1966
31 March General election: Labour returned with an overall majority of ninety-seven.
19 April Reshuffle of Opposition spokesmen: MT appointed Iain Macleod’s deputy, shadowing the Treasury.
3 May Budget introduced Selective Employment Tax (SET).
May–July Seamen’s strike.
15 June Abortion Bill passed Second Reading.
July Sterling crisis; deflation; wage freeze to be followed by a prices and incomes policy.
5 July Sexual Offences Bill (legalizing homosexuality) passed Second Reading.
12 October MT spoke against SET at the Conservative Conference.
10 November Labour announced Britain to make a second application to join the EEC.
1967
11 April Massive Conservative gains in local government elections.
10 October Heath moved MT to Shadow Fuel and Power, with a place in the Shadow Cabinet.
18 November Devaluation of sterling by 14 per cent ($2.80 to $2.40).
27 November Britain’s second EEC application vetoed by France.
29 November Jenkins replaced Callaghan as Chancellor of the Exchequer; Callaghan succeeded Jenkins as Home Secretary.
1968
22 February Callaghan announced emergency legislation to curb immigration of Asians expelled from Kenya; Shadow Cabinet divided.
17 March Grosvenor Square riot – violent demonstration against Vietnam War.
19 March Budget increased indirect taxes by almost £900 million – austerity under Jenkins.
20 April Enoch Powell’s ‘River Tiber’ speech in Birmingham; Heath dismissed him from the Shadow Cabinet the following day.
10 October MT gave her CPC lecture What’s Wrong With Politics?
14 November MT moved by Heath to Shadow Transport.
1969
17 January Barbara Castle introduced In Place of Strife – Labour’s proposals to reform industrial relations law; opposition from within the Labour Party, led by Callaghan, forced their withdrawal in June.
14 August British troops deployed on the streets of Londonderry.
21 October MT appointed Opposition spokesman on Education in succession to Edward Boyle.
1970
30 January—
1 February Selsdon Park Conference – Shadow Cabinet discussion of Conservative policy for next manifesto.
18 June General election: Conservatives won majority of thirty-one; Heath became Prime Minister; MT appointed Secretary of State for Education and Science.
30 June MT issued Circular 10/70, withdrawing Labour’s comprehensive education Circulars.
20 July Iain Macleod died suddenly.
6–30 September Leila Khalid affair.
27 October Budget – ending free school milk for children over seven; increasing school meal charges; Open University reprieved.
1971
4 February Nationalization of Rolls-Royce.
5 August Industrial Relations Bill became law.
28 October House of Commons on a free vote approved terms of entry to EEC.
1972
9 January Miners went on strike.
20 January Unemployment total passed one million.
10 February Mass picketing closed Saltley Coke Depot.
19 February Government conceded miners’ demands to end the strike.
20 February Government announced U-turn on Upper Clyde Shipbuilders.
March Government began search for voluntary pay policy in talks with TUC and CBI.
21 March Budget – reflation began in earnest.
22 March Industry White Paper published.
24 March Suspension of Northern Ireland Parliament at Stormont; direct rule began.
June–July Industrial Relations Act badly damaged following court decisions leading to arrest of pickets in docks dispute.
23 June Sterling floated after only six weeks’ membership of the European currency ‘snake’.
Summer–autumn ‘Tripartite talks’ between Government, TUC and CBI – Government attempted to negotiate a voluntary pay policy.
2 November Collapse of ‘Tripartite talks’.
6 November Heath announced Stage 1 of statutory pay policy.
6 December MT’s White Paper Education: A Framework for Expansion.
1973
1 January Britain joined EEC.
17 January Heath announced Stage 2 of statutory pay policy.
16 March End of Bretton Woods system – all major currencies floated.
May Heath/Barber boom at its height; budget reduced spending plans.
6–24 October Yom Kippur War; oil prices dramatically increased.
