Disraeli, for so long the great 19th century Tory icon, is in danger of being overshadowed under Mrs May’s government, as Alistair Lexden explained in a letter published in The Times on July 19.
Sir, Once again Disraeli has been hailed as the founder of one-nation Conservatism (letter, July 15), though it was actually created by a later Tory leader, Stanley Baldwin. But is the much-lauded Dizzy about to suffer the indignity of being upstaged by Joseph Chamberlain, who he derided in the 1870s as having “the manners of a cheese-monger” redeemed only by his habit of “wearing his eyeglass like a gentleman”?
This radical proponent of social reform, who worked uneasily with the Tories for 20 years but never joined them, now seems poised to become their chief source of historical inspiration, thanks to Mrs May’s chief of staff, Nick Timothy (“Political tsar with a hankering for old Conservatism”, July16).
Lord Lexden
Chairman, Conservative History Group
House of Lords