List of nicknames of prime ministers of the United Kingdom
(Redirected from List of nicknames of Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom)
This is a list of nicknames of prime ministers of the United Kingdom. Since Sir Robert Walpole, most prime ministers have had a nickname which was in common usage at the time they were in office. Many nicknames can be perceived as disparaging although others are complimentary or affectionate.
18th century
[edit]- Cock Robin[1]
- Sir Bluestring[2]
- Screen-Master General[2]
- George II's Favourite Nonentity[3]
- King Henry the Ninth[4]
- Hubble-Bubble[5]
- Jack Boot[6]
- Gentle Shepherd[7]
- The Great Commoner,[8] in reference to his continued refusal of a peerage whilst in office, though he later accepted the title Earl of Chatham
- Malagrida, after the Jesuit missionary Gabriel Malagrida[11]
- The Jesuit in Berkerly Square[11]
- Pitt the Younger,[12] to distinguish him from his father, Pitt the Elder.
- Three-bottle man, in reference to his heavy consumption of port wine.[13]
19th century
[edit]- The Doctor[14]
- Bogey[15]
- Little P[16]
- The Iron Duke[19]
- Orange Peel,[20] a reference to his views on Ireland.
- Lord Haddo, the courtesy title by which he was known before he succeeded to his grandfather's title of Earl of Aberdeen.
- Dizzy[24]
- Grand Old Man or its acronym GOM[25]
- The People's William
- God's Only Mistake, used by Disraeli as a mocking alternative to Gladstone's preferred nickname (Grand Old Man).[25]
- Murderer of Gordon, a scathing inversion of Gladstone's preferred nickname (Grand Old Man) following the death of General Gordon at Khartoum. Gladstone had delayed sending Gordon military reinforcements, so was blamed for Gordon's subsequent defeat and execution by the Mahdists of the Sudan.[26]
20th century
[edit]- Pretty Fanny, a reference to his delicacy of appearance and manners.[27]
- Bloody Balfour[28]
- Tiger Lily[29]
- Miss Nancy[30]
- CB[31]
- The Last of the Romans[32]
- The Sledgehammer[33]
- Squiffy[34]
- The Unknown Prime Minister[37]
- Honest Stan[38]
- The Coroner,[41] for dressing in black.
- Monsieur J'aime Berlin, French nickname meaning "Mr. I Love Berlin". Pun and referring to Chamberlain's policy of appeasement towards Germany.[42]
- Winnie[43]
- (British) Bulldog;[44] first given to him by the Russians,[45] it was a reference to his ferocity and focus.[46]
- Colonel Warden was his favourite code name or nom-de-guerre.[47][48]
- Former Naval Person and Naval Person; this was how Churchill signed many of his telegrams to US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, first choosing the code name "Naval Person" and later changing it to "Former Naval Person" after he became prime minister.[49]
- Pig, an affectionate name used by his wife, Clementine.[50]
- Clem[51]
- A sheep in sheep's clothing,[52] an adaptation of wolf in sheep's clothing, derived from his mild-mannered, equable style which contrasted with Churchill.
- The Glamour Boy, in reference to his neat appearance.[citation needed]
- Supermac,[53] originally coined by Victor Weisz as the title of an editorial cartoon published in the Evening Standard.
- Mac the Knife,[53] in reference to the Night of the Long Knives.
- Home Sweet Home, Churchill's nickname for him.[54]
- Baillie Vass, from a miscaptioned photo of Douglas-Home referring to a bailie named Vass; popularised by Private Eye magazine.[55][56]
- Wislon, a deliberate misspelling popularised by the fortnightly satirical magazine Private Eye.[citation needed]
- Big Jim[59]
- Sunny Jim,[59] a homonym of "Sonny Jim", used to patronise an inexperienced person,[60] and to refer to his optimism. Particularly used in the media during the Winter of Discontent of 1978–79, when Callaghan appeared out of touch with the issues facing the nation at the time, such as when the most widespread industrial action since the 1926 general strike was taking place, and he arrived back from a summit in the Caribbean and talked about his swimming activities.
- Uncle Jim[61][62]
- Attila the Hen,[63] a pun on Attila the Hun
- That Bloody Woman or TBW[64]
- Tina (There Is No Alternative), a reference to Thatcher's constant refrain that the market economy is the only system that works.[65][66]
- That Great Charmer,[67] an anagram of Margaret Thatcher.
- The Great She-Elephant,[68][69] an allusion to Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories.
- The Grocer's Daughter,[70] a double meaning in that she was literally the daughter of a grocer, but also the successor to Edward Heath, "The Grocer".
- The Iron Lady[71]
- Madame Frit, derived from her use of the dialect word frit in the House.[72]
- Maggie[73]
- Maggie the Great[74]
- Milk Snatcher, from mischief-making by a Labour Party conference speaker based on her failure as Secretary of State for Education to completely protect the school milk budget from a treasury raid. The compromise she managed to secure was that free milk at school was only abolished for older primary school children – free milk for secondary school children had already been abolished in 1968 by the Harold Wilson Labour government.[75][76][77][78]
- Mrs Finchley[79] – a slip made by David Dimbleby during the BBC's coverage of the 1983 general election overnight results programme. Finchley was the parliamentary constituency Thatcher represented for over 30 years.
