A new book by journalist Tina Gaudoin claims that former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher had two extramarital affairs, one early in her parliamentary career and another with a fellow politician. The allegations are made in Gaudoin's work, The Incidental Feminist.
Gaudoin cites multiple sources, including former Tory minister Jonathan Aitken, who said Thatcher was involved with someone else early on and later with Sir Humphrey Atkins, a former Cabinet minister. Aitken described Atkins as having good looks but a hopeless political brain. Another politician suggested Atkins's promotions were suspicious.
The book also alleges an 'extracurricular friendship' with Lord Bell, Thatcher's head of PR, who would touch her knee during dinners. Gaudoin notes that while Bell may have been flirtatious, he likely did not go far. Lord Moore, Thatcher's authorised biographer, dismissed both rumours as 'vanishingly unlikely'.
Additionally, Gaudoin claims Denis Thatcher had a close friendship with model Mandy Rice-Davies, exchanging affectionate letters after leaving Downing Street. The revelations were discussed at the Cheltenham Literature Festival.
