Marketing Strategies of UK Prime Minister Candidates on Thatcher

Statue of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in Grantham, UK
Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] Margaret Thatcher, the former British Prime Minister who passed away in 2013, continues to be frequently mentioned in British society this year.

On May 15th, a full-body statue of Thatcher was erected in her hometown of Grantham, but it was vandalized within two hours by a citizen who threw eggs at it. The man who threw the eggs, named Jeremy Webster, posted a video of the egg-throwing on social media along with the hashtag '#TakeDownTheStatue.' Originally, the Thatcher statue was planned to be installed near the British Parliament in 2018. However, the Parliament opposed it on the grounds that not much time had passed since Thatcher's death, so the statue was moved to her hometown, where it was also not welcomed.

However, in the Conservative Party leadership race to become the 78th British Prime Minister, candidates are actively using Thatcher marketing. The candidates appeal for support by saying that strong leadership like Thatcher, who cured the "British disease," is needed in the current crisis situation where the war in Ukraine and soaring prices have increased the risk of economic recession.

Rishi Sunak, former Chancellor of the Exchequer, who ranked first in both the first and second rounds of voting, claims that his economic vision is common-sense Thatcherism. Unlike other candidates advocating tax cuts, Sunak is cautious about tax cuts due to the significantly increased government fiscal deficit following the COVID-19 pandemic. He argues that handling government finances more prudently is the Thatcher-style economic approach. Sunak emphasizes that spending should match earnings, calling this the common sense of Thatcherism and stating that Thatcher would have done the same. He also recalls helping his mother’s pharmacy during his childhood, claiming it is similar to the discipline Thatcher received while helping her father’s grocery store as a child.

Penny Mordaunt, Minister of State for International Trade, who ranked second in both the first and second rounds and dreams of becoming the third female British Prime Minister after Thatcher and Theresa May, recently said she feels undervalued because she is a woman like Thatcher. She subtly argued that both she and Thatcher deserve more recognition.

Elizabeth Truss, Foreign Secretary, who ranked third in both rounds and is threatening the two candidates, has consistently shown political moves reminiscent of Thatcher’s image. In mid-February, when concerns about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine were rising, Truss visited Russia to deliver a warning message. During her visit, she wore a fur coat and hat, which drew media attention as it was analyzed to be similar to the outfit Thatcher wore in Red Square during her 1987 visit to the Soviet Union. When Truss visited Estonia last November, her pose on a tank was also compared to Thatcher’s pose on a tank during her 1986 visit to West Germany. Truss was the first female Secretary of State for Defence in the UK. The policies she advocates?free trade, low taxes, and small government?align with the policy directions Thatcher pursued during her tenure as Prime Minister.

From the left, Liz Truss, Foreign Secretary; Rishi Sunak, former Chancellor of the Exchequer; Penny Mordaunt, Minister of State for International Trade
Photo by AFP Yonhap News

Nadhim Zahawi, Chancellor of the Exchequer who was eliminated in the first round, also said his dream is to become a modern Thatcher. He said Thatcher, who rose to Prime Minister from the daughter of a grocery store owner, showed that anyone can succeed in the UK. Zahawi was born in Iraq and immigrated to the UK as a child who did not speak a word of English. Suella Braverman, Attorney General who was eliminated in the second round with 27 votes, also said in May that her idols are Thatcher and wartime hero Winston Churchill.

The reason Conservative Party leadership candidates are engaging in Thatcher marketing is that Thatcher remains popular among Conservative Party members. Among nearly 200,000 Conservative Party members, the majority are older white men who still long for the Thatcher era. The leadership election to select the final two candidates for the runoff by the 21st is conducted among Conservative MPs, but all Conservative Party members will participate in the final runoff vote, which will be held before September 5th.

Jonathan Tong, a political science professor at the University of Liverpool, said, "Thatcher still remains a political hero to many Conservative Party members," adding, "Many Conservative members vividly remember the Thatcher era and regard it as the greatest political period during their lifetime." Professor Tong added, "You cannot be elected (as Conservative leader) by criticizing Thatcher."

Thatcher, who served from 1979 to 1990, was the longest-serving British Prime Minister in the past 150 years. While she is positively evaluated for curing the "British disease" and enabling millions of Britons to live better lives, there is also significant negative public opinion, especially in northern England. During her tenure, Thatcher boldly closed or privatized unprofitable industries and clashed extremely with labor unions. Ken Loach, a British film director who won the Palme d'Or twice at the Cannes Film Festival for "The Wind That Shakes the Barley" (2006) and "I, Daniel Blake" (2016), sarcastically remarked "Let's privatize Thatcher's funeral" when she died in 2013.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.