- Thatch, In the 1980s Ben Elton started a trend for referring to Mrs Thatcher as Thatch, a colloquialism for pubic hair.[80]
- Grey Man;[81] Major "had been considered a decent but uninspiring person who was known as the 'grey man' of politics", with his caricature Spitting Image puppet portraying him as such.
21st century
[edit].jpg)
- Tony,[82] a shortening of his first name Anthony, used in an official capacity by Blair.
- Tony Blur, used during his time in opposition to describe his "clear image" but not what he stood for.
- Bambi,[83] after the Disney character of a young deer; Blair had been the youngest prime minister for nearly 200 years.
- Bliar,[83] associated with the Iraq War. Blair was accused of misleading parliament and the country over weapons of mass destruction.
- America's Poodle, a reference to his Special Relationship with the President of the United States, George W. Bush.[84]
- Teflon Tony[85]
- Tonibler/Tonibljer, a Kosovan given name derived from Tony Blair due to his role in ending the Kosovo War, but also occasionally used as a nickname for Blair himself mostly in Serbian media.
- Flash Gordon,[86] in reference to the comic strip hero Flash Gordon.
- Big Clunking Fist, first used by Tony Blair during his final Queen's Speech debate,[87] it was later used by columnists throughout the British media.[88][89]
- Bottler Brown, used in relation to Brown not calling an election in 2007 after previously suggesting he would.[93]
- Golden Brown, as Chancellor, Brown sold 60% of the UK's gold reserves, at a time when gold prices were at a 20-year low, which was widely criticised. Used by Terry Wogan and the TOGs, normally followed by Wogan saying "Never a frown with Golden Brown", a reference to the song "Golden Brown" by The Stranglers.[94]
- Gordo.[95] The word means 'fat' in Spanish.
- Great Leader and Stalin, often sarcastically used by Andrew Neil on This Week in relation to Lord Turnbull's description of Brown as a man who operates with "Stalinist ruthlessness".[96][97] The fortnightly satirical magazine Private Eye also had a mock Stalinist decree each issue, Prime Ministerial Decree.
- Squatter in No. 10,[98][99] used as Brown was not elected and after Brown attempted to form a coalition with the Liberal Democrats following the 2010 general election.
- Dave, Cameron is reported to be known to friends and family as "Dave" rather than David, although he invariably uses the latter name in public.[100]
- DVD Dave, Cameron was reportedly known as DVD Dave because of his love of DVD boxed sets which he enjoyed with his wife Samantha.[101]
- Flashman, a reference to fictional upper-class bully Harry Flashman, used by Ed Miliband during a PMQs debate on reform to the NHS.[102]
- Call Me Dave,[103] used since the publishing of his 2015 biography Call Me Dave.
- Hameron,[104] in reference to the "Piggate" allegations.
- Dodgy Dave,[105][106] a nickname trending on social media with the #DodgyDave hashtag after Labour MP Dennis Skinner was sent out of the House of Commons in April 2016 for referring to Cameron as "Dodgy Dave" and repeating it after being instructed to withdraw it by Speaker John Bercow. This came about during the Panama Papers scandal.[106]
- DC,[107][108] a shorthand form he signs off his messages with.
- Mummy or Mummy May,[109][110] affectionately used by Conservative activists to make reference to her matriarchal powers, although she had no children.
- Bloody Difficult Woman,[111][112][113] originally used by Kenneth Clarke to describe May while preparing for an interview with Sky News, not realising that he was being recorded.
- Submarine May,[114] originally used by Downing Street aides to describe May hiding away "like a submarine" during the EU referendum campaign.
- Theresa Maybe,[115] used to describe her apparent indecisiveness and vagueness, such as her use of the phrase 'Brexit means Brexit'.[116]
- Theresa the Appeaser,[117][118] originally used to describe her relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump, particularly after Trump's signing of Executive Order 13769 known as the 'travel ban'. It has also been used since to describe her relationships with other world leaders.
- Maybot,[119][120] used to describe her 'robotic' nature, particularly during the 2017 general election campaign, from which she gained notoriety for frequently repeating campaign slogans such as "strong and stable leadership".[121]
- Teflon Theresa,[122] used to describe her ability to avoid scandals whilst in the politically sensitive position of Home Secretary.
- Lino,[123][124] short for "Leader in name only", used during the Brexit process in reference to May's difficulty in passing her negotiated withdrawal agreement through the House of Commons and her perceived lack of authority as prime minister and leader of the Conservative Party.
