Almost a decade after the death of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, her ideas are experiencing something of a political revival in the race to succeed outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Both candidates for the leadership of the Conservative Party, former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, have increasingly appealed to the legacy and imagery of Thatcher as they seek to gain power.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Sunak described his economic approach as "common-sense Thatcherism" and said he would take cues from the policies she pursued as Prime Minister. Sunak has also tied his upbringing as a pharmacist's son to Thatcher's humble origins as the daughter of a grocer and local politician. Meanwhile, Truss has taken to copying Thatcher's image, notably adopting the late prime minister's preferred lavallière blouses and appearing for strikingly similar photo opportunities, including a famous picture of Thatcher holding a calf. In the case of Truss, British political commentators have relished noting these similarities on social media.
