Poll battle recalls Thatcher’s thwarted fight to remain PM
THE CRISIS in confidence in Theresa May’s leadership draws stark parallels to the embattled position of Britain’s first ever female Prime Minister.
Margaret Thatcher famously declared “I fight on, I fight to win” as she battled a challenge from Michael Heseltine in 1990, only to stand down after senior Tories advised her she was heading for defeat. Lady Thatcher is the only Prime Minister to be removed from office by a party leadership ballot among her own MPs.
Under different rules in place in 1990, Mrs Thatcher defeated Mr Heseltine by 204 to 152 in a vote of Tory MPs after he challenged. But she failed to achieve the 15 per cent margin of victory to prevent a second-round ballot.
Despite her defiant statement, she withdrew from the contest two days later after Ministers told her they thought she would lose.
Her departure allowed John Major to come through and defeat Lady Thatcher is the only Prime Minister to be removed from office by a party leadership ballot among her own MPs.
Mr Heseltine for the leadership.
Mr Major himself called a “back-me-or-sack-me” contest in 1995, resigning as leader to fight for the job after coming under pressure from rebels over Europe.
He saw off challenger John Redwood by 218 votes to 89 and went on to lead the Tories into the 1997 General Election, resigning
after Tony Blair’s landslide victory.
Party rules had changed by the next challenge to a Tory leader, requiring Iain Duncan Smith to face a confidence vote after MPs submitted letters to the chair of the backbench 1922 Committee in 2003. He lost the vote by 90-75 and resigned, clearing the way for Michael Howard to become leader, as no others stood against him.