After finishing his score for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012), Newman received the offer to screen The Iron Lady and met the director Phyllida Lloyd to discuss about the music.

[1] Giving a three-and-a-half star out of five, music critic Jonathan Broxton addressed scoring The Iron Lady as a "return to form" from Newman due to his "lack luster output" in his previous ventures.

[2] He admitted that "The more large-scale pomp-and-circumstance cues are excellent pieces of effective pastiche, and Newman cleverly captures the duality of Thatcher’s time in power with music that is appealing and optimistic on one hand, but gritty and dramatic when it needs to be.

The classical and show tune interludes that depict Thatcher’s own musical tastes are generally well-chosen, effectively complementing the score, and resulting in album that is an enjoyable diversion for fans of Newman’s writing.

"[2] Filmtracks.com wrote "Newman has succeeded in capturing some of the basic essence of the pomp and drama necessary for The Iron Lady, but his music is ultimately as coldly clinical as Thatcher's demeanor, never allowing its fleeting moments of warmth to develop into a satisfyingly engaging narrative.