Thatcher Centre

Centre where Margaret Thatcher's legacy will be kept alive for all ages. Email us to get in touch. We don't respond to public tweets.

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Gutted you missed a great event celebrating Margaret Thatcher's principles today? Then don't miss our Academic Symposium in Cambridge next month! Its focus is the Single European Act 1986 and all that it entailed! Get your tickets here: https://t.co/zJCpKpXQSl

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Our last speaker came out of the gate fast! Adam King of @QEBHW, 'The decision to remand Lucy in custody was wrong.' 'Don't go after individual judges in borderline cases; what has to happen is to fix the two-tier system.'
Adam is our last keynote speaker before the attendees withdraw for a well-earned sponsored drinks reception. Thank you to everyone who spoke, attended or supported us today. Cheers 🍷

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'What we want are simplified rules we can actually understand,' says Steve Barrett, @TVSteveBarrett barrister, in our fourth keynote of the day, 'Simplifying the Law.' As usual, he's on a roll! 'The thing that causes state collapse is the inconsistent implementation of the law.' 'Without clear, simple laws, society collapses...We are infantilised by this complex system...This idea that you should draft your laws with subjective outcomes...'
You really should be here to get the full effect. Next year, maybe?🧑‍⚖️

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TOPIC: Whither Magna Carta? The Continuing Death of Our Ancient Liberties.

Panellists: Lucy Connelly (@LucyTCWife), free-speech advocate Graham Linehan (@Glinner), Writer and free-speech advocate (by video feed), Alex Deane, (@ajcdeane) barrister and David Oldroyd-Bolt (@david_oldbolt) of The Danube Institute.

David: 'The right to freedom of speech has been sat upon by politicians.' 'We are beginning to win on case by case basis.' 'The closing down of county courts had an absolutely egregious effect.'

Lucy: 'I would absolutely say we have a two-tier system.' 'I don't think it's being curtailed. I think it's (freedom of speech) being eroded.' '...at the time I was more concerned about the children...' 'Let the judiciary be independent.'

Graham: 'I knew it wasn't a prank immediately.' 'That single moment effectively destroyed my marriage and career.' 'I never expected them to actually arrest me. Thats crazy looking back on it.' 'I knew they had overreached.'

Alex: 'The Courts and Tribunals Bill appeared out of the clear blue sky.' 'Elimination, altogether, of the automatic right of appeal in magistrates' court...imagine the consequences in your life of a criminal conviction?'

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@Glinner : 'Governments still don't know how to manage people in an online world. There should be a rule, if it's not enough to get you banned from Twitter, ,(@X), it shouldn't be enough to get you arrested.'

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Regulatory Overreach – Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes? Our panellists this afternoon are Mohamed Amersi, Stephen Hackett and Kerry Underwood.

Kerry: 'The SRA is now run at 1% satisfaction rate from lawyers.' 'Fixed penalty system better than regulator.'
Amersi: 'Each hour of the SRA case (against me) is costing around £10,000 an hour.' 'Overregulation creates paralysis...Just because something can be regulated doesn't mean it should be regulated.' 'AI will be able to avoid human bias.'
Hackett: 'It would not be easy to hold individuals (in the SRA) to account through the judicial review process.' 'The machinery we have at the moment to check regulatory overreach is not good enough.'

Want to see more of this panel? Keep an eye on our website, https://t.co/DfB1keyud4 over the next few days. And make a note to attend next year's conference!

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ANNOUNCEMENT: We have a hard deadline of 31 May 2026 for applications to our famous Fellowship Programme – an annual event that takes place in the USA. So, now is the time to alert your 21+ child, friend, colleague or student to this amazing opportunity.

The Margaret Thatcher Fellowship is a transformative seven-day residential programme in Washington D.C., designed to inspire the next generation of national and international leaders through immersive experiences at America’s most influential institutions. Taking place from 2—9 August 2026, it brings together focused individuals aged 21 and over for an intensive leadership development experience rooted in the principles of Thatcherism.

Participants will:

• visit and engage with institutions such as the United States Congress and the United States Supreme Court
• attend high-level discussions at prominent think tanks
receive media training
• participate in the National Conservative Student Conference hosted in partnership with Young America’s Foundation.
• enjoy fun cultural experiences to complete the experience!

Our programme fosters principled leadership, a deeper understanding of personal freedoms, liberty, enterprise and good governance, as well as building lasting networks on both sides of the Atlantic.

