Which statue will be next to fall? ALL 130 Labour councils draw up hit-list of monuments with colonial ties to tear down in wake of BLM protests - after monument to 18th Century slaver Robert Milligan is removed in London

• Dozens of memorials honouring colonial figures have been targeted for removal by activists on a hit list 
• The monument of 18th Century slave dealer Robert Milligan was uprooted from its spot on West India Quay 
• All 130 Labour councils have promised to 'review the appropriateness of local monuments and statues' 

Labour councils are bending to the demands of Black Lives Matter protesters by drawing up a list of controversial statues in their communities which could be ripped down.

Dozens of memorials honouring colonial figures have been targeted for removal by activists, who yesterday crossed another name off their nationwide hit-list.

The monument of 18th Century slave dealer Robert Milligan was uprooted from its spot on West India Quay in London's docklands to the cheers of spectators.

Many more metal men in the cross-hairs are expected to fall after all 130 Labour-led authorities clubbed together to promise to 'review the appropriateness of local monuments and statues on public land and council property'.

Several local leaders have already earmarked some statues for removal. Cardiff Council leader Huw Thomas threw his weight behind campaigners wanting to get rid of the statue of slave holder Sir Thomas Picton.

Edinburgh council leader Adam McVey said he would feel 'no sense of loss' if a statue to Henry Dundas, who delayed the abolition of slavery, was removed.

Plymouth council said a public square named after slave trader Sir John Hawkins would be renamed. Mayor or London Sadiq Khan is also conducting his own review of statues in the capital.

The 130 Labour councils won the blessing of Sir Keir Starmer's central party, but senior Tories have lined up to admonish the behaviour.

Andrew Rosindell, Conservative MP for Romford, told MailOnline the wave of statue scrutiny was being driven by 'a politically-correct gang of anarchists who hate everything about this country'. 

Campaigners have also set their sights on statues on private property, such as the monument of Cecil Rhodes at Oxford University, where yesterday crowds of protesters rallied.  

Workmen were yesterday seen uprooting a statue of Robert Milligan from its spot on West India Quay in London's docklands to cheers from spectators. Protesters had drawn up a hit list of 60 'racist' monuments to be taken down, including Milligan's.

Amid growing pressure to act, the charity Canal and River Trust worked with the Museum of London and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets to remove the bronze figure of the Scottish merchant who owned 526 slaves at his Jamaican sugar plantation. 

Statues glorifying slave traders and colonialists have come into sharp focus in recent days, as part of a broader movement inspired by the Black Lives Matter protests that started in the United States following the death of George Floyd on May 25.

On Sunday, protesters in Bristol tore down the statue of slave trader Edward Colston and threw it in the harbour, receiving a mixed reactions of celebrations from anti-racism campaigners and protestors while some politicians and officials questioned the 'anti-democratic' manner in how the statue was taken down.

And in Oxford yesterday more than 1,000 demonstrators have demanded the removal of a statue of colonialist Cecil Rhodes, an imperialist who provided philanthropical support to Oriel College in Oxford University where the monument stands. 

The Canal and River Trust, which owns the land where Milligan's statue is located, issued a statement on Twitter following a petition launched by Tower Hamlets Labour councillor Ehtasham Haque, which demanded the removal of the figure and reached over 1,000 signatures in 24 hours. 

It earlier said: 'We recognise the wishes of the local community concerning the statue of Robert Milligan at London Docklands and are committed to working with London Borough of Tower Hamlets, the Museum of London Docklands and partners at Canary Wharf to organise its safe removal as soon as possible.

'The Trust stands with out waterside communities against racism. We promote equality, diversity and inclusion, using our canals to enrich the lives of all those alongside our waterways from every community.' 

A video shows people cheering and clapping as workers used a crane to remove the statue from its plinth. 

'While it's a sad truth that much of our city and nation's wealth was derived from the slave trade, this does not have to be celebrated in our public spaces,' said London Mayor Sadiq Khan in a tweet with a photo of the statue. 

John Briggs, the mayor of Tower Hamlets, posted a video of himself at the scene, in which he says: 'This has become the focus of a lot of anxiety and anger in our community. We need to take it, put it into storage and then talk about what we can learn from this and how we can help these events to make us a stronger community.' 

