Handbag Party [1] was a group of Hong Kong female senior officials in the late British colonial government and early Chinese administration, led by then-Chief Secretary Anson Chan. The clique was named after they dressed like then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher with handbags in hand,[2] and sang for the departing Governor Sir Murray MacLehose in a 1982 farewell dinner. Media described them as "with small handbags but strong audacity and in high-ranking positions".[3]
Soon after the handover, rumoured disagreement between Chan and the inaugural Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa diminished the power of the Handbag Party. Following the introduction of the Principal Officials Accountability System, most of the members were not promoted to appointed minister-level principal officials and remained as permanent secretary only.[4] As Chan retired early in 2001, others either followed suit or remained in the government of Tung and later of Donald Tsang.
The clique was led by Anson Chan and with Lily Yam as the number two. Members include:[5]
| Anson Chan | Deputy Director of Social Welfare | Chief Secretary (1993–2001) | Member of Legislative Council (2007–2008) | |
| Margaret Chan | Government-employed doctor | Director of Health (1994–2003) | Director-General of World Health Organization (2006–2017), member of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference | |
| Cheung Man-yee | Radio Television Hong Kong Controller (Broadcasting Services - Radio) | Director of Broadcasting (1986–1999) | Representative to Tokyo (1999–2002) | |
| Katherine Fok | Secretary of Standing Commission on Civil Service Salaries and Conditions of Service | Health Secretary (1994–1999) | Retired | |
| Rita Lau | Administrative Officer at Government Secretariat | Commerce Secretary (2008–2011) | Chairman of Public Service Commission (2014–2023) | |
| Sandra Birch Lee | Administrative Officer at Government Secretariat | Permanent Secretary for Food and Health (2007–2011) | Retired | |
| Shelley Lee | Administrative Officer at Government Secretariat | Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs (2002–2005) | Retired | |
| Lily Yam | Deputy Commissioner of Independent Commission Against Corruption | Environment Secretary (2000–2002) | Retired | |
| Carrie Yau | Administrative Officer at Government Secretariat | Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs (2007–2010) | Executive Director of Vocational Training Council (2013–2021) | |
| Irene Yau (丘李賜恩) | Information Officer | Director of Information Services (1987–1997) | Retired | |
| Helen Yu (余黎青萍) | Deputy Hong Kong Commissioner in London | Director of Regional Services (1998–2000) | Member of Independent Police Complaints Council | |
| Denise Yue | Administrative Officer at Government Secretariat | Civil Service Secretary (2006–2012) | Retired |
Carrie Lam, who would become Chief Executive, was also claimed to be a part of the group, but it was denied by Lam herself and Chan, who described her successor as "unaligned".[7]
With CY Leung selected as the new Chief Executive, the last prominent member of the Handbag Party left the administration in 2012. Some of the members leaned towards liberal in 2019, with Yue and Chan calling for an independent enquiry over the large-scale protests, which was rejected by the Lam ministry.[8] According to media reports, the group still met often despite their retirement.[9]