Showbusiness and sports stars faced wrath of Denis as he took a red pen to party guest list
Margaret Thatcher’s husband made a rare intervention to block reception invitations
DENIS THATCHER personally vetoed big names lined up for a star-studded Downing Street reception, newly released private papers have revealed.
The reception was planned to thank showbusiness and sporting stars who had supported the prime minister at a Wembley rally before her 1987 general election win.
However, Mrs Thatcher realised that the 45 stars who appeared at Wembley, including Ronnie Corbett, Bob Monkhouse, Jimmy Tarbuck and Bernie Winters, would not be enough to fill one of her vast reception rooms.
She asked her aides for suggestions on how to make up the numbers, leading to a rare intervention from her businessman husband, who took his red pen to the proposed guest list.
Paul Mccartney, David Attenborough, Sebastian Coe and Shirley Bassey were among those who attracted a raised eyebrow, according to papers released under the 30-year rule.
Mrs Thatcher’s private papers from 1988 show a number of people were asked to contribute names, including John Whittingdale MP, then a newly appointed political secretary. He suggested Paul Mccartney, Cliff Richard, Freddie Mercury, Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall, and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Historian Chris Collins, of the Margaret Thatcher Foundation, said this was Mr Whittingdale’s “idea of a good party” as a young man.
But after the list was sent to Downing Street, Mr Thatcher sent an annotated version back with an angry handwritten note.
“Whilst I accept that not everyone who comes to our receptions are necessarily on ‘our’ side, I find it both unpleasant and embarrassing to entertain those who publicly insult the PM,” he said. “This list therefore needs some careful checking in that regard.”
Former Beatle Mccartney, an outspoken critic of apartheid, had also sent a telegram to Mrs Thatcher in 1982 complaining of her treatment of the NHS.
In the message, the tone of which the prime minister said left her “shaken”, he told her: “What the miners did to Ted Heath, the nurses will do to you.”
Coe, the athlete, had taken part in the 1980 Moscow Olympics, despite Mrs Thatcher calling for British stars to boycott the event.
Mr Thatcher said he had ticked “those I would personally like to see included” and put a question mark against those he believed “do not help”. More than one tick “means super person and a known friend and wonderful to have them here”.
Mr Collins said: “Generally he [Mr Thatcher] appears in the files scribbling assent to attend this or that engagement, often with ironic complaint (“Yes – as if I had a choice”). “On this occasion he was much more engaged.”
Jan Leeming, Shirley Bassey, Janet Brown and Paul Daniels received question marks next to their names despite supporting Mrs Thatcher at the 1987 rally. Eric Sykes, the comedian, seemed to be Mr Thatcher’s favourite, with four ticks.
Treble ticks went to golfer and presenter Peter Alliss, Noel Treddinick, the director of music at All Souls Church, Marylebone, and Sir Geraint Evans, the baritone. Penelnotepaper, ope Keith, Judith Chalmers, Monty Modlyn, Tim Rice and Ronnie Corbett received a double tick.
The other Ronnie – Barker – received one tick, along with Rolf Harris, Frederick Forsyth, Judi Dench, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Donald Sinden.
Mr Thatcher did not elaborate on his reasoning and it is unclear what happened to the guest list. But the Wembley rally stars were finally joined at the reception by the 1988 Winter Olympics team and members of the Lords and Commons Ski Club.
Mr Collins said that while aides were “enthusiastic” about the original party, Mr Thatcher was “somewhat irritable” at the time, having just had a run-in with the BBC.
It has previously been revealed that he wrote to Marmaduke Hussey, then chairman of the BBC’S board of governors, over a satirical item about his wife legalising hard drugs.
The newly released papers reveal that Mr Hussey wrote an apology, in which he said: “If this had been about my wife, I should have been absolutely livid.”