, three monkeys in Shoreditch, a wolf on a satellite dish in Peckham, pelicans outside a Walthamstow fish and chip shop and piranhas painted onto a City of London Police box.

The series culminated with a gorilla apparently freeing other animals from London Zoo. That work was later removed for “safekeeping”.