![]() ![]() The PM has 55 per cent of the vote but is two short of the total she needs to win. She has 204 votes, Michael Heseltine has 152 and there are 16 abstentions. He says: 'I'm afraid, Prime Minister, that these figures are rather disappointing.' Mrs Thatcher is sitting at the dressing table in Peter Morrison's bedroom at the British Embassy when he hands her a piece of paper. The rules were drawn up when it was inconceivable that a woman could become leader of the Party. The rules state that a candidate can win outright on the first ballot: 'If one candidate both (i) receives an overall majority of the votes … and (ii) receives 15 per cent more of the votes … than any other candidate, he will be elected.' In the House of Commons, the first round of voting begins. The Ambassador, Ewen Fergusson, orders champagne to be on hand for the result later that day. Peter Morrison arrives at the British Embassy in Paris with a large chart claiming to show that Mrs Thatcher has the votes she needs to win. The result is clear: he has won 185 votes (pictured) President Bush later wrote in his diary that for the PM to be in Paris on that particular day 'seems a little odd, but maybe that gives her stature, that she's dealing with world problems'.Ī refreshed John Major is watching a television in the main reception room in No 11, together with Norma and his campaign team. ![]() She spends an hour with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev talking about Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait in August. In Paris, Mrs Thatcher conducts a series of meetings with world leaders. He writes in his diary: 'Peter is useless, far worse than I thought … there isn't a single person working for her that cuts any ice at all.' 'Look, do you think I'd be like this if I wasn't entirely confident?'Ĭlark asks: 'What does the arithmetic look like?' Morrison replies: 'Tight-ish but OK.'Ĭlark leaves despondent. Clark wakes him up and shares his concerns but Morrison is unruffled. ![]() Morrison is asleep in a leather armchair, snoring softly. ![]() In Parliament, Alan Clark, a loyal Thatcher supporter, is concerned about increasing support for Heseltine among his fellow MPs, so he knocks on the door of Peter Morrison, Mrs Thatcher's parliamentary private secretary in charge of her campaign, to find out what he's going to do about it. In June 1987, Margaret Thatcher was elected for a third term but just three years later, the economy was in trouble and the hated poll tax sparked riots (pictured) ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |