The recent death of Lady Thatcher brought back memories for Tim Watts, lifetime president of Pertemps Network Group. Watts told Recruiter that during her tenure, the former prime minister had visited Pertemps headquarters at Meriden Hall, dining with him on two occasions.  

On the first occasion, Watts admitted he was “quite nervous” at meeting the Iron Lady. However, he recounted how in private the PM was “incredibly relaxed” and even more so on this occasion over an evening meal and a large Scotch, albeit one that was “well-watered down”. 

Watts reminisced that during some “good banter” he was arguing with the PM. And he recalled her response: “She said ‘Calm down Tim, calm down. Is that your car outside?’ [referring to Watts’ Rolls Royce that he has owned for 30 years — and that has the registration 1JOB].” To which Watts replied: “Prime minister, it is.” And he recalled her quip in response: “Well, you certainly haven’t got the patience of Job.” 

“It’s nice when the prime minister makes fun of you, isn’t it,” added Watts. 

More seriously, Watts credited Thatcher’s policies of liberalising the banks with allowing him to borrow money for the first time. This enabled him to grow the Pertemps business from a small company into one with a £600m annual turnover. “All this is down to the policies of Mrs Thatcher,” he said.

John Maxted, who set up HR recruiter Digby Morgan in 1988 during the then-prime minister’s third and final term, told Recruiter: “If it hadn’t been for Mrs Thatcher, I wouldn’t have set up my business then.”  

Maxted, who has been selected as a parliamentary candidate for the Conservative Party, though not yet for a specific constituency, said the liberalisation of employment legislation was “very important” for the recruitment industry. 

However, her significance went much wider, he said. “She created a culture and a sense of opportunity in society in the 80s where people felt in control of their own destiny … There was the sense that if you were prepared to work hard, you could be successful, and that is exactly what happened to me,” Maxted explained.