- Al, used by his friends and family as a shortening of his legal first name Alexander.[125]
- Boris, Johnson has been described as one of the few politicians to be more commonly referred to by his given name than his last name.[126]
- BoJo, a portmanteau of his forename and surname. Often used by the press internationally.[127][128]
- BoJo the Clown, a pun on Bozo the Clown, a more pejorative form of the nickname "BoJo".[129][130][131][132]
- BoZo, a pejorative variation of BoJo (see bozo).[133]
- Bozza, an affectionate name used by his friends.[134]
- Beano Boris or Boris the Menace, coined by the satirical magazine Private Eye which depicted Johnson as a blond-haired version of Dennis the Menace from The Beano.[135]
- British Trump or Britain Trump, used to refer to his perceived similarities with former U.S. President Donald Trump.[136]
- Buffoon Boris, a pejorative reference to Johnson's supposed ability to provide amusement through inappropriate appearance or behaviour.[137]
- The Blonde Bombshell, a reference to Johnson's hair colour.[138]
- Greased piglet, a term used to describe him by David Cameron and subsequently by print media.[139]
- Liz, a shortening of Truss's middle name Elizabeth, this is a nickname Truss uses in an official capacity. Truss has been known by her middle name from an early age, rather than her forename Mary.[140]
- Disruptor-in-Chief, a nickname coined by Truss herself in 2018, describing how she would work as Chief Secretary to the Treasury in tackling bureaucracy in the civil service.[141][142][143]
- Haggis Basher, a term used by her schoolmates, making fun of her Paisley Glaswegian accent after she moved from Scotland to England.[144]
- Human hand grenade, supposedly coined by Dominic Cummings as "she does tend to blow things up".[145]
- Queen of Instagram, a nickname used to describe her frequent use of social media, and particularly Instagram, in creating her public image. While international trade secretary, the department was nicknamed by her aides as the 'Department for Instagramming Truss'.[141][146]
- Radon Liz, a nickname used by opponents, with the explanation that "she’s a gas [i.e. humorous, or insubstantial], but she’s inert".[147]
- The Iron Weathercock, a nickname likely coined by French newspaper Les Echos, comparing her changing views on Brexit to a weathercock turning with the wind. Truss supported the Remain side before the Brexit referendum but became a staunch advocate of Brexit afterwards.[148][149]
- The Truss, a nickname Truss is reported to have used for herself.[150][151]
- Lettuce Liz/Lettuce, a reference to a joke in the Daily Star asking whether her premiership and leadership would outlast the shelf life of a lettuce, which she did not.[152][153][154]
- Dishy Rishi, a term used in reference to the Eat Out to Help Out scheme implemented in his tenure as Chancellor of the Exchequer during the COVID-19 pandemic, and also in reference to his supposed handsomeness.[155][156][157]
- Fishy Rishi, a nickname in reference to partygate and a number of other scandals he has been involved in during his time in government.[158][159][160]
- Yorkshire Maharajah or Maharaja of the Yorkshire Dales, a nickname referring to Sunak's Indian heritage, his wealth, and his being an MP for Richmond, a parliamentary constituency in the Yorkshire Dales.[161][162]
- Will from The Inbetweeners, a nickname that became popular online based on his similar voice as well as appearance to the character of Will McKenzie from sitcom The Inbetweeners, played by Simon Bird.[163]
- Keith, a nickname used by those on the left of the Labour Party to refer to Starmer's shift to the centre, to disassociate him with Labour's first leader Keir Hardie, whom Starmer is thought to have been named after. The nickname has also been used to refer to Starmer's image and perceived lack of personality.[164][165]
- Special K, a personal nickname which was from his visit to a Kellogg's factory.[166]
- Sir Beer Korma, a name originally used by Boris Johnson, in reference to the Beergate controversy.[167]
- Sir Kid Starver, used to refer to Labour's refusal to scrap the two-child benefit cap, which had been made under Starmer's leadership.[168][169]
- Sir Softy/Softie, coined by Rishi Sunak to refer to Starmer's apparent "softness" on crime, with Labour under his leadership having voted against Conservative sentencing reforms.[170][171]
- Captain Hindsight, a reference to the South Park character of the same name, frequently used by Johnson. The nickname was first used by Johnson in response to Starmer accusing him of blaming care workers for the spread of COVID-19, with Johnson joking that Starmer had an advanced knowledge on how the disease could be transmitted.[172][173] The nickname was later used by Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.[171][174]
- Queer Harmer, used by those opposed to his stance on LGBT and particularly transgender rights.[175][176]
- Two-tier Keir, a nickname given to Starmer in response to claims of two-tier policing, later popularised by Twitter owner Elon Musk.[177][178]
- Free Gear Keir, a nickname given to Starmer by Reform UK MP Lee Anderson in reference to the controversy involving gifts to the Prime Minister and his wife from wealthy businessman Waheed Alli.[179]
- Starmer the Farmer Harmer, Used by the Conservative Party UK in protest over the inheritance tax changes and the mess it leaves the farmers of this nation in.
See also
[edit]
Lists portal
United Kingdom portal- Prime Minister parodies (Private Eye)
- List of nicknames of prime ministers of Australia
- List of nicknames of prime ministers of India
- List of nicknames of prime ministers of Italy
- List of nicknames of presidents of the United States
References
[edit]- ^ I. Opie and P. Opie, The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes (Oxford University Press, 1951, 2nd edn., 1997), pp. 130–3.