8 October Heath announced Stage 3.
12 November Miners began overtime ban, sharply cutting coal production.
2 December Reshuffle – Whitelaw became Employment Secretary.
13 December Heath announced three-day week.
17 December Emergency budget cut £1,200 million from expenditure plans.
1974
9 January NEDC meeting at which TUC suggested miners could be treated as a special case within government pay policy.
5 February Miners voted to strike from 10 February.
7 February General election called for 28 February.
21 February Relativities Board leak suggesting that miners’ claim could have been accommodated within Stage 3.
23 February Enoch Powell announced that he would vote Labour.
28 February General election: no single party won a majority; Labour won the largest number of seats.
1–3 March Heath attempted to form a coalition with the Liberals.
4 March Heath resigned following Liberal rejection of his proposals; Wilson became Prime Minister, leading a minority Labour Government.
11 March Heath formed his Shadow Cabinet, giving MT responsibility for the Environment.
May Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) founded.
22 June Keith Joseph’s speech at Upminster.
28 August MT announced Conservative pledge to abolish domestic rates and hold down mortgage interest rates to maximum of 9½ per cent.
5 September Keith Joseph’s speech at Preston.
10 October General election: Labour majority of three.
14 October 1922 Committee executive urged Heath to call a leadership election.
19 October Keith Joseph’s speech at Edgbaston.
7 November Heath reshuffled Shadow Cabinet; MT became Robert Carr’s assistant spokesman on Treasury questions.
14 November Heath told 1922 that he would set up a committee to review leadership election procedure.
21 November Keith Joseph told MT that he would not stand for the leadership against Heath; MT told him she would.
November–December ‘Hoarding’ story run against MT in the press.
17 December Leadership election review reported.
1975
15 January Airey Neave took over the organization of MT’s leadership campaign, Edward du Cann having decided not to stand.
4 February Leadership election first ballot: MT 130, Heath 119, Hugh Fraser 16; Heath resigned as leader.
11 February Leadership election second ballot: MT elected leader.
12 February MT called on Heath at Wilton Street; Heath refused to serve in the Shadow Cabinet.
18 February Shadow Cabinet complete: Maudling, Foreign Affairs; Howe, Treasury; Joseph, Policy and Research; Thorneycroft, Chairman.
5 June EEC referendum.
July £6 a week quasi-statutory pay policy introduced; unemployment passed one million.
1976
2 March Sterling fell below $2.
16 March Wilson announced his resignation; Callaghan elected Labour Leader on 5 April.
7 April Government lost its majority.
5 May Stage 2 of pay policy agreed between Government and TUC.
10 May Thorpe resigned as Liberal Leader over the Scott affair; Grimond interim Leader; Steel elected on 7 July.
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br /> 7 June Sterling under pressure – $5,300 million standby credit made available to UK for three months.
28 September Healey forced to turn back from the airport as sterling fell to $1.63; spoke at the Labour Conference on 30 September.
4 October The Right Approach published.
1 November IMF team arrived in UK.
19 November MT reshuffled Shadow Cabinet, dismissing Maudling and replacing him with John Davies.
1 December Shadow Cabinet decision to oppose the Scotland and Wales Bill; Buchanan-Smith and Rifkind resigned.
15 December Healey’s mini-budget and IMF Letter of Intent 1977.
1977
22 February Government defeated on Scotland and Wales Bill guillotine – Bill effectively lost; prospect that Government would fall.
23 March ‘Lib-Lab Pact’ saved the Government.
16 June Government defeated over Rooker-Wise-Lawson amendments – tax allowances linked to RPI.
24 June Grunwick dispute: mass picketing began.
18 September MT interviewed by Brian Walden suggested referendum if a future Conservative Government met the kind of trade union challenge Heath faced in 1974.
