Margaret Thatcher tendency to override collegiate opinion, contributed to discontent within her party. Thatcher removed Geoffrey Howe as Foreign Secretary in July 1989 after he and Lawson had forced her to agree to a plan for Britain to join the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM). Britain joined the ERM in October 1990. On 1 November 1990, Howe, by then the last remaining member of Thatcher's original 1979 cabinet, resigned from his position as Deputy Prime Minister, ostensibly over her open hostility to moves towards European Monetary Union. In his resignation speech on 13 November, Howe commented on Thatcher's openly dismissive attitude to
Death and funeral of Margaret Thatcher Death and funeral of Margaret Thatcher On 8 April 2013, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher died of a stroke in London at the age of 87. On 17 April, she was honoured with a ceremonial funeral. Due to polarised opinion about her achievements and legacy, reaction to her death was mixed throughout Britain and evoked contrasting praise and criticism. The funeral, including a formal procession through Central London, followed by a church service at St Paul's Cathedral, cost around £3.6 million including £3.1 million for security. The funeral was notable for the attendance of the reigning monarch, Elizabeth II;