Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer have agreed to ship the Bayeux Tapestry to Britain (Image: Getty)
Given this government’s abject failure in stopping a flood of cross-Channel arrivals from France, one has to admire David Hockney’s optimism.
The Bradford-born painter has launched a last-minute bid to stop Sir Keir Starmer shipping the priceless Bayeux Tapestry to Britain in a removals job underwritten by the taxpayer.
The hare-brained scheme – a pet project by our increasingly out of step prime minister – will see the 1,000-year-old cloth which depicts the Norman invasion of 1066 lumped across the water.
Sir Keir wants it moved from Bayeux in northern France to the British Museum in London, not only as a symbol of the burgeoning bromance between him and Emmanuel Macron, but a symbol of the ever closer union between Britain and the EU.
So blindsided is Sir Keir with this self-indulgent pursuit that he is insuring the 11th-century, 70-metre embroidery, for up to £800 million of our money. Hey, who cares about the myriad of crises engulfing the UK that the money could be better spent on.
Given he has embarked on 13 U-turns (and counting) during a disastrous 18-month stint as PM, what could possibly go wrong?
The important historical artefact will make the 25-mile journey across the Channel to return to Britain for the first time since it was made in the 1070s.
Why not shove it on the back of a lifeboat? Presumably, when it arrives, it will be taken for processing before being put up in five-star accommodation like the 41,472 who turned up last year.
The priceless 1,000-year-old cloth depicts the Norman invasion of 1066 (Image: Getty)
Sir Keir’s egotistical endeavour has so enraged Hockney, who now lives in Normandy, he wants to scupper the plan.
He said: “While moving the Bayeux Tapestry to the UK might have vanity and symbolic educational value, the physical and environmental risks are substantial.
“Any damage would be irreversible, and even successful transport could shorten the tapestry’s lifespan.”
The cloth tells the story of William the Conqueror’s journey to becoming the first Norman king of England.
Among the 58 scenes depicted upon the tapestry is the famous moment Harold Godwinson, the Anglo-Saxon king, was shot in the eye with an arrow at the Battle of Hastings.
The French and British governments have agreed the tapestry will be loaned to the British Museum until July 2027 while its current home, the Bayeux Museum in Normandy, is renovated.
Hockney, the world’s most celebrated living artist, first saw the tapestry in 1967 and has viewed it more than 20 times in the last three years alone, describing it as “something that has defined my life for more than eight decades”.
He said: “Some things are too precious to take a risk with. Moving the Bayeux Tapestry is one of them.
“It is nearly 1,000 years old, the most complete narrative work of art in Europe. It is fragile, which makes it madness to think of moving it. It is too big a risk.”
The tapestry has already been taken off display and moved into storage, in preparation for its journey. It could be on display from September.
Sir Keir and Labour have taken a wrecking ball to the country so it is hardly surprising they have wafted away concerns about the fragility of the masterpiece.
Hockney said: “The linen backing is weakened by age, and the wool embroidery threads are vulnerable to stress. Rolling, unrolling or handling it in a new way can cause damage.”
He’s right to be worried. Labour has form for causing untold damage and, as in this case, it will be taxpayers who cough up when it all goes wrong.