Archives: Britain's Thatcher Quashed Hague's Early Ambitions
An attempt to parachute British Foreign Secretary William Hague into an early political career was rejected as a "gimmick" by former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, archives released on Thursday revealed.
Thatcher, who died in April aged 87, first came across Hague when he addressed the Conservative Party conference as a schoolboy.
But the "Iron Lady" rejected a request from John Kerr, a senior finance minister official, for him to become a special adviser to the Chancellor of the Exchequer five years later, the documents released by the National Archives in west London showed.
"The Prime Minister will I am sure remember his 1977 Party Conference speech as a 16-year-old schoolboy!" said Kerr in his request, only to receive an emphatic rejection.
"No (triple underlined) -- this is a gimmick and would be deeply resented by many who have financial-economic experience," she wrote on the letter.
Instead, she echoed the conclusion of her private secretary Robin Butler.
Butler had said: "Promising though William Hague is, it is a bit difficult to see what a 21-year-old will contribute as a special adviser in the Treasury."
Hague went on to lead the Tory party before becoming Foreign Secretary following the 2010 general election.
Source: Agence France Presse
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