British culture secretary Nadine Dorries has granted listed status to a plaque commemorating the industrialist and colonialist Cecil Rhodes at a University of Oxford college.
The Oriel College memorial in Oxford, has a plaque of Cecil Rhodes (1853–1902) on the outside wall,  just around the corner from the much-contested statue of the British mining magnate and politician.
‘Special Historic Interest’
In 2018, Historic England advised the government that the plaque should not be listed.
However, on Friday British culture secretary Nadine Dorries, head of the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS), said she felt it to be of “special historic interest.”
“We are committed to retaining and explaining our heritage so people can examine all parts of Britain’s history and understand our shared past,” a DCMS spokesperson told the BBC. …