Death of Lady Thatcher
PM: "We've lost a great leader, a great Prime Minister and a great Briton."
Prime Minister David Cameron has made a statementat Downing Street following the death of Lady Thatcher:
Margaret Thatcher didn’t just lead our country; she saved our country. And we should never forget that the odds were stacked against her. She was the shopkeeper’s daughter from Grantham who made it all the way to the highest office in the land.
He paid tribute to her patriotism:
For many of us, she was an inspiration. For others, she was a force to be defined against. But if there is one thing that cuts through all of this, one thing that runs through everything that she did, it was her lionhearted love of this country. She was the patriot Prime Minister, and she fought for Britain’s interests every step of the way.
Earlier, the Prime Minister gave his initial reaction to the news of death of the UK’s first female Prime Minister:
It was with great sadness that l learned of Lady Thatcher’s death. We’ve lost a great leader, a great Prime Minister and a great Briton”.
It followed the announcement that Baroness Thatcher died in London at the age of 87. Serving from 1979 to 1990, she was the UK’s first female Prime Minister and the longest serving of the 20th century.
In Downing Street, the Union flag was flying at half mast following the announcement.
The Number 10 website has a condolence pageon which people are able to write private messages for the Thatcher family.
It has also been announced that Lady Thatcher will receive a Ceremonial funeral with military honours at London’s St Paul’s Cathedral.
Lady Thatcher’s family have asked that, if people wish to pay their respects, they consider making a donation to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, rather than laying flowers. Details of how to do so available on the Royal Hospital Chelsea website .
The public will be unable to attend the funeral service itself but can line the route of the funeral procession from the RAF Church in the Strand to St Paul’s Cathedral.
Further details will be made available in due course.