Gillian Keegan to present herself as heir to Thatcher

Gillian Keegan will present herself as the heir to Margaret Thatcher on Monday amid speculation of a future leadership bid.

The Education Secretary is expected to appeal to the Tory Right by stressing her belief in Mrs Thatcher’s legacy of “sound money, and solid economic foundations” when she addresses the Centre for Policy Studies’ annual Margaret Thatcher Conference.

In a swipe at former Downing Street residents Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng, she is expected to say: “Margaret Thatcher never thought that the way to achieve a low tax economy was by dramatically increasing public sector debt and borrowing.

“She knew that you had to deal with inflation first otherwise every tax cut or spending pledge would be eaten by inflation.”

She will add: “If you believe in the market, you must listen to the market.”

In a highly personal speech, she is understood to be planning to present herself as a Westminster outsider who grew up in a working-class family in Liverpool and learnt about how to achieve growth as a businesswoman, rather than simply pledging to deliver it in speeches.

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

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

‘Tough on strikes, pro-low tax’

The speech comes days after Rishi Sunak was threatened with a Tory mutiny by supporters of Boris Johnson.

The prime minister is facing three by-elections after Nadine Dorries and Nigel Adams also said they were standing down with immediate effect.

Mrs Keegan, 55, is seen as a potential leadership candidate if the Conservatives lose power in the next general election. “I know she has been on manoeuvres in the past,” a Whitehall insider said.

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

“She’s northern/working class and a successful businesswoman…[it] makes sense,” a source close to Mrs Keegan told The Telegraph last July.

The MP for Chichester is a member of the One Nation group of liberal Tory MPs.

Toughen stance on culture war

MPs on the Right of the party have questioned whether she is too “soft” on sex education and transgender issues, citing her remarks earlier this year when she suggested that 16-year-olds are old enough to decide to change their gender.

However, she has sought to toughen her stance in recent weeks on culture war issues, saying that “we need to get the voice of common sense back into the debate”.

She told the Northern Research Group conference last week that the work the Government has done on the Free Speech Act, giving more powers to cancelled academics and students, was “groundbreaking”.

She said: “I think a lot of people thought we wouldn’t be able to navigate it through, we did. And I actually had an awful lot of negative briefing against me personally on this subject as well, which was all a load of rubbish.

“And effectively the voice of common sense, which is all that I think I represent, has finally taken hold and we have a free speech director as well at the Office for Students who is just starting and it’s a huge signal.”

Keegan voted for Thatcher aged 19

Mrs Keegan left school at 16 to work as an apprentice in 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 had a 27-year career in the manufacturing, banking and technology industries, including stints living in Spain and Japan, before a chance encounter 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 councillor who works in procurement at the Cabinet Office.

Speakers at the CPS conference also include Lord Michael Spencer, the billionaire financier and Conservative donor, and Penny Mourdant, leader of the House of Commons, who has also been tipped as a future leadership contender.