- ^ a b Englefield, Dermot; Seaton, Janet; White, Isobel. Facts about the British Prime Ministers. Mansell, 1995, p. 2.
- ^ Leonard, Dick (2011). "Spencer Compton, First Earl of Wilmington — 'George II's Favourite Nonentity'". Eighteenth-Century British Premiers. pp. 31–39. doi:10.1057/9780230304635_3. ISBN 978-0-230-28478-4.
- ^ "Prime Ministers in History: Henry Pelham". Prime Minister's Office. Archived from the original on 25 August 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
- ^ "Prime Ministers in History: Duke of Newcastle". Prime Minister's Office. Archived from the original on 25 August 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
- ^ "Prime Ministers in History: Earl of Bute". Prime Minister's Office. Archived from the original on 25 August 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
- ^ "Prime Ministers in History: George Grenville". Prime Minister's Office. Archived from the original on 25 August 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
- ^ "Prime Ministers in History: Earl of Chatham". Prime Minister's Office. Archived from the original on 25 August 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
- ^ a b "Prime Ministers in History: Duke of Grafton". Prime Minister's Office. Archived from the original on 25 August 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
- ^ a b "Prime Ministers in History Lord North". Prime Minister's Office. Archived from the original on 8 September 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
- ^ a b "Prime Ministers in History: Earl of Shelburne". Prime Minister's Office. Archived from the original on 25 August 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
- ^ "Prime Ministers in History: William Pitt". Prime Minister's Office. Archived from the original on 25 August 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
- ^ Hague, William (31 August 2004). "He was something between God and man". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
- ^ "Prime Ministers in History: Henry Addington". Prime Minister's Office. Archived from the original on 25 August 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
- ^ "Prime Ministers in History: Lord Grenville". Prime Minister's Office. Archived from the original on 25 August 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
- ^ "Prime Ministers in History: Spencer Perceval". Prime Minister's Office. Archived from the original on 25 August 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
- ^ a b "Prime Ministers in History: George Canning". Prime Minister's Office. Archived from the original on 25 August 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
- ^ a b c "Prime Ministers in History: Viscount Goderich". Prime Minister's Office. Archived from the original on 25 August 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
- ^ "Freeman's Journal (Dublin, Republic of Ireland)". The British Newspaper Archive (British Library). 18 May 1832. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
- ^ "Prime Ministers in History: Sir Robert Peel". number-10.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 25 August 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
- ^ a b "Prime Ministers in History: Earl Russell". Prime Minister's Office. Archived from the original on 25 August 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
- ^ a b "Prime Ministers in History: Earl of Derby". Prime Minister's Office. Archived from the original on 25 August 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
- ^ a b "Prime Ministers in History: Viscount Palmerston". Prime Minister's Office. Archived from the original on 25 August 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
- ^ "Prime Ministers in History: Benjamin Disraeli". Prime Minister's Office. Archived from the original on 25 August 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
- ^ a b "Prime Ministers in History: William Ewart Gladstone". Prime Minister's Office. Archived from the original on 25 August 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
- ^ "BOOKS: A fuzzy sense of history". Independent.co.uk. 10 March 1996.
- ^ Pearce, Malcolm; Stewart, Geoffrey (1992). British Political History, 1867-1990: Democracy and Decline. Routledge. ISBN 9780415072472. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
His delicacy of appearance and manners earned him the nickname 'pretty Fanny'.
- ^ "Prime Ministers in History: Arthur James Balfour". Prime Minister's Office. Archived from the original on 25 August 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
- ^ "Andrew Marr: The Making of Modern Britain". BBC Television. Archived from the original on 28 June 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
- ^ "GREAT BRITAIN: Bloody Balfour and Miss Nancy". Time. 31 March 1930. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- ^ "Prime Ministers in History: Henry Campbell-Bannerman". Prime Minister's Office. Archived from the original on 25 August 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
- ^ "Last of the Romans?". The Spectator. London. 6 November 1964. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ "Prime Ministers in History: Herbert Henry Asquith". Prime Minister's Office. Archived from the original on 13 December 2009. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
- ^ "The politics of drinking in power". BBC News. 9 July 2008. Retrieved 6 January 2006.
Prime Minister Herbert "squiffy" Asquith used to sway on his feet when speaking or answering questions in the House of Commons.
- ^ a b "Prime Ministers in History: David Lloyd George". Prime Minister's Office. Archived from the original on 25 August 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
- ^ Howard, Anthony (30 April 2006). "The first rule of the politician's wife should be: Never leave your husband on his own". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 30 December 2007. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
And the best case ever to be made for that most notorious philanderer of them all, David Lloyd George (not for nothing known as "the Welsh Goat") has always seemed to me to lie in the fact that his wife, Margaret, was asking for trouble when, from the moment of his election for Caernarvon Boroughs in 1890, she insisted on staying in north Wales and not accompanying her husband to London.
