Patrick Minford: maverick economist who inspired Truss and Thatcher

Brexiter tells Guardian that new PM understands need for tax cuts and orthodoxy must be challenged to revitalise economy

When Liz Truss was asked by the BBC's Nick Robinson whether she could name any economists who thought cutting taxes was the right medicine for the economy, Boris Johnson's soon-to-be successor replied: Patrick Minford."

It was a case of history repeating itself, coming four decades after the same question was put to another Conservative prime minister. After 364 economists wrote to the Times attacking the 1981 budget as deflationary the then Labour leader, Michael Foot, asked Margaret Thatcher whether she could name two economics professors who supported her strategy.