Is Thatcher now the only leader Conservatives feel a real sense of pride in?

You would have to be at least 61 to have voted for Thatcher for the first time, which is pretty much the average age of a Tory activist, writes Andrew Woodcock

Prime minister Margaret Thatcher pictured with French president Francois Mitterrand in 1986 (PA)

Following the battle for the Tory leadership succession over the past few weeks has sometimes felt like living in a time warp.

A lot of the time, the focus has appeared on how each of the candidates compares to Margaret Thatcher, a premier who was first elected 43 years ago, left office 32 years ago and died almost a decade in the past.

While the country agonises over the impact of soaring energy and food bills, evidence of climate change in a sweltering heatwave and growing evidence that trade barriers with the EU are harming the economy, the contenders for the Tory crown seem to have other priorities.