- ^ "Prime Ministers in History: Andrew Bonar Law". Prime Minister's Office. Archived from the original on 25 August 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
- ^ Carter, Byrum E. (8 December 2015). Office of the Prime Minister. Princeton University Press. ISBN 9781400878260. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
- ^ "Appearance of Evil". Time. New York. 22 September 1924. Archived from the original on 14 January 2005. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
- ^ AJP Taylor, English History 1914-1945.
- ^ "Prime Ministers in History: Neville Chamberlain". Prime Minister's Office. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
- ^ "The Honolulu Advertiser from Honolulu, Hawaii". 18 December 1938.
- ^ "Prime Ministers in History: Sir Winston Churchill". Prime Minister's Office. Archived from the original on 25 August 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
- ^ Moynahan, Brian (30 October 2005). "Guarding the bulldog". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 14 February 2007. Retrieved 29 July 2008.
- ^ Pukas, Anna (2 November 2012). "The moment Winston Churchill thought he was finished". express.co.uk. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
- ^ Valaparla, Sneha (23 October 2012). "Winston Churchill – The British Bulldog". Read & Digest. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
- ^ Kimball, Warren F. (8 December 2015), Churchill and Roosevelt, Volume 2: The Complete Correspondence - Three Volumes, Princeton University Press, p. 344, ISBN 978-1-4008-7999-1
- ^ Hauge, Ron; Kelly, Sean (1987), Nicknames, Collier Books, p. 19, ISBN 978-0-02-040460-6
- ^ "The "Special Relationship" : Churchill, Roosevelt and the emergence of the Anglo-American Alliance, 1939-1945". The British Diplomatic Files. Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
Churchill responded with alacrity and mild humor, choosing the transparent code name "Naval Person," that he would later change to "Former Naval Person" once he had left the Admiralty and moved to the Prime Minister's Residence at number 10 Downing Street.
- ^ Bradshaw, Peter (16 September 1999), "Humid Fidelity", London Review of Books, 21 (18)
- ^ "Prime Ministers in History: Clement Attlee". Prime Minister's Office. Archived from the original on 25 August 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
- ^ "From Churchill to Corbyn: The 40 most brutal British political insults". The Telegraph. 8 April 2016.
- ^ a b "Prime Ministers in History: Harold Macmillan". Prime Minister's Office. Archived from the original on 5 July 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
- ^ Thorpe (1997), p. 141
- ^ Ingrams, Richard (1971), The Life and Times of Private Eye, London: Penguin, p. 104, ISBN 0-7139-0255-8
- ^ Thorpe, D. R. (1997), Alec Douglas-Home, London: Sinclair-Stevenson, p. 262, ISBN 1-85619-663-1
- ^ "Sir Edward Heath". gov.uk. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ^ MacShane, Denis (25 July 2005). "Held in misguided contempt". New Statesman. London. Retrieved 29 July 2008.
I had grown up with the Grocer Heath image from Private Eye, and marched against his industrial relations reforms in the 1970s - although his proposals would have left unions legally stronger than they are today under the EU Social Charter.
- ^ a b "Prime Ministers in History: James Callaghan". number-10.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 16 December 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
- ^ "Sonny Jim". Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English. Longman. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
- ^ Moore, Robert (28 March 2005). "Jim Callaghan's flawed legacy". The Telegraph. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
- ^ Cockerell, Michael (27 March 2005). "Uncle with a dash of menace". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
- ^ Rifkind, Malcolm (8 May 2000). "Attila the Hen". New Statesman. London. Retrieved 29 July 2008.
Denis Healey, with characteristic charm, once referred to her as "Attila the Hen".
- ^ "TV Interview for TV-AM". Margaret Thatcher Foundation. 7 June 1985. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
It means actually "That bloody woman!" factor in fact.
- ^ "Margaret Thatcher: In her own words". The Independent. 8 April 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- ^ "Lord St John of Fawsley, former Tory minister, dies at 82". The Guardian. 5 March 2012. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- ^ Simpson, John (30 September 2009). A Mad World, My Masters: Tales from a Traveller's Life. Pan Macmillan. p. 133. ISBN 978-0-330-51640-2.
- ^ Rentoul, John (13 May 2007). "Blair the betrayed: Labour will be oh-so-sorry when he's gone". The Independent. London. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
And it is why he will tender his resignation from the office of Prime Minister on 27 June this year rather than at the end of next year, which would have given him a longer stretch at the top than the Great She-Elephant herself.
- ^ Rawnsley, Andrew (1 July 2007). "The new Prime Minister is master of his universe". The Observer. London. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
A Spitting Image sketch had a waiter asking her what she wanted for dinner. 'Steak,' replied the Great She Elephant. 'And what about the vegetables?' Withering the cabinet, she delivered the punchline: 'They'll have the same.'
- ^ Beckman, Jonathan (30 December 2007). "Margaret Thatcher, Volume One: The Grocer's Daughter by John Campbell". The Observer.
- ^ "Prime Ministers in History: Margaret Thatcher". Prime Minister's Office. Archived from the original on 25 August 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
- ^ "The Iron Lady: Margaret Thatcher's linguistic legacy | OxfordWords blog". OxfordDictionaries.com. 10 April 2013. Archived from the original on 13 April 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
- ^ Walker, Tim (21 July 2008). "Maggie Thatcher speaks out in defence of Gordon Brown". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 29 July 2008.
