๐ And to celebrate Rome's 2,779th birthday which also falls today, a reminder of Margaret Thatcher's meeting with Pope Benedict XVI in 2009 in St Peter's Square, with a classic Daily Mail headline.
๐ On what would have been Queen Elizabeth II's 100th birthday, a reminder of Margaret Thatcher's tribute on The Queen's 80th in 2006.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0_9...
Sunday Mirror front page on 19 April 2026 featuring a story about Liz Truss headlined, 'Truss is taking the piste'.
A Daily Mirror story, headlined 'Daffed', from March 1992 about Margaret Thatcher being hit by a bunch of daffodils.
๐จ The development over time of The Office of Prime Minister Emeritus through the medium of Mirror front pages.
โ๏ธ On the left, Liz Truss, 'Truss is taking the piste', April 2026.
โถ๏ธ On the right, Margaret Thatcher, 'Daffed', in March 1992.
Edward Heath.
๐ฃ๏ธ 'I am sure that the House would wish to join me in thanking my right hon. Friend the Member for Sidcup [Edward Heath] for his contribution.'
๐
So said the Foreign Secretary, Francis Pym, in a debate on the Brandt Report on this day, 18 April, in 1983.
๐ You're very welcome. It's an excellent article and was my very useful for my research.
โ๐ป 'Both New Labour prime ministers had the temerity not just to embrace Thatcherism, but to invite the Iron Lady herself into her former HQ for tea.'
๐๏ธ So wrote @johnkampfner.bsky.social on this day 17 April in 2008 in an article on Margaret Thatcher and Labour.
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop...
A book cover featuring an image of Margaret Thatcher. It reads, 'Margaret Thatcher: Life After Downing Street', Peter Just. There is a quote from Andrew Roberts, 'A joy to read'.
๐จ With the news including calls for the Prime Minister to resign, a reminder that there's a book that provides a framework for studying former Prime Ministers and gives insights into what life after Downing Street might be like for Sir Keir Starmer.
๐ bitebackpublishing.com/books/margar...
Words of James Callaghan's on 16 April 1986 in the House of Commons. 'I heartily concur with the general theme of the speech of the right hon. Member for Old Bexley and Sidcup (Mr. Heath), and especially with his conclusion about the need for attention to the middle east. I congratulate him on what he said. I seek no indulgence for myself for whatever I have to say in this House, but the undignified manner in which some hon. Members on the Government Benches behave when the right hon. Gentleman is addressing the House on a serious subject does the Conservative party no good at all. I urge Conservative hon. Members to consider the way in which they behave on such occasions.'
๐ฃ๏ธ James Callaghan opened, 'I heartily concur with the general theme of the speech of the right hon. Member for Old Bexley and Sidcup (Mr. Heath), and especially with his conclusion about the need for attention to the middle east.'
๐จ He also criticised some Conservative MPs.
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Edward Heath and James Callaghan, and the words 'Libya, 16 April 1986'.
๐ฃ๏ธ Heath concluded, 'We should also deal with the basic problem that is the cause of terrorism in so many countriesโthe conflict between Israel and the Arab world.'
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Edward Heath and James Callaghan, and the words 'Libya, 16 April 1986'.
๐จ Alec Douglas-Home was not the only former Prime Minister to speak in Parliament about the American bombing of Libya in April 1986.
๐ฃ๏ธ So did Edward Heath and James Callaghan, in consecutive speeches, on this day, 16 April, 40 years ago.
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Alec Douglas-Home.
๐ฃ๏ธ 'I cannot allocate blame to the United States on this occasion. There must be a better way found than military response to terrorist situations.'
๐๏ธ So said Lord Home of the Hirsel on this day, 15 April, in 1986 after the United States bombed Libya.
๐ฃ๏ธ 'There is nothing moral or right about leaving a people defenceless in the path of a determined dictator aggressor'.
๐๏ธ Margaret Thatcher followed-up her TV interviews by intervening on a statement in the Lords on Bosnia on this day, 14 April, in 1993.
๐บ The BBC interview is accessible on the Margaret Thatcher Foundation website: www.margaretthatcher.org/document/110...
Screenshot of a news story about Margaret Thatcher's interview on the BBC 6 o'clock news on 13 April 1993 about Bosnia.
๐ฃ๏ธ 'We have been a little like an accomplice to massacre.'
๐๏ธ So said Margaret Thatcher on this day, 13 April, in 1993, as she took to the airwaves to attack Western and British policy on Bosnia.
๐จ Malcolm Rifkind responded that she was talking 'emotional nonsense'.
๐ 'How I would have loved to have stayed and watched the cricket with him.'
