Stop aping Blair and learn from Mrs Thatcher, Lawson tells PM

DAViD cameron has ‘a lot to learn’ from Margaret Thatcher and should give up on trying to imitate Tony Blair, a senior Tory warned last night.

Former chancellor Lord Lawson, who served in the Thatcher governments of the 1980s, also fired a broadside at the current chancellor, george Osborne.

he said Mr Osborne should give up his wider strategy role and focus on the economy in the wake of this year’s disastrous Budget.

Lord Lawson said the Prime Minister was too influenced by Mr Blair, whose leadership was characterised by an obsession with focus groups, and a series of bruising battles with his own party.

in opposition, Mr cameron copied Mr Blair’s modernising agenda in an attempt to change the conservative Party’s image by encouraging more women candidates and embracing green ideas. To the anger of many Tory traditionalists he has continued with this in office by championing gay marriage.

But Lord Lawson said the conservatives did not need the kind of modernisation Mr Blair imposed with new Labour. he suggested Mr cameron should follow Baroness Thatcher’s lead by making a virtue of traditional Tory values.

‘There are basically two models of long- term premiership in recent memory – Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair,’ he said in an interview with radio 4’s The Week in Westminster.

‘David cameron has modelled himself very much on the Blair style. i think the conservative backbenchers prefer the Thatcher style.

‘i do think he has a lot to learn from her. And i think Blair is a bad role model except in that particular time in history of changing the Labour Party, which had to be done. he was brilliant at that but i don’t think that applies to the conservative Party at all.’

Lord Lawson’s intervention comes amid mounting tension between the Prime Minister and his backbench MPs.

in a rebellion earlier this month, 91 Tory MPs voted against the government’s plans

‘He is a bad role model’

for reform of the house of Lords. Dozens of backbenchers are becoming increasingly frustrated with his stance on europe, particularly his vacillating on whether to hold a referendum.

Lord Lawson also gave voice to growing Tory grumblings about the performance of Mr Osborne, who has retained a central role in overseeing conservative strategy on top of the huge demands of trying to restore Britain’s economic fortunes. Many Tories argue that the chancellor has taken his eye off the ball and needs to cut his commitments.

Mr Osborne chairs a daily toplevel strategy meeting, is heavily involved in drawing up plans for the next Tory election manifesto and is masterminding the party’s plans for the scottish independence referendum battle.

Lord Lawson said: ‘i think it might well be sensible now for him to give up this central strategic job.

‘george has on the whole pretty good… political judgment, and there’s nothing to stop David cameron saying from time to time, “george what do you think of this, what do you think of that”, so his political thought is not going to be excluded if he gives up his role.

‘i do think it might be sensible to give up the formal role and focus exclusively on his job as chancellor, which is a tremendously important job.’

Lord Lawson said the last Budget was ‘not [Osborne’s] biggest success’. But he said he did not side with those encouraging the Prime Minister to sack him at the next reshuffle.