Barbara Castle: First glimpse of Blackburn MP's statue

Barbara Castle introduced the Equal Pay Act in 1970 after a dispute involving female workers at Ford's plant in Dagenham, east London.

The first glimpse of the new bronze statue of former Blackburn MP Barbara Castle has been revealed.

The statue of the ex-Labour Cabinet minister, who introduced equal pay for women, will be unveiled on 9 October in Jubilee Square in Blackburn.

It will show her holding The Equal Pay Act 1970. She also introduced the breathalyser and seatbelts being made compulsory in new cars.

Baroness Castle, Blackburn's MP from 1945 to 1979, died in 2002 aged 91.

The tax inspector's daughter was the youngest woman elected in Labour's 1945 landslide victory and regularly fought for equality for women.

The Local Democracy Reporting Scheme said sculptor Sam Holland had liaised with Jack Straw, who succeeded Baroness Castle as MP for Blackburn, to ensure the statue looked right.

Ms Holland said: "The hardest part of the process is getting the pose right.

"It's all about capturing her energy and determination.

Mrs Castle also confirmed the 70mph maximum speed limit

"It took a year to model because of Covid. I managed to go into the archives and speak to people who knew her.

"She's being installed directly into the ground. She didn't want to be on a pedestal. She talked to people on the ground, so it was important that she was in amongst the people."

Blackburn with Darwen Council leader, Cllr Mohammed Khan, said: "This is an important piece of public art for many reasons.

"For me it will represent the spirit of Blackburn."