Culture Secretary Chris Smith today publicly backed siting a statue to commemorate the Women of the Second World War close to the Cenotaph in London.

Thisisyork revealed in May that Mr Smith and Mayor of London Ken Livingstone wanted the monument to be put up outside the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in Whitehall.

Ministers and officials have held sensitive, behind-the-scenes talks in recent months to ensure this happens.

Mr Smith announced today that the small statue of Sir Walter Raleigh outside the MoD is to be moved to the Royal Naval College in Greenwich.

This will free up a site for the memorial for Britain's war women, though planning consent is still needed.

Mr Smith said: "Sir Walter Raleigh is a figure of enormous importance to our heritage - an outstanding and inspiring example of the Elizabethan adventurer, part explorer and part buccaneer.

"I am very pleased now to be able to give the go-ahead for his statue, presently dwarfed and out-of-place in Whitehall, to be moved to a more fitting site in Greenwich.

"I also hope that this will now clear the way for speedy progress on the initiative to find a suitable home for a memorial to the Women of the Second World War.

"The splendid and effective campaign headed by Major David Robertson and his team, John Grogan MP and the Evening Press for such a memorial deserves no less."

Major Robertson, who has tirelessly led the York-based campaign for the monument, hopes it will be in place within two years. He said: "We are absolutely delighted. This is the victory for the Women of the Second World War that we have been campaigning for."