The men who stole Thatcher.
Cheeky firefighters are facing a roasting after pinching an iconic portrait of Margaret Thatcher from George Osborne’s local.
The audacious raid on the Red Lion pub in Westminster came as officials from the Scottish branch of the Fire Brigade Union (FBU) visited the Houses of Parliament on official business.
But an impromptu night out saw union chiefs “liberate” the oil painting from a shelf above the bar, which was then taken on a pub crawl.
The culprits posed for snaps with the painting, even putting the picture at the head of the table at a nearby restaurant.
The FBU officials which include regional chairman Alan Paterson and health and safety rep William Coats must now face a blazing row after pictures of the theft surfaced.
An insider said: “These guys have a flaming cheek. They are meant to be on official business but carrying on like a gang of misbehaving school pupils.
“It’s frankly not on and makes the Fire Brigade Union look like fools. It will not be lost that the union guys targeted a picture of Margaret Thatcher out of all the pictures in the pub they could have taken.
“They even took pictures after they placed the portrait on top of a London toilet. It’s pretty distasteful.”
Last night the Red Lion’s irked manager said they’d like their painting back.
David Hay said: “We had six pictures up on the shelf next to the bar. The only one that went missing was of Margaret Thatcher.
“I don’t think the picture is worth a lot and it was only there for a couple of weeks before it got pinched.
“We’ve not reported the theft to the police as we thought it must have been some tourist that took it. It’s quite disappointing to learn that it’s been taken by FBU officials. We’d welcome its return if it was possible.”
The Red Lion is one of London’s most famous pubs housed in the political heartland, a stone’s throw from Downing Street. It was re-opened by George Osborne, pictured left, in February following a swanky makeover.
The Chancellor who famously cried at Thatcher’s televised funeral posed for pictures pulling pints to re-open the pub.
Last night Tory MP Tory MP Conor Burns, who became close to Margaret Thatcher and visited her weekly in her later years, said: “I think she would’ve thought this stunt both sick and distasteful. Anyone who remembers her gratitude to the firemen after the Brighton bomb will be appalled.
“Who can forget that enduring image of Norman Tebbit being pulled from the rubble by Fred the fireman?”
A spokesman for the FBU said: “We won’t be commenting on this incident.”
Report by Gordon Blackstock and James Millar
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