- ^ Gigot, Paul (8 April 2013). "Opinion: Maggie the Great". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
- ^ "The truth about Thatcher Thatcher milk snatcher". BBC News. 1 January 2001. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
Years before she entered Number 10 as prime minister was the one that left her dubbed "Thatcher, Thatcher Milk Snatcher".
- ^ Smith, Rebecca (8 August 2010). "How Margaret Thatcher became known as 'Milk Snatcher'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
- ^ Williams, Shirley (17 April 2013). "Shirley Williams: How Margaret Thatcher changed Britain". Independent. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
- ^ Thatcher, Margaret (1995). The Path to Power. HarperCollins. pp. 179–182. ISBN 0060172703.
- ^ "TV Interview for BBC (re-elected MP for Finchley)". Margaret Thatcher Foundation. 10 June 1983. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
Well, Mrs Finchley—Mrs Finchley!—I'm terribly sorry, Mrs Thatcher! Mrs Thatcher of Finchley[.]
- ^ Young, Toby (24 January 2000). "The New Statesman Profile - Ben Elton". www.newstatesman.com. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
- ^ "John Major - The grey man of British politics?". Oxford University Press. OALD Online. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
Major had been considered a decent but uninspiring person who was known as the 'grey man' of politics.
- ^ "Tony Blair profile". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ^ a b "A decade of Tony Blair: From Bambi to Bliar". The Economist. London. 2 May 2007. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
Mr Blair walked into Downing Street as the youngest prime minister since 1812. His political nickname, at the time, was "Bambi".... The suspicion that Mr Blair misled voters over Iraq has become an accusation of bad faith that has been impossible to shake off. By now a common nickname for the prime minister was "Bliar".
- ^ Watson, Rob (31 January 2003). "Tony Blair: The US poodle?". BBC News. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
"America's Poodle" is the insult of choice hurled by critics of Tony Blair for his support for President Bush.
- ^ Riddell, Peter (10 November 2005). "The collapse of Teflon Tony". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 14 August 2011. Retrieved 25 July 2008.
TONY BLAIR no longer commands. Teflon Tony is dead. [...] Yesterday's defeat in the Commons is a serious blow for Labour's credibility as a governing party.
(subscription required) - ^ "PM downplays 'saving world' gaffe". BBC News. 10 December 2008. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
Some detractors have jokingly compared him to the fantasy film hero - and partial namesake - Flash Gordon, who rescued earth from attack by Martians.
- ^ Tony Blair, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (15 November 2006). "Commons Debates". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 6th series. Vol. 453. House of Commons (United Kingdom). col. 29.
The next election will be a flyweight versus a heavyweight. However much the right hon. Gentleman may dance around the ring beforehand, at some point, he will come within the reach of a big clunking fist, and you know what, he will be out on his feet, carried out of the ring
- ^ Kettle, Martin (18 March 2009). "'Clunking fist' - down but not out". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 1 April 2009.
- ^ Ashley, Jackie (8 January 2007). "Control freaks beware, the big clunking fist is after you". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
- ^ Assinder, Nick (19 September 2014). "Was It Gordon Brown's 'Great Clunking Fist' That Won It For the No Campaign?". International Business Times. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
- ^ Muir, Hugh (9 July 2013). "A happy landing for the great clunking fist of Gordon Brown". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
- ^ Kellner, Peter (12 September 2014). "The power of Brown's clunking fist". The Times. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
Shortly before Tony Blair stepped down as prime minister, he warned David Cameron to beware Gordon Brown's "great clunking fist"
- ^ Rawnsley, Andrew (7 November 2007). "They will call him Bottler Brown and it is going to hurt". The Observer. London. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
The Tories will try to stick him with the nickname 'Bottler Brown'. That's a soubriquet he is going to hate, not least because it is a label with history.
- ^ "Golden Brown". The Guardian. London. 11 March 1999. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
- ^ Parris, Matthew (30 May 2009). "Let's go. We can't. We're waiting for Gordo". The Times. London. Retrieved 23 November 2009. (subscription required)
- ^ Gimson, Andrew (29 November 2007). "Gordon Brown: From Stalin to Mr Bean". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 4 May 2008. Retrieved 3 September 2010.
- ^ "Brown accused of 'ruthlessness'". BBC News. 20 March 2007. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
The chancellor has a Macavity quality. He is not there when there is dirty work to be done.... You can choose whether you are impressed or depressed by that, but you cannot help admire the sheer Stalinist ruthlessness of it all.
- ^ Rentoul, John (14 December 2010). "Gordon the Squatter". The Independent. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
- ^ "House of Commons Hansard Debates for 20 Apr 2006 (pt 5)".
- ^ Rumbelow, Helen (21 May 2005)."The gilded youth whose son steeled him in adversity". The Times (London). Retrieved 4 September 2007.
- ^ Hough, Andrew (19 May 2012). "David Cameron: how karaoke and tennis make PM a 'chillaxing champ'". Retrieved 19 October 2019.
