Liz Truss and the photos that show her Margaret Thatcher makeover
telegraph.co.ukmust respect Ukraine’s sovereignty “or face severe consequences” (an Iron Ladylike refrain in itself), she posed for pictures in Red Square in a fur coat and hat, 35 years after the former Tory premier did the same on a visit to the then Soviet Union.'It's just a hat', you may say – but in politics there’s no such thing as just a hat.
Ask William Hague, whose baseball cap generated more debate than many of his policies. In Truss’s case, her headgear carries a not-very-cryptic message, and must be viewed in the context of another recent image, dating from November, of the member for South West Norfolk astride a tank in Estonia.
The photo was reminiscent of an image of Mrs Thatcher from 1986, when she was snapped in a British Army tank during a visit to troops stationed in West Germany (though Liz left the goggles at home).“This can’t be a coincidence,” says Anand Menon, director of the UK in a Changing Europe think tank. “She’s appealing to the electorate, which is pretty sensible…It’s comfort food for the Tory membership.”With the drip-drip of partygate revelations continuing to erode Boris Johnson’s authority, those with leadership ambitions are naturally positioning themselves.
And if you’re even the least bit eager to be considered a female Tory prime minister in waiting, inviting Thatcher comparisons is unlikely to hurt your cause.
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