Gordon Brown will today visit his spiritual home when he addresses the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh which was the scene of one of the most controversial political speeches delivered in Scotland by a prime minister.

It was 20 years ago that the then Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher spoke at the same religious gathering in her now famous, or infamous, speech dubbed “The Sermon on The Mound”.

Re-reading the text which sparked anger among the nation's church leaders and opposition politicians at the time, supporters of Baroness Thatcher claim it is difficult to see what all the fuss was about.

Her speech to the General Assembly in May 1988 is regarded as symbolising the beginning of the end of Tory rule in Scotland and fuelling the momentum of the home rule debate.

One myth surrounding Lady Thatcher is that in her speech she declared “there is no such thing as society”. She did not utter those exact words, yet the sentiment was used mercilessly against her in portrayals of an uncaring politcian spearheading the interests of the rich.

The idea was anathema to her audience that day, who believed that the Kirk should promote social justice. Arriving on The Mound to jeers, the then Mrs Thatcher was strident as she used the teaching of the Church to justify her political thinking.

Memorably she said: “We are all responsible for our own actions,” and she told the gathering: “We can't blame society if we disobey the law. We simply can't delegate the exercise of mercy and generosity to others.”

This was the section of her speech that fuelled claims that the Prime Minister believed there was no such thing as society and which kindled fury among critics north of the Border who feared that her policies could be the death of society in Scotland as communities reeled from industrial closures.

Sir Malcolm Rifkind, Secretary of State for Scotland at the time, revealed yesterday that the speech was Baroness Thatcher's own work, free of interference from advisers.

“There was nothing particularly controversial in it,” he told The Times. “She could have read out extracts from the telephone directory and people would have objected.

“There were two groups who didn't like it; those who didn't like her because they thought she was anti-Scottish and those who didn't think politicians should ‘do God',” he said.

In attempting to offer a theological justification for her ideas on capitalism and the market economy Mrs Thatcher quoted St Paul - “If a man will not work he shall not eat” - and provoked a political storm.

The Rev Norman Shanks was one of her fiercest critcs. “She was heard politely but it was an inadequate lecture delivered with a degree of condescension,” he recalled.

Although he has praised Lady Thatcher as a conviction politician, Gordon Brown, a son of the manse is certain to receive a more favourable reception.

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