The ghost of Thatcher is haunting the Tory leadership race

At least one groundless anxiety has surfaced during the Tory leadership contest. It concerns Boris Johnson’s future and the fear that he will try to undermine his successor, in the way Margaret Thatcher treated John Major.

But that ought to be the least of the party’s anxieties. It is true that Boris will not display any loyalty to the new leader, or to the party – or indeed to the country. If he were to give an honest response, it would be a simple one: ‘What’s in it for me?’ He needs money. Freed from the constraints of Downing Street, he will want to have fun (watch him, Carrie). But this will all lead him, not towards serious political engagement, but to the light entertainment industry.

He is not another Margaret Thatcher any more than he is a second Winston Churchill. If he decides to return to his life of Shakespeare, he might recognise himself in a couple of characters: Bottom the Weaver, or either Stephano or Trinculo, who take part in a risible plot against Prospero.