The Leader of the Conservative Party and a Minister who served in Margaret Thatcher’s government visited her former school on what would have been her 100th birthday.
Both Kemi Badenoch and Edwina Currie were at Kesteven and Grantham Girls’ School on Monday to speak to some of its current students and see memorabilia including Mrs Thatcher’s original school record.
Margaret Roberts, to use the former Prime Minister’s maiden name, was at the school from 1936 to 1943, serving as headgirl in her final year.
She once said she would not have achieved what she did in becoming Britain’s first female Prime Minister, and the longest serving of the modern era, without KGGS.
During her visit, Mrs Badenoch met the school’s current head girls and observed a Year 7 Science lesson in which students were extracting pea DNA.
The visit concluded with a lively and informative question and answer session with Year 12 and 13 politics and economics students.
Topics raised included the European Convention on Human Rights, net zero policies, and Australia’s proposal to ban social media for under-16s.
Mrs Badenoch also asked students what concerned them most about the world they were growing up in. Responses included worries about housing affordability and the rise of a ‘them and us’ culture.
Former Health Minister Edwina Currie talked about her memories of the Iron Lady and also answered questions.
She said that when Mrs Thatcher was born, things were very different and, for example, women under 30 couldn’t vote, so equality became a theme of her politics.
The MP for South Derbyshire from 1983 until 1997, said: “Margaret Thatcher has always been a bit of an icon to me.
“She broke every glass ceiling there was by saying ‘this is ridiculous’.
“What I can share with you, and what she can share with us, is that she worked ferociously hard with a fierce application of intellect.”
Asked if the country needed a leader as Mrs T today, Edwina, who shares her birthday, replied: “My own feeling is that sort of question is a yearning for strong leadership. Possibly also clear ideas extremely well progressed.”
KGGS Head Teacher James Fuller said: “Students described the sessions as both inspiring and thought-provoking, and appreciated the opportunity to engage directly with the Leader of the Opposition.”
KGGS has joined the Thatcher Fest line-up and is showing the biopic film of her life, Iron Lady, starring Meryl Streep, on Thursday 16th October at 7pm - doors open at 6.15pm. Tickets are £5 from The Iron Lady
For information on Thatcherfest, visit guildhallartscentre.com/whats-on/thatcher-fest/