- ^ "Cameron like bully Flashman, says Miliband". BBC News. 11 May 2011.
- ^ Evans, Lloyd (25 July 2014). "Call Me Dave still has much to learn from The Master". spectator.co.uk. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
- ^ Grierson, Jamie (21 September 2015). "From #piggate to #Hameron: how Twitter reacted to David Cameron claims". The Guardian.
- ^ Reilly, Nicholas (11 April 2016). "Dennis Skinner booted from Commons after calling David Cameron 'dodgy Dave'". Metro. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
- ^ a b "Twitter picked up where Dennis Skinner left off after his "dodgy Dave" jibe". BT.com. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
- ^ O'Carroll, Lisa (11 May 2012). "Rebekah Brooks: David Cameron signed off texts 'LOL'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ Read, Jonathon (13 May 2021). "David Cameron: I often end texts with 'love Dc'". The New European. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ "Why do Tories keep calling Theresa May 'Mummy'?". GQ Magazine. 21 July 2016.
- ^ "Tory activists call Theresa May 'Mummy' because motherhood is the one kind of female power her party tolerates". The Independent. 28 April 2017.
- ^ Gayle, Damien (9 July 2016). "'Britain needs 'bloody difficult women', says Theresa May". The Guardian.
- ^ Malone, Carole (9 July 2016). "If Theresa May is a 'bloody difficult woman' she'll make a good PM". The Mirror.
- ^ "Ken Clarke recorded criticising Tory hopefuls". BBC News. 5 June 2016.
- ^ "David Cameron 'let down' by Theresa May, says former PM aide". BBC News. 25 September 2016.
- ^ "Theresa Maybe, Britain's indecisive premier". The Economist. 5 January 2017.
- ^ "'What does 'Brexit means Brexit' mean?". BBC News. 14 July 2016.
- ^ "Theresa May reacts to Trump's Muslim Ban". Twitter Moments. 29 January 2017.
- ^ Deacon, Michael (30 January 2017). "Boris gets barracked over Trump – and 'Theresa the appeaser'". The Telegraph.
- ^ Crace, John (8 November 2016). "Theresa struggles to take back control – from her own Maybot". theguardian.com. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
- ^ Goyder, Caroline (27 January 2017). "What clues did Donald Trump and Theresa May's body language give us about the 'special relationship'?". itv.com. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
- ^ "'Strong and stable' – Why politicians keep repeating themselves". BBC News. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
- ^ Newman, Cathy (18 October 2016). "What 'Rudderless' Amber could learn from Teflon Theresa". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
- ^ Crace, John (22 March 2019). "Maybot has finally morphed into Lino: Leader in Name Only". theguardian.com. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- ^ Rigby, Beth (11 July 2018). "In no man's land with no way out: Theresa May's Brexit dilemma". SKY.com. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- ^ Dunt, Ian (24 July 2019). "Perspective | Boris Johnson plays a clown. He's really just a power-hungry nihilist". Washington Post. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
So who is the Boris behind the clown? Not Boris at all, actually. The prime minister's first name is Alexander, or 'Al' to friends and family. Boris, his middle name, is effectively the stage name.
- ^ Glenday, James (15 July 2016). "Will Boris Johnson fail or flourish as UK Foreign Secretary?". ABC News. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
- ^ Osborne, Alistair. "HS2 should be a no-no for BoJo".
- ^ "BoJo finds his version of the 'Quiet Australians' - can he keep them?". 15 December 2019.
- ^ O'Toole, Fintan. "Subscriber Only: Fintan O'Toole: Boris Johnson is the fool who would play the king". The Irish Times.
- ^ Les Guillotines. "BoJo the Clown". iHeartRadio. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
- ^ The Guillotines. "BoJo The Clown". Lyrics. musiXmatch. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
- ^ Rory Bremner's Coalition Report (27 January 2015). "Bojo the Clown". BBC Two. BBC. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
- ^ "Commons Confidential: Zelensky prepares to snub Johnson". New Statesman. 30 March 2022. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
- ^ Guardian Staff (2 July 2019). "Why Jeremy Paxman thinks we're a nation of 'snowflakes'". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
- ^ Coleman, Maureen (11 May 2004). "Chris wants Nirvana jumper back". belfasttelegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
- ^ Da Silva, Chantal (23 July 2019). "'Dear UK' Trends as Americans Sympathize With Election of Boris Johnson". Newsweek. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
- ^ "'Buffoon' Boris Johnson on track to be UK's next PM". The New Daily. 15 June 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
- ^ "Voice of the Mirror: Boris Johnson's stab at power is like a sick joke". The Mirror. 28 June 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
- ^ "Boris Johnson, the greased piglet, has wriggled free on Partygate". The Independent. 7 June 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
- ^ Belam, Martin (29 July 2022). "Loves cheese, hates her first name: 10 things you may not know about Liz Truss". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
- ^ a b Cohen, Tamara (5 September 2022). "Who is Liz Truss? The prime minister who sees herself as disruptor-in-chief". Sky News. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
- ^ Ashton, Emily (5 September 2022). "With Economy in Trouble, UK Gets 'Disruptor-in-Chief' as Leader". Bloomberg. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
- ^ Truss, Liz (25 June 2018). "Britain must be the start-up state – and I'm the chief disruptor". The Telegraph. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
- ^ Morrison, Hamish (31 July 2022). "Liz Truss: School bullies called me 'Haggis Basher' over my Scottish accent". The National. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
- ^ Elgot, Jessica (20 January 2022). "Liz Truss: the 'human hand grenade' Tories have taken to their hearts". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
- ^ "What Liz Truss's Instagram account reveals about her". Sky News. 7 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
- ^ "Shapeshifter Liz Truss is on a roll as version 3.0 hits Tory sweet spot | John Crace". The Guardian. 21 July 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ Berny, Laura (10 July 2022). "Liz Truss : une girouette de fer". Les Echos (in French). Retrieved 5 September 2022.
