Elusive artist Banksy has claimed a new sculpture in central London of a man striding off a plinth with their face smothered by a billowing flag.
The sculpture is on a plinth in Waterloo Place, just off The Mall, and bears Banksy’s signature.
It is positioned on a traffic island in Pall Mall where Banksy said: “There was a bit of a gap.”
It is situated close to statues of Edward VII and Florence Nightingale, and the Crimean War Memorial.
The Press Association understands the artist revealed the unsolicited monument at some point in the early hours of Wednesday, claiming it a day later.
Banksy, whose real name has never been officially confirmed, has become famous across the world for politically-charged murals, including 2002’s Girl With Balloon, 2003’s Love Is In The Air, and 2004’s Kissing Coppers.
Banksy claimed an artwork of two figures that appeared on the side of a building in Bayswater, London, in December.
In September, Banksy made headlines with a mural depicting a protester lying on the ground, holding a blood-spattered placard, while a judge, in a wig and gown, looms over him, wielding a gavel.
The painting appeared on an external wall of the Queen’s Building, in the Royal Courts of Justice complex, however it was swiftly covered up and guarded by security staff, before work began to remove it.
The art was interpreted by some as a comment on the arrest of hundreds of people for supporting Palestine Action by holding up placards at protests.
Read MoreMilly Alcock’s ‘punk rock’ Supergirl takes flight as DC bets big on the Woman of Tomorrow
UK vows to tackle antisemitism 'emergency' as police probe double stabbing attack
Fourteen train passengers treated after ‘smell of chemicals’ reported
