Visit London has been forced to withdraw a promotional video for London 2012 after concerns were voiced by both the Mayor of London and the Prime Minister.
Both Boris Johnson and Gordon Brown expressed their worries after being shown the video, which is designed to highlight the capital’s cultural offering, at an event in Beijing where the 2008 Olympics have just ended.
They were concerned the video contained a fleeting shot of Marcus Harvey’s portrait of 1960s child killer Myra Hindley which has been on display in both the Tate and the Royal Academy.
A Visit London spokeswoman has vowed not to show the video again and has expressed its regret for causing any offence.
Shesaid: “The image is part of a very fast-moving montage depicting the breadth of art and galleries available in the capital and appears on screen for less than a second.
“The video was originally made for the promotion of London to the travel trade and was one of a number of videos being shown generally as background at the London House. It was not commissioned specifically for the handover party at the House.”
The London House is the venue used by Visit London during the Olympics in Beijing, China.