The Fall of Thatcher - She could have held on

06/24/19 • 26 min

Lord Baker was Chairman of the Conservative Party at the time of Margaret Thatcher’s fall. He’d been given the job with specific aim of keeping in No 10 - and until November 1990 all seemed to be going fine. But Mrs Thatcher lost her temper with Geoffrey Howe in cabinet - he resigned - and gave a devastating speech to parliament calling for her to go. Even then he thinks she could have survived had she been willing to schmooze backbenchers, appoint a decent campaign manager, and face down her cabinet. Had she done so - her chairman thinks she would have gone on to an unprecedented fourth election victory

Previous episodes include interviews with politicians Tom King, John Gummer, John Wakeham, Lord Mackay - and officials Robin Butler, Caroline Slocock,Charles Powell, Barry Potter and Desmond Morris

Previous episodes include interviews with politicians Tom King, John Gummer, John Wakeham, Lord Mackay - and officials Robin Butler, Caroline Slocock,Charles Powell, Barry Potter and Desmond Morris

Previous Episode

The Fall of Thatcher - in the middle of war

Tom King was Margaret Thatcher's defence secretary. In November 1990 he was running the biggest deployment of UK troops since World War II for Operation Desert Shield against Saddam Hussein. He returned to find his boss on the way out and pleaded with her to pre-announce her departure so a more orderly exit could ensue.

James Mackay was a Scottish lawyer who by November 1990 found himself number two in the cabinet, reading a tribute to Margaret Thatcher - and helping her struggle through her resignation statement.

Both say it's a meeting they will never forget.

Next Episode

The Fall of Thatcher - the Last Man In

Perhaps no-one has experienced as bewildering a month in politics as Wiliam Waldegrave in November 1990. He was running the diplomatic effort to oust Saddam from Kuwait when he was suddenly promoted to the cabinet. Then just weeks later he was advising Mrs Thatcher if she could stay on. She couldn’t and he had a new boss - John Major. All just in just over three weeks. In the latest Big Ben History conversation on the Fall of Thatcher, he reflects on the longest month.