What is included?
• Return flights from the UK to Washington D.C.
• Full accommodation, all meals, and refreshments
• Programme materials and a certificate of completion
• Membership of our alumni network

The programme is heavily subsidised thanks to the generous support of our donors, requiring a contribution of just £399 from successful applicants. Financial circumstances should not be a barrier to participation. Find out more here.
https://t.co/VXX06RyVFP

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Francis Hoar of Field Court Chambers is delivering a keynote address: 'Judicial Interference with Government – Understanding the Problem and Identifying the Solution.' He believes that '...every event, every tragedy, is an opportunity... and the thirst of government for new legislation... encouraged by third sector organisations...vicious circle in which the levers of the administrative state are geared to increasing its size, power and scope."

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Our second keynote: 'Why Upholding the Law is Critical in an Age of Cowardice.' Daniel Berke of 3D Solicitors, and a well-known free speech advocate says, "We have seen a chilling effect on freedom of speech...tremendous efforts... to introduce blasphemy laws by the back door. "Victims of crime are treated with contempt." "We were perfectly good at protecting human rights before the ECHR came in." "The jury system is the soul of our justice system."
Wish you were here yet? Sign up at https://t.co/Vuvm6Wxhqv for email updates of this and all our events.

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Lord Garnier: "I prefer our gradualist system... because it can flex. Written constitutions take the shape of whoever is writing it. I like people to be able to disagree."

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Steve Baker: "I think the rule of law collapsed under Covid."

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The English Constitution: From the Sublime to the Ridiculous is tackled by Lord Garnier KC, a former Solicitor General, Lord Blackwater, the historian and columnist and Steve Baker, former Minister of State and Founder of Fighting for a Free Future. Videos of these panels and keynote speeches will be available on our website soon. For early access, please consider becoming a donor to the Margaret Thatcher Centre.

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If you didn't have fomo from not coming to our Rule of Law conference, you should be feeling it now! Katie Lam doesn't hold back in her keynote, "The FCA holds a special place in my frustrations." "The British people never voted to have their financial services sector overregulated into oblivion." "It's absurd our financial regulator can blackball people for life." And in an expression Mrs Thatcher would have approved of greatly, "We must be willing to argue people are best placed to manage the risk in their own lives."

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Straight in at the deep end! Our first panel discussion examines the Rule of Law versus Rule by Judges. Live from Queensland, Australia, Professor James Allan addresses delegates at our Second Annual Rule of Law Conference, "Unelected judges are gaining more power and hollowing out democracy." "Get rid of the UK Supreme Court and put it back in the House of Lords." The Rt Hon Sir Robert Buckland KC, observed that international courts are just a way for national states to do politics by other means, and that it is utterly wrong to do away with jury trials. To a Q & A question, Sir Robert responded: "There will be a tension between our notion of common law rights and international law." Professor Allen: "Australia has no bill of rights. And there's more scope to speak your mind in Australia than in Britain. When you buy a bill of rights, you buy the lawyerly caste. I would repeal the Bill of Rights and not replace it with anything." See less

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Our Founder, Donal Blaney, kicks off today's Margaret Thatcher Centre Second Rule of Law Conference at Gray's Inn.

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DREAMING OF BECOMING A FUTURE LEADER? This could be your game-changing moment! We’re thrilled to invite exceptional young people aged 21+ to apply for the Margaret Thatcher Fellowship Programme in Washington, D.C. this summer.

From 2–9 August 2026, you’ll dive into a transformative seven-day residential programme including:
Behind-the-scenes visits to the US Congress and Supreme Court
High-level discussions at prominent think tanks
Media training and participation in the National Conservative Student Conference with Young America’s Foundation
Memorable cultural experiences, including Washington’s iconic monuments

You’ll build lifelong transatlantic networks, gain deep insights into liberty, enterprise, principled leadership and good governance, and return inspired and ready to make a real impact.

Everything included: return flights from the UK, full accommodation, all meals, programme materials and alumni network access. And thanks to generous donors, the contribution from successful applicants is just £399 – making this accessible to all outstanding candidates.

Applications close on 31 May 2026. Places are limited, so don’t wait! Full details: https://t.co/o9rkS54k97

➡️Know a motivated student (21 or over), recent graduate or early-career professional with strong leadership potential? Please share this post or forward the link to them. Your encouragement could make all the difference. Let’s inspire the next generation of Britain’s leaders!

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THE RULE OF LAW IS NOT NEGOTIABLE.

Think our democracy is set in stone? Think again. The British rule of law is facing a generational threat. If the pillars of our legal system crumble, everything else goes with them.

We aren't here to play politics. This is about survival and protecting the core of what makes this country function.

Join us in central London next Monday for a day-long, high-stakes summit. Featuring Sir Robert Buckland, Lord Wolfson, Katie Lam MP, and many more powerful voices from the front line.

The danger is real. The time to act is now.

Don’t look back in five years and wonder where it all went wrong. Be in the room. Includes lunch and an evening drinks reception.

Secure your seat. Use code SPRINGLAW for a special price of £50.

https://t.co/4hBrgH2Ncz