Margaret Thatcher was at a summit in Paris when the tide turned. Once-loyal Cabinet members had betrayed her and within hours it became clear the Iron Lady had lost control of her Conservative Party. There’s a lesson in it for Theresa May, who lands in China as her rank-and-file lawmakers meet to privately vent frustration at her leadership. “The executive are a bunch of long-serving MPs who have a very good feel for the mood of the party,’’ said Tim Bale, Professor of Politics at Queen Mary. “They act as a sounding-board and as a safety valve for discontent.” He argues that this gives Chairman of the 1922 Committee Graham Brady “ultimate power’’ over the leader. “If he receives a certain number of letters he is compelled to call a confidence vote.’’More »Also featured in New York Post, New York Daily News