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Museum of London said it 'recognises that the monument is part of the ongoing problematic regime of white-washing history, which disregards the pain of those who are still wrestling with the remnants of the crimes Milligan committed against humanity.' 

The commemorative statue, sculpted by Richard Westmacott, was commissioned by the West India Dock Company, of which Milligan was Chairman, following his death in May 1809. He also has a street in the area named after him, Milligan Street, near Westferry DLR station.

The museum also tweeted: 'The statue presently stands shrouded with placards and is now an object of protest, we believe these protests should remain as long as the statue remains.' 

The decision follows huge crowds of Black Lives Matter supporters gathering outside Oriel College at the University of Oxford this evening to campaign for a monument of imperialist Cecil Rhodes to be removed.

The demonstration was organised by the Rhodes Must Fall campaign group and came after activists identified 60 UK statues they want removed for 'celebrating slavery and racism' as councils and museums rushed to bring down their controversial monuments.

Some of Briton's most famous people on the hit list include the Edinburgh statue of former Home Secretary Henry Dundas, who delayed the abolition of slavery, and a statue of Sir Francis Drake on Plymouth Hoe. 

The interactive map, called 'topple the racists', was set up by the Stop Trump Coalition in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, and lists plaques and monuments in more than 30 towns and cities across the UK. The online list is unregulated and can be added to by the public.  

This evening in London there is a commemoration event, organised by Stand Up To Racism, to mark George Floyd's funeral in Houston, Texas, with police forming a ring of steel around statues including Sir Winston Churchill's in case it is attacked again.

At tonight's Oxford protest, organisers placed chalk crosses on the floors in either side of the street outside the entrance to the college, to enforce social distancing. 

The crowd took to their knees for eight minutes 46 seconds, to reflect the time Mr Floyd, a father-of-two, spent with a police officer kneeling on his neck which killed him in America last month. 

Hours before the rally began Oxford City Council's leader Susan Brown wrote to Oriel College inviting them to apply for planning permission to remove the statue, after 26 councillors signed a letter saying it is 'incompatible' with the city's 'commitment to anti-racism'.

Councillor Brown said: 'Typically such actions are only allowed in the most exceptional of circumstances. But these are exceptional circumstances, and as a city council we are keen to work with Oriel to help them find the right balance between the laws that protect our historic buildings and the moral obligation to reflect on the malign symbolism of this statue.' 

Oriel College has said it will 'continue to debate' the issue - but did not commit to removing it.

Ndjodi Ndeunyema, an Oxford University law student and a former Rhodes scholar, organised tonight's Oxford rally after starting the Rhodes Must Fall campaign for its removal five years ago, and said: 'The statue remaining is an affront on the university's support for movements such as Black Lives Matter. 

'Rhodes is not worth of veneration or glorification because of the racism and subjugation he represents'.

Where is the statue?

A plaque celebrates William Ewart Gladstone at the Royal Albion Hotel, Brighton.  

Who is he? 

William Ewart Gladstone (1809 – 1898) served as a Liberal British Prime Minister for 12 years, across four terms from 1868 to 1894.

He was involved in claims that his father was one of the largest owners of slaves in the Caribbean as well as a driving figure of the West India lobby. 

His father Sir John, the owner of large sugar plantations in the Caribbean, was compensated with the equivalent of about £83 million today after slavery was abolished in 1833. 

The bad: 

• Gladstone supported the Slave Compensation Act 1837, an act which payed compensation for slave-owners but nothing to newly liberated people
• He supported the system of apprenticeship which required slaves to continue labouring for former masters for four to six years in exchange for provisions 

The good:

• Championed political reform, home rule for Ireland and working-class rights
• Campaigned against the excesses of British imperialism 

Who wants his statue removed?

Gladstone's plaque is named as a target on the website Topple The Racists.

Lord Horatio Kitchener (1850-1916) (left) was a renowned Field Marshall and Secretary of State for War. His statue stands on Khartoum Road in Chatham, Kent, where he was Earl (right)

Where is the statue?

A bronze statue of Kitchener atop a his favourite horse, Democrat is located on Khartoum Road in Chatham, Kent, where he was Earl.  

Who is he? 

Lord Horatio Kitchener (1850-1916) was a renowned Field Marshall and Secretary of State for War who commanded British troops in several imperial conflicts.

