WHAT THERESA’S SHOES REVEAL

she once declared them the ‘greatest love of her life’.

From patent pumps and thigh-high leather boots to diamante-studded brogues and mock-croc stilettos, Theresa May’s shoe collection is truly a thing of passion.

ever since she strutted on stage at the 2002 Tory Party Conference in a pair of leopard-print kitten heels and reprimanded her colleagues for their reputation as the ‘nasty party’, her choice of shoes has been a source of fascination.

She’s famously unapologetic about owning so many pairs — she refuses to reveal how many, but estimates the number at around 80 — and describes them as an ‘ice-breaker’.

But Mrs May’s fondness for footwear is far more than just a fashion statement.

each pair is carefully chosen to match her political message and deliver it with a punch.

In fact, her taste in shoes almost perfectly mirrors her professional journey, up through the ranks from a lowly home Counties MP to Prime Minister.

Over the years, she has learned just how important it is to select a shoe befitting the occasion.

And she knows only too well the power of a well-turned heel: winning confidences and favours, as well as ensuring that all eyes remain firmly on her.

her appointment as the first female chair of the Conservative Party in 2002, for example, required a pair of eye-catching leopard-print heels — which made more headlines than her speech.

And for her first engagement as home Secretary in 2010, she selected a pair of patent red courts — just the thing to convince critics of her no-nonsense attitude.

Meanwhile, she talked tough on Brexit just last month wearing a pair of steel-toed brogues.

It’s not just her taste in shoes that’s changed as she scales the political ladder: it’s their price tag.

As she’s risen through the ranks, she’s eagerly branched out from high Street to designer — with eye-watering price tags to match.

here, we chart the story of Mrs May’s flamboyant footwear . . . Additional reporting: Dinah Van Tulleken, Emily Monckton and Amy Kester