- ^ Sands, Leo (5 September 2022). "'The Iron Weathercock': World reacts to Truss win". BBC News. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
- ^ Williams, Zoe (4 March 2019). "Liz 'the Truss': truly a politician for our times | Zoe Williams". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
- ^ Waters, Lowenna (4 March 2019). "Liz Truss refers to herself as 'the Truss' in meetings and people have a lot of jokes". indy100. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
- ^ "Row grows over Liz Truss 'lettuce list' honours for cronies". Independent.co.uk. 30 December 2023.
- ^ "Turnip Taliban bid to unseat Liz Truss". 6 January 2024.
- ^ "Lib dem activists sing about 'Lettuce Liz' to tune of the Beatles' Let it be". Daily Mirror. 26 September 2023.
- ^ Elledge, Jonn (12 April 2022). "No one should have been taken in by "Dishy Rishi"". The New Statesman. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ Gill, Flora (4 April 2020). "I fancy Rishi Sunak. And after reading this, you probably will too". British GQ.
- ^ Luckhurst, Phoebe (6 April 2020). "Admit It: You Fancy Rishi Sunak". British Vogue.
- ^ "'Dishy Rishi' turns 'Fishy Rishi': The controversies that Britain's new prime minister will want public to forget". Firstpost. 25 October 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
- ^ Fox, Fleet Street (11 April 2022). "Fishy Rishi has been a bad MP and a worse Chancellor. We'd be better off without". The Mirror. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
- ^ Grant, Madeline (25 October 2022). "The PM's critics and supporters are forgetting who the real Rishi is". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
- ^ Lucy, Fisher; Aldrick, Philip (14 February 2020). "Rishi Sunak, the 'Yorkshire maharajah' married to billionaire's daughter". The Times. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ Belam, Martin (22 February 2020). "The rise and rise of Rishi – our next Prime Minister?". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- ^ Findon, Mary-Kate (25 October 2022). "Rishi Sunak's voice compared to Will from The Inbetweeners in hilarious clips". The Independent. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ Plummer, Kate (17 May 2021). "A comprehensive deep dive into why some people call Keir Starmer 'Keith'". Indy100. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ Baldwin, Tom (21 February 2024). "Emotional, messy and breathtakingly ruthless: the hidden life of Keir Starmer". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ "Sir Keir Starmer reveals 'Special K' nickname on visit to Kellogg's factory". Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ Browning, Oliver (25 May 2022). "Boris Johnson calls Starmer 'Sir Beer Korma' over 'Beergate' investigation". The Independent. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
- ^ Byron, Daniel (17 July 2023). "Sir Kid Starver: Starmer's got a new nickname thanks to Twitter users". The National. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ Patrick, Holly (18 July 2023). "Keir Starmer nicknamed 'Sir Kid Starver' over Labour plans to keep two-child benefit cap". The Independent. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ McDonald, Andrew (19 April 2023). "PMQs scorecard: Rishi Sunak tests a new nickname for Keir Starmer amid crime clash". Politico Europe. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ a b Wilson, Eliot (27 December 2023). "Why can't the Tories come up with a good nickname for Keir Starmer?". The Spectator. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ Evans, Greg (8 July 2020). "Keir Starmer just grilled Boris Johnson so badly that he accidentally resorted to South Park jokes". Indy100. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- ^ Forsyth, Alex (2 September 2020). "PMQs: Boris Johnson accused of 'governing in hindsight'". BBC News. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- ^ Wheeler, Brian (26 April 2023). "How nicknames invaded British politics". BBC News. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- ^ "Sorry for the irreverence, but the royals are now irrelevant". The New European. 3 May 2023. Archived from the original on 26 June 2024. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ Tabberer, Jamie (20 October 2023). "Show me the receipts: Examining Keir Starmer's history of LGBTQ-related statements". Attitude. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ "Elon Musk brands Starmer 'two-tier Keir' and asks 'is this Britain or Soviet Union?' over Facebook comment arrest video". Sky News. 6 August 2024. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
- ^ "What is "two-tier" policing?". The Economist. 9 August 2024. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
- ^ "Lee Anderson mocks Keir Starmer with hilarious three-word nickname".