He is well known for appearing on WW1 recruitment posters along with the call to arms: 'Your country needs YOU'.

What did he do?

The good:

• Won the Battle of Omdurman in 1898 and securing the Sudan for the British 
• Amassed the biggest volunteer army ever in Britain during the First World War
• Commanded British troops in Egypt, where the controller-general branded Kitchener 'the most able soldier' he had ever known

The bad:

• Kitchener masterminded the use of concentration camps to imprison Boers during the Second Boer War in South Africa at the turn of the 20th century
• Thousands of men, women and children died in these horrific prisons, many from disease and starvation

Who wants his statue removed?

Kitchener's statue is named as a target on the website Topple The Racists. 

General Sir Redvers Buller

William Beckford (1709-1770) was a Slave owner and politician. His statue stands In the Guildhall in London (pictured)

Where is his statue?

In the Guildhall in London.

 Who wants his statue removed?

He is named on the Topple The Racists' site. 

Who was he? 

William Beckford (1709-1770) was a Slave owner and politician. He was born in Jamaica, the son Peter Beckford, one of the most powerful slave-owners of the colonial era.

Peter had purchased sugar plantations on the Caribbean island in 1661, where he also served as Speaker of the legislature.

When both Peter and William's elder brother - also Peter - died, he inherited the enormous fortune and estate which included 13 plantations and over 1,000 slaves.

By the time of his death, Beckford's plantations were raking in over £50,000 each year and he is estimated to have amassed £1million in the bank - an eye-watering sum in 18th century Britain.

In the early 1700s he returned to London and used his riches to buy the sprawling Fonthill estate in Wiltshire, which he stuffed with art and expensive furniture.

The house burned down in 1755, but Beckford poured money and resources into rebuilding it.

He later embarked on a political career and was elected as an MP in 1754 before serving twice as Lord Mayor of London in 1762 and 1769.

Beckford also used his money to bankroll the rise of future prime minister William Pitt the Elder and ferociously lobbied in favour of the West Indies sugar industry.

In 1758, when Pitt was in the cabinet, Beckford advised him to attack the French in the island of Martinique because of the lucrative haul of slaves they could capture.

Beckford had nine children, eight of which were out of wedlock. The only son he had with his wife, Maria Marsh, was the novelist William Thomas Beckford.

Despite enslaving scores of men, at home he banged the drum for liberties, and once even answered back to King George after he arrested notorious critic John Wilkes.

What did he do?

The good: 

• Campaigned for civil liberties as an MP and in 1770 demanded the King dissolve parliament to remove evil ministers  

The bad: 

• Inherited and oversaw 13 sugar plantations and more than 1,000 slaves in Jamaica
• In 1758 Beckford advised Pitt to attack the French in the island of Martinique because of the lucrative haul of slaves they could capture 

Sir John Cass 

 Sir John Cass (1661- 1718) was a merchant, politician and Alderman. His statue stands outside London Metropolitan University (pictured June 8)

Where is the statue? 

Outside London Metropolitan University.

Who wants the statue removed? 

He is named on the Topple The Racists' site.

Who is he? 

Sir John Cass (1661- 1718) was a merchant, politician and Alderman for the ancient London ward of Portsoken, in 1711 was elected a Sheriff of London and later knighted.

Cass was responsible for helping the slave trade to establish across the Atlantic. He dealt with slave agents in the African forts and Caribbean. He also founded an educational charity, Sir John Cass's Foundation, which still exists to this day.

Cass was a member of the Court of Assistants of the Royal African Company between 1705 and 1708 and bequeathed shares in the Royal African Company on his death. 

The Royal African Company was established by Royal  Charter under King Charles II. It gave a monopoly to the on trading in Slaves from ports in West. British slave trader Edward Colston played a large part in the running of the company.

What did he do? 

The bad:

• Helped to establish slave trade deals across the Atlantic with slave agents in the African forts and Caribbean  
• Cass was a member of the Court of Assistants of the Royal African Company between 1705 and 1708 

 The good: 

• He founded an educational charity, Sir John Cass's Foundation for 50 boys and 40 girls in the City of London, which still exists to this day 
• He was Alderman for the ancient London ward of Portsoken, elected a Sheriff of London in 1711 and was knighted in 1712