Ann Widdecombe and Kevin Maguire clash over Thatcherism

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Speaking on GB News, the former Tory MP for Maidstone and The Weald erupted into fury as associate editor of the Daily Mirror Kevin Maguire said the late Ms Thatcher “made things worse and not better” during her reign as prime minister. Ms Widdecombe branded Mr Maguire’s arguments as “absolutely farcical” before claiming that the journalist was “off-form”. 

She said: “The idea that all was sweetness and light before the arrival of Margaret Thatcher is just complete nonsense. 

“And I think, actually, you know it Kevin. I think it’s rather embarrassing for the left that somebody that they always tried to hold up as some sort of ogre actually was a very high-achieving prime minister for us all.” 

Mr Magurie then interrupted: “Anne, the people who really ran down Britain in the back end of the 1970s were Tories, were people like you, because you had political reasons to do that.” 

Ms Widdecome replied: “We weren’t even in power until 1979. It was your lot.”

When GB Host Patrick Christys confirmed that the Tories had not regained power until 1979, Mr Maguire said: “Yeah but they’d been in during most of the post-war period. 

“They’d been in power from 1951 to 1964. The Labour governments were not perfect by any means, if you look at Harold Wilson or Jim Callaghan. 

“I’m not pretending they were, but Thatcher made things worse and not better. 

“Even the financial collapse of 2008 you can trace back to the 1986 big bang when deregulations were swept away.”

Ms Widdecombe then erupted into anger, exhorting Mr Magurie to stop “arguing pathetically this morning”. 

She said: “I think that is absolutely farcical, Kevin, to try and blame the financial crisis on Thatcher when Gordon Brown sold off gold at bargain basement prices and wrecked the pension system. 

“And you have to go all the way back and say ‘Oh no, it wasn’t anything to do with us. Even though we were there at the time we didn’t make those decisions, it was all down to Thatcher’. 

“You are arguing pathetically this morning. You’re off form.” 

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The fierce argument occurred ahead of the local elections tomorrow, which could turn the tables on the political future of the United Kingdom. 

Polls suggest that Labour could overturn a devastating loss in last year’s English local elections. 

With Boris Johnson potentially susceptible to five more fines over breaking lockdown rules, voting intentions seem to have swayed towards the left. 

Labour are expected not only to pip the polls in England but also reclaim the unionist lead in Scotland behind the Scottish National Party. 

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