๐๏ธ So said Theresa May of Prince Philip, when recalling her last day at Balmoral, during parliamentary tributes to him, on this day, 12 April, in 2021.
www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-p...
Alec Douglas-Home.
๐ฃ๏ธ 'In history, so much damage has been done by dogma, and doctrine has been responsible for so much human misery, that it is high time for tolerance.'
๐๏ธ So said Lord Home of the Hirsel on this day, 11 April, in 1984 when speaking on the Prayer Book Protection Bill.
๐๏ธThe tributes in the House of Lords were led by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Lord Hill of Oareford.
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hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2013-0...
๐๏ธ On this day, 10 April, in 2013, the Prime Minister, David Cameron, led tributes to Margaret Thatcher in the House of Commons.
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hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2013...
๐ฎ๐น 'Margaret Thatcher: Life After Downing Street' has arrived in Italy.
๐ A two hour stop-over in Turin before we head to that eternal place to which all roads lead.
โญ๏ธ Which is fitting as Margaret Thatcher's premiership has itself become eternal.
'Margaret Thatcher: Life After Downing' on a train table on a train in Paris, France.
โ๐ป 'She was in ebullient and discursive form, scarcely leaving herself time to eat her lunch. The President's interventions therefore were relatively few.'
๐ซ๐ท So wrote the British Ambassador about Margaret Thatcher at her lunch with President Mitterrand in June 1992.
A man stood next to Margaret Thatcher.
๐ข 'Mi dispiace tantissimo...Margaret Thatcher non รจ piรน con noi.'
๐ฎ๐น When Margaret Thatcher died on this day, 8 April, in 2013, I was living and working in Rome.
๐ 'Ciao Maggie' is the blog post that I wrote about it: romandespatches.blogspot.com/2013/04/ciao...
Cover of Geoffrey Howe's 'Conflict of Loyalty' book.
๐จ Single European Act research update.
๐ค โI wonder what happened to the other two? I suppose they must have died from an occupational disease?โ
๐ฎ๐น Giulio Andreotti's reply to Margaret Thatcher saying she'd once worked in a firm that employed just 3 people.
๐As revealed in Geoffrey Howe's memoirs.
Harold Wilson and James Callaghan.
๐ฃ๏ธ 'I am looking forward to a honeymoon of about 10 days at the most, and then I rather fancy that there will be the well-known cries of "Bring back Harold" from the Opposition Benches.'
๐๏ธ So said Jim Callaghan on this day, 6 April, in 1976 at his first Prime Minister's Questions.
๐จ NEW PODCAST: Which post-war PMs were most influenced by Christianity?
In a special Easter episode, Richard and I discuss two of the most religiously observant and theologically curious post-war PMs: Macmillan and Blair.
What did faith mean to them? And how did it influence their politics?
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โ๐ป'I have not copied this note elsewhere and would prefer it had only a limited circulation. I hope it is useful.'
๐ In the same file as Margaret Thatcher's letter to Tony Blair was a letter to him from John Major, dated 18 March 2002, reporting on his visit to Singapore.
Handwritten letter from Margaret Thatcher to Tony Blair dated 4 April 2002.
Handwritten letter from Margaret Thatcher to Tony Blair dated 4 April 2002.
๐จ 'I was very touched to receive your kind and thoughtful letter'.
๐๏ธ So wrote Margaret Thatcher to Tony Blair on this day, 4 April, in 2002.
โ๐ป She signed herself 'Margaret T.' and sent her warm regards to all his family.
Lucy and Stanley Baldwin.
๐ฐ It being Good Friday, a reminder that early in April 1938 the press reported that Stanley Baldwin was soon to leave London for his country home - Astley Hall - where he would be joined there by Lady Baldwin for Easter.
Alec Douglas-Home.
๐ฃ๏ธ 'It was clearly a very remarkable achievement.'
๐๏ธ So said Lord (Alec) Home of the Hirsel on this day, 2 April, in 1987 of Margaret Thatcher's visit to the Soviet Union.
Number of parliamentary interventions by former UK prime ministers from 1955 to the end of March 2026.
๐จ March 2026 update on ex-PMs' parliamentary activity.
1โฃ David Cameron's one intervention (on Ukraine) takes him above Churchill.
1โฃ Theresa May intervenes on China and security.
2โฃ Rishi Sunak intervenes on SEND in his constituency, and on AI and the UK and India.
A man speaking on a stage.
๐ฃ๏ธ So, I'll always regret not being able to thank Simon for his kindness in this world, but was pleased to dedicate to him my keynote address at last weekend's Margaret Thatcher Centre Freedom Festival, chaired by Dr Tim Aker.
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