LONDON — Margaret Thatcher, a towering, divisive and yet revered figure in British politics, who left an enduring impact on British life and society, died on Monday of a stroke, her family said. Politicians feted her influence on her country’s destiny as among the greatest since Winston Churchill.
[h=6]Carl Court/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images[/h]A written tribute and flowers were left at the home of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in central London, on Monday.
“It is with great sadness that Mark and Carol Thatcher announced that their mother, Baroness Thatcher, died peacefully following a stroke this morning,” a statement from her spokesman, Lord Tim Bell, said.
Lady Thatcher, 87, Britain’s first female prime minister, had been in poor health for months. She served as prime minister for 11 years, beginning in 1979. She was known variously as the Iron Lady, a stern Conservative who transformed Britain’s way of thinking about its economic and political life, broke union power and opened the way to far greater private ownership.
The daughter of a grocer, she was leader of Britain through its 1982 war in the Falklands and stamped her skepticism about European integration onto her country’s political landscape for decades.
Though long anticipated, Lady Thatcher’s death overwhelmed many. Within moments of the announcement by Lord Bell, Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister David Cameron offered tributes to what Mr. Cameron called “a great leader, a great prime minister, a great Briton.”
Mr. Cameron cut short a visit to continental Europe on Monday to return to Britain.
Buckingham Palace said the Queen was “sad to hear the news” and would be sending a private message of sympathy to the family.
Lawmakers said Lady Thatcher had retired from public life about two years ago. Her career in active politics came to an end in 1990 when her own Conservative Party forced her from office and replaced her with John Major.
“She was the most extraordinary person,” Lord Bell said. “She transformed people’s lives.”
He added: “She made a great difference in the way we lead our lives.”
An assessment in the conservative Daily Telegraph said: “She will go down in history not only as Britain’s first female prime minister, but as the woman who transformed Britain’s economy in addition to being a formidable rival on the international stage.”
“Lady Thatcher was the only British prime minister to leave behind a set of ideas about the role of the state which other leaders and nations strove to copy and apply,” the newspaper said.
Speaking to the BBC, Henry A. Kissinger, the former United States Secretary of State, said Mrs. Thatcher was a “great leader” and a “good friend of the United States.” She was known particularly for her close working alliance with President Ronald Reagan, with whom she shared a profound ideological rejection of cold war communism.
[h=6]Carl Court/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images[/h]A written tribute and flowers were left at the home of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in central London, on Monday.
“It is with great sadness that Mark and Carol Thatcher announced that their mother, Baroness Thatcher, died peacefully following a stroke this morning,” a statement from her spokesman, Lord Tim Bell, said.
Lady Thatcher, 87, Britain’s first female prime minister, had been in poor health for months. She served as prime minister for 11 years, beginning in 1979. She was known variously as the Iron Lady, a stern Conservative who transformed Britain’s way of thinking about its economic and political life, broke union power and opened the way to far greater private ownership.
The daughter of a grocer, she was leader of Britain through its 1982 war in the Falklands and stamped her skepticism about European integration onto her country’s political landscape for decades.
Though long anticipated, Lady Thatcher’s death overwhelmed many. Within moments of the announcement by Lord Bell, Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister David Cameron offered tributes to what Mr. Cameron called “a great leader, a great prime minister, a great Briton.”
Mr. Cameron cut short a visit to continental Europe on Monday to return to Britain.
Buckingham Palace said the Queen was “sad to hear the news” and would be sending a private message of sympathy to the family.
Lawmakers said Lady Thatcher had retired from public life about two years ago. Her career in active politics came to an end in 1990 when her own Conservative Party forced her from office and replaced her with John Major.
“She was the most extraordinary person,” Lord Bell said. “She transformed people’s lives.”
He added: “She made a great difference in the way we lead our lives.”
An assessment in the conservative Daily Telegraph said: “She will go down in history not only as Britain’s first female prime minister, but as the woman who transformed Britain’s economy in addition to being a formidable rival on the international stage.”
“Lady Thatcher was the only British prime minister to leave behind a set of ideas about the role of the state which other leaders and nations strove to copy and apply,” the newspaper said.
Speaking to the BBC, Henry A. Kissinger, the former United States Secretary of State, said Mrs. Thatcher was a “great leader” and a “good friend of the United States.” She was known particularly for her close working alliance with President Ronald Reagan, with whom she shared a profound ideological rejection of cold war communism.