Gillian Keegan appeals to right-wing conservatives and presents herself as Thatcher heiress

Gillian Keegan is expected to highlight her belief in Margaret Thatcher's legacy of «solid money and a solid economic foundation».

On Monday, Gillian Keegan will present herself as Margaret Thatcher's heiress amid rumors of a future bid for leader.

The Education Secretary is expected to address right-wing conservatives, emphasizing his faith in Mrs Thatcher's legacy. about «solid money and a solid economic foundation» when she speaks at the Center for Policy Research's annual Margaret Thatcher Conference.

In an attack on former Downing Street residents Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng, she is expected to say: «Margaret Thatcher never thought that to achieve a low-tax economy it was necessary to dramatically increase public sector debt and borrowing.

» She knew that inflation had to be fought first, otherwise any tax cut or spending obligation would be eaten away by inflation.”

She adds: “If you believe in the market, you have to listen to the market.

In a highly personal speech, she is supposed to be planning to present herself as a Westminster outsider who grew up in a working-class family in Liverpool and learned how to grow as a businesswoman. rather than just promising to say it in speeches.

“I didn’t just repeat the word ‘growth’ and didn’t expect it to happen,” she says.

She will also say that , like Mrs Thatcher, learned a lot while working in a shop on Saturdays at the age of 14.

«Hard strikes, low taxes»

The speech is given a few days after Rishi Sunak. Boris Johnson supporters threatened Tory mutiny.

Prime Minister faces three by-elections after Nadine Dorris and Nigel Adams also announced they would step down immediately.

>55-year-old Mrs. Keegan is seen as a potential leader candidate if the Conservatives lose power in the next general election. «I know she's staged maneuvers in the past,» a Whitehall insider said.

“She wants to present herself as tough on strikes, pro-low taxes, but socially liberal.” It is understood that she considered entering the race during last summer's Tory leaderboard competition.

«She's northern/working class and a successful business woman…[it] makes sense,» a source close to to Mrs. Keegan. The Telegraph last July.

The MP for Chichester is a member of the One Nation group of Liberal Conservative MPs.

Taking a hard line on the culture war

Right-wing MPs are wondering if she's too «soft» on sex education and transgender issues, citing her remarks earlier this year when she suggested that 16-year-olds were old enough to decide to change their gender.

p>

She told a Northern Research Group conference last week that the government's work on the Free Speech Act, which gives more power to laid-off scientists and students, was «groundbreaking.»

She said: «I think many people thought we couldn't get through it, but we did it. And in fact, I had a lot of negative briefings against me personally on this issue, which was complete nonsense.

“And basically the voice of common sense, which I think is all I represent, has finally prevailed, and we also have a director of free speech at the Office of Student Affairs who is just getting started, and that's a huge signal.»

Mrs. Keegan left school at 16 to work as an apprentice at a car factory in Liverpool. It was there that she became disillusioned with union politics and decided to vote for Mrs Thatcher at the age of 19.

She worked for 27 years in the manufacturing, banking and technology industries, including living in Spain and Japan, before a chance meeting with Baroness Jenkin of Kennington inspired her to enter politics.

She was elected MP for Chichester in 2017 and lives in Petworth, West Sussex, with her husband Michael Keegan, a former Conservative Councilor in Cabinet Purchasing .

Speakers at the CPS conference also include Lord Michael Spencer, billionaire financier and conservative donor, and Penny Murdan, leader of the House of Commons, who is also seen as a future leadership contender.