Iron Lady haunts the gift shops… and the battle to shape Britain’s future

At the Conservative Party’s annual conference, reminders of its history are everywhere. The official gift shop’s most popular item is a collection of pin badges showing the evolution of the party’s logo over 40 years, and delegates can also buy a Toby jug depicting John Major, a whisky glass engraved with the silhouette of Sir Winston Churchill, or a keyring of the iconic “Labour Isn’t Working” poster of 1978. Plenty of former leaders are represented, but one figure overshadows them all. Everywhere you go, and everywhere you look, there are reminders of Margaret Thatcher. There are Thatcher portraits, Thatcher water…