Coup of Margaret Thatcher
Did Margaret's own party oust her?
4.7 (16)
39 mins
Discover how growing cabinet divisions and the controversial poll tax led to Margaret Thatcher's unexpected downfall in November 1990. Explore the internal Conservative Party rebellion that turned key ministers against Britain's longest-serving prime minister of the twentieth century. Learn about the dramatic resignation at 10 Downing Street that brought an iconic political era to an end.
Ep 1:
The Dead Sheep Roars: Thatcher's Rise and Reckoning
From a grocer's daughter's Downing Street debut to riots and a purged cabinet, discover how conviction, class war, and brutal economics forged Thatcher's early iron rule—and planted seeds of her eventual downfall.
Ep 2:
Special Relationships and a Fatal Tax
Abroad she charms Reagan and reads Gorbachev like no other Western leader; at home a shaky third election win and a disastrous poll tax spark riots that begin to isolate her.
Ep 3:
Cracks in the Iron Circle
As Europe divides her closest allies, Lawson and Howe turn from loyalists to adversaries, while a secretive press machine and vanishing confidants leave Thatcher dangerously alone.
Ep 4:
The Final Ballot
Heseltine strikes, votes falter, and one by one her cabinet abandons her—culminating in a tearful resignation that ends eleven extraordinary years in power.
Discussions (5)
Yusuf
Level 10 · 3 weeks agoFact check: Denis Healey's 'dead sheep' line about Howe is confirmed. He said being attacked by Howe was like being savaged by a dead sheep. That quote is real.
Gabriel
Level 7 · 3 weeks agoElspeth handed him that bat metaphor!
Rachel
Level 2 · 3 weeks agoElspeth Howe secretly cooking up the most devastating line in parliamentary history and nobody talks about her enough 💀 she really said 'hold my cricket bat'
