Did Theresa May channel her inner Margaret Thatcher with DEFIANT Brexit speech?
THERESA May refused to back down to the pressure yesterday amid widespread criticism of her Brexit deal, sparking unexpected similarities with an iconic Margaret Thatcher speech.
Margaret Thatcher's reaction to 'U-turn' speculation
Theresa May delivered her speech at 5pm yesterday, after spending the afternoon in Parliament defending her Brexit deal from a barrage of criticism. Coming at the end of a day which saw multiple Cabinet resignations and the humiliation of Jacob Rees-Mogg's no-confidence letter, many had speculated that the Prime Minister would use the speech to announce her resignation. Instead, Mrs May remained steadfast in her position on Brexit negotiations and insisted she was the right person to take the country forward.
She stated: “I believe in every fibre of my being that the course I have set out is the right one for our country and all our people.
“Am I going to see this through? Yes.”
Her stance bore similarities to a famous speech delivered by Baroness Thatcher, when she was under similar pressure to back down in 1980 after a period of economic turmoil.
After a relentless barrage from parliamentary rivals and the tabloid press, she was urged to make a U-turn on economic policy as unemployment soared during the recession.
However, rather than backing down, the Iron Lady passionately declared "the lady is not for turning" and, true to her word, she never looked back.
In words that mirror Ms May’s, she announced: “We shall not be diverted from our course.”
In the famous moment that received a standing ovation, Mrs Thatcher made a play on words with the phrase “U-Turn”.
“You turn if you want to,” she proclaimed.
“The lady is not for turning."
Excerpts from the historic speech can be seen in Amazon Prime documentary “Margaret Thatcher: I Will Not Undertake”.
In the previous Conservative government, Edward Heath had “more or less abandoned their economic policy changes due to public pressure,” explains the documentary.
Mrs May’s performance at PMQs yesterday has also drawn comparisons with Thatcher from a body-language expert.