Boris Johnson: Poppies should stay at Tower of London

  • London
The striking display by artist Paul Cummins has attracted millions of visitors. Credit: Chris Radburn/PA

Boris Johnson has called for the field of ceramic poppies at the Tower of London to remain in place beyond Armistice Day, due to the popularity of the exhibition.

At the moment the plan is for a huge team of 11,000 volunteers to remove the display on November 12th, the day after the nation remembers the sacrifices of the First World War.

It is expected that by that point four million people will have visited the installation by artist Paul Cummins, entitled 'Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red'.

Boris Johnson and actor Brian Blessed selling poppies at Liverpool Street station. Credit: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

By the time the work is complete there will be almost 900,000 of the ceramic flowers filling the moat around the Tower.

A spokeswoman for the Mayor of London said he was in discussion with Historic Royal Palaces, the agency which runs the Tower of London, about extending the exhibition for a further week.

Earlier David Cameron called it "an extraordinary display and one that the country can be very proud of".

Charities also got a boost with the announcement that the VAT from sales of the flowers will be waived.

Almost 900,000 of the poppies are set to fill the moat around the Tower. Credit: Chris Radburn/PA Wire

Chancellor George Osborne said the expected £1.1m revenue would be covered using some of the money from fines for bankers who manipulated the Libor interest rate.

He said it was fitting that "those who've demonstrated the worst of values" should support the work of "those who demonstrate the best of values every day".

Read: Army cadet suffers burns in attack after selling poppies