Tracey Emin has demanded that Number 10 take down an artwork she gifted to the government, saying the “current situation is shameful”.

More Passion, a neon piece by the Turner Prize-nominated artist who lives in Margate, was installed in Downing Street in 2011 when David Cameron was Prime Minister.

Writing on Instagram, the 58-year-old said she had requested the piece be removed in protest at allegations of parties at the residence during lockdown restrictions.

It comes after Boris Johnson admitted attending a garden party at Number 10 in May 2020 which flouted lockdown rules, sparking widespread calls for his resignation, including from within his own party.

Emin wrote: “This is my neon that hangs at 10 Downing Street. It was a gift from myself to the Government Art Collection.

“I am now in the process of requesting that my artwork be removed from 10 Downing Street.

“I feel More Passion is the last thing this present government needs. This current situation is shameful.”

Emin donated More Passion to the Government Art Collection after being invited by Mr Cameron to create a bespoke piece.

She told The Guardian she was not asking for the artwork to be returned.

“The artwork belongs to the government, not whoever’s in power right now,” she said.

“It could hang in the British embassy in Cairo, or go back into storage. There are many places it could go, but just right at the moment I don’t think it’s a very good idea if it’s at 10 Downing Street.”

Emin caused controversy in the art world when she declared herself a Conservative supporter but later criticised Mr Cameron over his decision to hold a referendum on leaving the EU.

Widely known for her headline-grabbing ’90s works Everyone I Have Ever Slept With and My Bed, she revealed in 2020 she had been diagnosed with cancer.

Emin underwent major surgery and is now cancer-free.

She recently snapped up a former mortuary and Victorian bath house in Margate, and plans to turn the site into an art school and mini museum.