I copied Thatcher in her dress and riding on the back of a tank
Liz Truss is inspired by the qualities of the "Iron Lady" in Britain's leadership
Truss is well aware of Thatcher's standing with the Conservatives.
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Truss enjoys significant support in her conservative party.
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British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is one of the final contenders to succeed Boris Johnson as Conservative Party leader and prime minister.
About 180,000 party members will be asked to choose Truss, or former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak, with the winner announced on September 5.
If Truss wins, she will become the third woman prime minister in British history.
The official was influenced by the personality of the former prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, known as the "Iron Lady".
Gears mounted on the back of a British Army tank in Eastern Europe evoke the image of Thatcher during the Cold War.
In a televised leadership debate this week, Britain's top diplomat wore a blouse very similar to that worn by Thatcher.
Truss, 46, is a favorite of many conservatives who respect Thatcher more than other leaders.
Critics say the imitation of Truss of the Iron Lady is futile, and they believe that Truss lacks the oomph to lead the country amid economic turmoil and war in Ukraine.
As Secretary of State, Truss was at the forefront of those who supported Ukraine, and supported the imposition of Western sanctions against Russia over the invasion of its neighbor.
It also featured prominently in the dispute between the United Kingdom and the European Union over trade arrangements, following Britain's exit from the bloc.
Her pugnacious approach, along with promises to cut taxes and increase defense spending, made her a favorite of the right wing of her party.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Truss wrote, "She is the only person who can deliver the change we need in the economy, in line with true conservative principles;
And the only person capable of leading the response in Ukraine and enhancing security in the face of the threat facing the free world.”
But opponents criticize her as "intellectual" and speak "wooden language", and note that she has not always been a true Conservative.
Born in Oxford in 1975, Truss is the daughter of a math professor and nurse who took her with her to the anti-nuclear protests and Thatcher as a child, as she remembers screaming, "Maggie, Maggie, Maggie - go, go!"
Truss attended public secondary school in Leeds, northern England, then studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University, where, for a brief period, she belonged to the Liberal Center Democrats and advocated for the abolition of the monarchy.
Truss worked as an economist at the energy giant Shell, the telecommunications company Cable & Wireless, and at a center-right think tank, while engaging in conservative politics and espousing Free-Market Thatcherism's views.
She ran for Parliament twice, unsuccessfully, before being elected to represent southwest Norfolk, in 2010.
In the 2016 referendum on leaving the European Union, Truss backed the losing "Remain" side.
But she worked in Johnson's staunchly pro-Brexit government, as trade secretary and then foreign secretary, and garnered the support of more Tory Brexit supporters.
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A thousand members of the Conservative Party would choose between Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.
In the 2016 referendum on leaving the European Union, Truss endorsed the losing "Remain" side.
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