Social media users have drawn comparisons between Liz Truss’s outfit at the first Tory leadership debate and a look worn by Margarat Thatcher in 1979.
The foreign secretary, who took part in the Channel 4 event on Friday (15 July), opted for a black blazer over a white blouse featuring a bow tie detail across the neck.
Twitter users quickly noted a resemblance to the outfit worn by the former Conservative prime minister during a 1979 election broadcast.
Thatcher wore a strikingly similar outfit at the time made up of a white blouse that tied in a large bow at the neck, under a black blazer.
One tweet, which garnered more than 17,500 likes, said: “Liz Truss has recreated Margaret Thatcher’s appearance from her 1979 election broadcast down to the last detail.”
Another user wrote: “Has Liz Truss rifled through Margaret Thatcher‘s wardrobe?”
“Google Margaret Thatcher blouse and tell me Liz Truss isn’t cosplaying as Lady T right now,” a third person said.
Another said: “Why does Liz truss look like she dressed as Margaret Thatcher fancy dress?????”
“Does Liz Truss naturally give off Margaret Thatcher vibes or is that an intentional decision?” one user wrote.
Thatcher, who served as the UK prime minister from 1979-1990, was well-known for her love of tie-neck blouses, which she wore on countless occasions.
It is not the first time the public has drawn comparisons between Truss and Thatcher.
In November 2021, Truss donned military gear to pose in an army tank while visiting British troops in Estonia.
The photographs were quickly likened to images of Thatcher in the driving seat of a Challenger Tank at a NATO training camp in Germany in 1986.
In February, Truss was photographed wearing a black round fur hat with matching coat during a trip to Moscow.
Thatcher wore a similar outfit – a brown coat with fur trim and brown fur hat – during a trip to Russia in 1987.
Truss joined fellow Tory leader contenders Tom Tugendhat, Rishi Sunak, Kemi Badenoch and Penny Mordaunt for the first live televised debate, hosted by Krishnan Guru-Murthy.
