While images of former Tory PMs Margaret Thatcher and Winston Churchill were littered around the shop, current Tory leader Kemi Badenoch was nowhere to be seen
This year’s Tory party shop was overflowing with Conservative tat – but one thing was missing.
All traces of Kemi Badenoch had been erased from the merchandise stand at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester.
While images of former Tory PMs Margaret Thatcher and Winston Churchill were littered around the shop, the current Tory leader was nowhere to be seen.
Thatcher was most prominent of all. The Tories’ obsession with the late Prime Minister, who died in 2013, has really rocketed off the scale this year.
Cardboard cut outs of Thatcher to make you jump out your skin, famous quotes from her splashed over the walls and even a Thatcher museum showing some of her most famous outfits… they really have hit maximum Thatcher this year.
READ MORE: Half of Tories think Kemi Badenoch should QUIT as leader before next election
Why?, I hear you ask. Because it would’ve been her 100th birthday, if she was alive, next week… after the Tory conference is over.
Is it that the Conservatives – after a humiliating mauling at last year’s election – are stuck in the past, unable to bear the thought of the future, as their party continues to plummet to historic lows in the polls?
No, not entirely. (It can’t be denied the Tories have been going policy crazy, with fantasy ideas to deport 150,000 migrants and slash the benefits bill – both of which have faced criticism for lacking credibility).
But when it comes to spending actual money on merchandise and conference decorations, then yes, the party is entirely unwilling to commit to the future. Why spend a load of cash on Badenoch mugs and tea towels when she might not even be Tory leader at next year’s conference?
So… yes, once again you can find a lot of the same re-hashed merch as seen in previous years.
Thatcher mugs bearing the slogan “no, no, no” – a reference to the former PM’s pivotal speech on Europe – are on sale for £15, while Christmas tree baubles reading “no, no, no, ho, ho, ho” are available for £18.50.
Tory fans can also find Toby jug-style busts of Ms Thatcher sold for £47.50… and they’re apparently popular as members are being urgently told to “order online while stock lasts”! And a bottle of single malt whisky – with a sticker of Thatcher on it – is being sold for £95.
Silk ties adorned with the Tory logo are being sold for £34.50, while similarly patterned socks are on sale for £13.50. Tory logo cufflinks are also being flogged for £20 each or three for £50.
The party – which claims to want to boost British businesses – is also flogging £14.50 navy Tory hoodies made in Nicaragua, and £10 t-shirts reading “Don’t Blame Me, I Voted Conservative” made in Morocco.
The t-shirts are supposedly mocking Labour’s record in office… but one could easily read this as: “Don’t Blame Me for Voting Conservative… and keeping them in office for 14 years.”
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