This will be the first time that images of the proposed statue design and plans for the position of the statue will be displayed to the public. They will be available to visit until early November.

We have submitted our planning application to Westminster City Council for a memorial to Gandhi. We propose a bronze statue, set within the existing memorials on the west side of Parliament Square Gardens.

Philip Jackson, the leading British figurative sculptor, renowned for his statues on the memorials to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in the Mall and Bomber Command in Green Park, amongst others, has been approached to take on this prestigious project. Donald Insall Associates are the architects and planning consultants.

The planning application is available to view on Westminster City Council’s planning website: http://idoxpa.westminster.gov.uk/online-applications/search.do?action=simple&searchType=Application

A statue of Mahatma Gandhi, the Indian civil rights leader, will be erected opposite the Houses of Parliament, Cabinet ministers have announced.

Gandhi, who studied in London, will join Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela and Abraham Lincoln when a statue is unveiled in Parliament Square early next year.

The new statue was announced by William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, George Osborne, the Chancellor, and Sajid Javid, the Culture Secretary, on a visit to India.

It will be in place in time for the centenary of Gandhi’s return to India to begin the non-violent struggle for self rule, as well as the 70th anniversary of his death in 2018 and the 150th anniversary of his birth in 2019.

Gandhi led the nationalist struggle for Indian independence from Britain. However, ministers are keen to build stronger and deeper commercial and diplomatic ties with India, one of the world’s fastest growing economies.

Mr Osborne said: “As the father of the largest democracy in the world, it’s time for Gandhi to take his place in front of the mother of Parliaments. He is a figure of inspiration, not just in Britain and India, but around the world.

“New Indian Prime Minister Modi invoked his memory in his inaugural speech to Parliament. I hope this new memorial will be a lasting and fitting tribute to his memory in Britain, and a permanent monument to our friendship with India.”

The announcement was made as the ministers visited the Gandhi Memorial in Delhi on the second day of a visit to India.

Philip Jackson, the British sculptor who created the RAF Bomber Command memorial statues in Green Park, has been approached. Ministers hope the costs will be met through charitable donations and sponsors.

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The announcement was made by Former Foreign Secretary William Hague and Chancellor George Osborne who are visiting India to seek stronger trade and investment links with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s new government.

“As the father of the largest democracy in the world, it’s time for Gandhi to take his place in front of the mother of Parliaments,” Osborne said during a visit to the Gandhi Memorial in Delhi.

“He is a figure of inspiration, not just in Britain and India, but around the world.”

Gandhi, who studied at the University of London, is internationally celebrated as a proponent of non-violent protest and religious tolerance. He was assassinated in 1948, just months after India secured independence.

Sculptor Philip Jackson has agreed to work on the statue, which will stand in Parliament Square alongside statues of Nelson Mandela, Abraham Lincoln and Sir Winston Churchill.

It will be unveiled next spring, before the centenary commemoration of Gandhi’s return to India from South Africa to start the struggle for self-rule.

(Reporting by Tess Little; editing by Stephen Addison)

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The Former Foreign Secretary and the Chancellor, in Delhi for a meeting with their Indian counterparts and to see the country’s new Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, said the statue would be built in London’s Parliament Square.

In a statement, the ministers said it is hoped the statue of Mr Gandhi will be paid for by charitable donations and sponsors.

“As the father of the largest democracy in the world, it’s time for Gandhi to take his place in front of the mother of parliaments,” said Mr Osborne. “He is a figure of inspiration, not just in Britain and India, but around the world.”

The announcement of plans for the statue came a day after Mr Osborne confirmed a £250m deal for British manufacturers to provide missiles to the Indian Air Force. Reports said the Indian authorities will receive the air-to-air missiles from MBDA, a weapons maker that is a joint venture between BAE Systems, the Franco-German group Airbus and Finmeccanica of Italy.

The two senior British ministers are also promoting the sale of the Eurofighter Typhoon jet, which is partly built in Britain. India is looking to buy 126 fighter jets and had identified the French Rafale as its preferred choice. Yet repeated delays on signing the deal have left Britain hopeful that India may yet opt to buy the Typhoon.

However, news of the proposal has lead to accusations of “false worship”.

Tushar Gandhi, a social activist and the great-grandson of the independence leader, said it was ironic the ministers had announced plans for the statue during a visit partly taken up with promoting weapons sales.

“It’s a nice way to apply a soothing balm to their consciences, to raise a statute. How can anybody say they approve of this?” he said. He said he hoped at least a few people would see the statue in London and take away the message of non-violence.

“The rush to do business with the new government is based on profits and not ethics…It’s pure business,” he added.

Yet he said he he was not surprised by the proposal for the statue. “I have seen such false worship for 60 years, so I have stopped feeling queasy.”

India is the world’s largest importer of arms, accounting for 14 per cent of total sales. It has increased imports by more than 100 per cent over the last five years. Its purchases far exceed those of China and Pakistan, which are the second and third largest importers of arms, according to data collated by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

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The chancellor, George Osborne, and the Former foreign secretary, William Hague, announced the plans in New Delhi at Gandhi Smriti, a memorial on the site of his assassination.

The tribute to the civil rights leader, who studied in London, will be a mark of his continuing legacy inspiring non-violent movements around the world, they said.

Osborne said: “As the father of the largest democracy in the world, it’s time for Gandhi to take his place in front of the mother of parliaments. He is a figure of inspiration, not just in Britain and India, but around the world. New Indian prime minister Modi invoked his memory in his inaugural speech to parliament.

“I hope this new memorial will be a lasting and fitting tribute to his memory in Britain, and a permanent monument to our friendship with India.”

The statue will stand alongside monuments to other statesmen in the square, including Nelson Mandela, Sir Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln.

The government hopes it will be erected next year, funded by charitable donations and sponsors, with leading sculptor Philip Jackson, renowned for statues of the Queen Mother and Bomber Command, approached to take on the project.

Hague said: “Gandhi’s view of communal peace and resistance to division, his desire to drive India forward and his commitment to non-violence left a legacy that is as relevant today as it was during his life.

“He remains a towering inspiration and a source of strength. We will honour him with a statue alongside those of other great leaders in Parliament Square.”

The statue will become a focal point for commemorations next summer on the 100th anniversary of Gandhi’s return to India from South Africa to start the struggle for self-rule, the government said.

The UK culture secretary. Sajid Javid, who is leading an advisory group to support the project, said: “My parents were born in British India with first-hand experience of partition. The effect it had on millions of people contributed to my decision to take up public service.

“Celebrating Mahatma Gandhi’s reverence and greatness, a man who fought equally for everyone, in the form of a statue in Parliament Square is a fitting tribute. No matter what your background, history or religion, this statue will allow people from around the world to look upon him and appreciate his endeavour and successes for humanity.”

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