Michael Edwardes, former chairman of British Leyland, was the country’s most famous businessman for a good half decade and arguably did more to spur the 1980s strain of business Thatcherism than anyone other than Maggie herself. Born in South Africa, where he was a promising squash player as a youth, he found himself at British Leyland in 1977 after a spell on Harold Wilson’s National Enterprise Board. He quickly earned a reputation as a man who was prepared to fight the unions head on, and had the media skills to ensure the workers were always playing with a handicap. By the time his spell at the company was over, he’d cut the workforce by over 50% but only at a cost of 20% of productivity. He would undoubtedly have been given more time at the helm, were it not for his, ironically, attempts to stop Thatcher privatising parts of the business. The 80s had effectively killed their father.
Michael Edwardes
11 October 1930 – 15 September 2019
Died aged 88 (unique pick)
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