8 October The Right Approach to the Economy published.
16 October Scotland Bill and Wales Bill successfully guillotined.
1978
25 January Scotland Bill Committee – ‘Cunningham amendment’: 40 per cent hurdle for devolution in referendum.
30 January MT on television referred to people’s fears that they would be ‘rather swamped’ by immigration.
3 March Rhodesia: ‘internal settlement’ – Muzorewa and others to join Ian Smith’s Government.
25 May Steel announced end of Lib-Lab Pact after current parliamentary session.
21 July Incomes policy White Paper: Stage 3 – 5 per cent guideline for wage increases.
Summer ‘Labour Isn’t Working’ – Saatchi & Saatchi’s first campaign for the Conservative Party.
7 September Callaghan announced there would be no autumn election.
21 September Ford strike (ended 2 November): breached 5 per cent pay norm.
11 October Heath spoke in favour of Stage 3 at the Conservative Party Conference.
8 November 114 Conservatives rebelled against leadership decision to abstain on motion to renew Rhodesian sanctions.
1979
3 January Lorry drivers strike for 25 per cent pay claim: ‘Winter of Discontent’ reaching its height.
7 January MT interviewed on Weekend World; suggested possible union reforms.
14 January MT offered to co-operate in legislation on secondary picketing and no-strike agreements for essential services; Government made no direct reply but eased its pay guidelines and lorry drivers’ strike settled locally over the following three weeks.
1 March Scotland and Wales devolution referenda.
28 March Government defeated on Motion of Confidence 311–310, forcing general election.
30 March Airey Neave murdered by INLA bomb.
3 May General election: Conservative majority of forty-three.
4 May MT became Prime Minister.
7 June European elections.
12 June 1979 budget. Standard rate of income tax cut to 30 per cent, top rate to 60 per cent.
28 June Tokyo G7 summit.
1–8 August Lusaka CHOGM.
27 August Assassination of Lord Mountbatten/Warrenpoint bomb.
23 October Geoffrey Howe announced abolition of remaining exchange controls.
29–30 November Dublin European Council: budget arguments.
16 December MT and Lord Carrington arrived in Washington for two-day visit.
25 December Afghanistan: USSR began invasion.
1980
2 January Steel strike began. Ended 3 April.
5 May SAS stormed Iranian Embassy.
2 June Cabinet endorsed EC budget agreement.
22 June Venice G7 summit.
22 September Iran-Iraq War began.
10 October MT addressed Conservative Conference, Brighton: ‘The lady’s not for turning.’
27 October First Maze hunger strike began. Ended 18 December.
4 November USA: Ronald Reagan elected President.
8 December Anglo-Irish summit in Dublin.
1981
5 January Norman St John Stevas and Angus Maude left the Government. Francis Pym became Leader of House of Commons, John Nott to Defence, Leon Brittan joined Cabinet as Chief Secretary.
10 February NCB announced pit closures. Government announced NCB plan withdrawn on 18 February.
1 March Second IRA hunger strike begun by Bobby Sands. Ended 3 October after ten deaths; then Chelsea Barracks bomb.
10 March 1981 budget.
26 March SDP formed. Alliance formed on 16 June.
30 March 364 economists’ letter criticizing economic policy.
11–14 April Brixton riots.
10 May François Mitterrand elected French President.
3 July Southall riot. Toxteth and Moss Side riots 4–8 July.
20 July Ottawa G7 summit opened.
23 July Argument at public spending cabinet.
14 September Reshuffle: Ian Gilmour, Mark Carlisle and Lord Soames left the Government. Nigel Lawson, Norman Tebbit and Cecil Parkinson joined the Cabinet. Jim Prior appointed to Northern Ireland.
30 September Melbourne CHOGM opened.
13 December Poland: Martial law declared.
1982
25 March Roy Jenkins won Glasgow, Hillhead by-election.
2 April Argentina invaded Falkland Islands.
3 April Saturday Commons debate on Falklands. Passage of UNSCR 502.
5 April First naval units left Portsmouth. Lord Carrington and other Foreign Office ministers resigned. Francis Pym became Foreign Secretary, John Biffen Leader HC.
