Ronald Reagan wins a place in the heart of the nation

A STATUE of former US president Ronald Reagan has been unveiled to mark 100 years since his birth.

Foreign Secretary William Hague paid tribute to Mr Reagan at the ceremony at the US Embassy in London yesterday.

He said: "It is a great honour for me personally to take part in a ceremony for a man who changed the political landscape at the time I first became involved in it."

He was joined by former US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice as the 10ft bronze figure was revealed.

Ms Rice represented the late president's widow Nancy Reagan at the ceremony, which coincided with the US Independence Day celebrations.

Mr Hague said: "He joins the ranks of great men and women whose statues adorn our London streets; Nelson, Wellington, Lincoln, Churchill, Roosevelt, Edith Cavell and Nelson Mandela. Statues bring us to face to face with our heroes long after they are gone.

"Ronald Reagan is without question a great American hero; one of America's finest sons, and a giant of 20th-century history."

Mr Reagan, president between 1981-89 died in 2004 aged 93.