Plans to erect a statue of Mahatma Mohandas Gandhi in Parliament Square have been given the go-ahead.
Westminster City Council have granted planning permission for the sculpture commemorating the leader of India’s independence movement, which will be placed close to the statue of Nelson Mandela.
Cabinet ministers William Hague and George Osborne announced plans for the memorial during a recent visit to India.
The bronze sculpture will be created by Philip Jackson, who has also created memorials to Bomber Command, the Gurkhas and the Korean War. It shows Gandhi wearing a shawl and traditional dhoti skirt, with his hands clasped.
Inspired by photographs of Gandhi on the steps of 10 Downing Street during a visit to London in 1931, the statue portrays him as "a thoughtful, determined, compassionate man", according to documents submitted to the council in support of the application.
Richard Beddoe, Westminster City Council's deputy cabinet member for the built environment, said: "There is no doubting that Gandhi is a world-renowned figure that should stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the likes of Nelson Mandela and Abraham Lincoln, who also both fought for civil liberties.
"Parliament Square has a long history of peaceful protest and democracy in action.
"As such, it is a more than suitable location for a statue to Mahatma Gandhi, and we are also pleased to see one of the best international sculptors in Philip Jackson on board to help deliver this project."