25 April South Georgia recaptured.
2 May General Belgrano sunk by HMS Conqueror.
4 May HMS Sheffield hit by an Exocet.
21 May British troops landed at San Carlos.
5 June Versailles G7 summit opened.
14 June Capture of Port Stanley. Argentinian surrender.
20 July Hyde Park, then Regent’s Park bombs.
26 July St Paul’s Thanksgiving Service.
17 September West Germany: fall of Helmut Schmidt’s Government.
Helmut Kohl succeeded him as Chancellor.
20 September MT began visit to Japan/China/Hong Kong.
1983
6 January Reshuffle: John Nott resigned. Michael Heseltine to Defence; Tom King to Environment.
23 March USA: President Reagan announced SDI.
28 May Williamsburg G7 summit opened.
9 June General election: Conservative majority of 144.
11 June New Government formed: Nigel Lawson Chancellor; Leon Brittan Home Secretary; Geoffrey Howe Foreign Secretary; Francis Pym dropped.
14 October Cecil Parkinson resigned.
25 October US invasion of Grenada.
14 November Cruise missiles arrived at Greenham.
December Athens European Council.
17 December Harrods bomb.
1984
9 February USSR: death of Andropov. MT attended funeral.
8 March Miners’ strike began.
2 June Fontainebleau European Council: budget settlement.
10 July National dock strike (ended 20 July).
24 August Second national dock strike (ended 18 September).
12 October Brighton bomb.
25 October High Court ordered sequestration of NUM.
31 October India: Mrs Gandhi assassinated.
6 November USA: President Reagan re-elected.
20 November British Telecom flotation.
15 December Mr and Mrs Gorbachev visited Chequers.
19 December China: MT signed Hong Kong agreement in Peking.
1985
20 February MT visited Washington and addressed a joint session of Con
gress.
5 March Miners returned to work.
11 March USSR: Mr Gorbachev new Soviet leader. MT visited Moscow for Chernenko’s funeral.
4 April MT began eleven-day tour of Far East.
2 May Bonn G7 summit opened.
2 September Reshuffle. Peter Rees, Patrick Jenkin and Lord Gowrie left the Government. Norman Tebbit new Party Chairman. Leon Brittan to DTI, Douglas Hurd to Home Office. Kenneth Clarke, John MacGregor and Kenneth Baker all joined the Cabinet.
9 September Handsworth riots (continued 10 September). Brixton 28 September.
16–19 September MT toured Egypt and Jordan.
25 September Plaza Accord to reduce value of the dollar.
6–7 October Broadwater Farm riot.
16–23 October Nassau CHOGM: arguments about South Africa.
24 October MT and President Reagan addressed UN General Assembly.
15 November MT signed Anglo-Irish Agreement at Hillsborough.
3 December Luxemburg European Council.
1986
9 January Westland: Michael Heseltine resigned.
24 January Westland: Leon Brittan resigned.
28 January Publication of Community Charge Green Paper.
15 April US raid on Libya.
3–6 May MT visited South Korea and attended Tokyo G7 summit.
21 May Reshuffle. Keith Joseph resigned. Kenneth Baker replaced him as Education Secretary.
24–27 May MT visited Israel.
3 August Special London Commonwealth summit on South Africa.
24 October Britain broke off diplomatic relations with Syria following Hindawi affair.
15–16 November MT visited Camp David, following Reykjavik summit.
5 December London European Council.
1987
22 February Louvre Accord to stabilize the dollar.
28 March USSR: MT began five-day tour (ended 2 April).
8 June Venice G7 summit opened.
11 June General election: Conservative majority of 102.
17 June USA: MT visited President Reagan in Washington.
6 October Conservative Conference led to abandonment of decision to phase in community charge (dual running).
13 October Vancouver CHOGM.
19 October ‘Black Monday’.
8 November Enniskillen bomb killed eleven, injured sixty.
Margaret Thatcher: The Autobiography Page 97
