First Thatcher ministry May 1979. The Winter of Discontent had seen the Labour government's popularity slump during the previous four months, and the opinion polls all pointed towards a Conservative victory. The Tories won the election with a majority of 44 seats and their leader Margaret Thatcher became Britain's first female prime minister. Thatcher inherited some of the worst economic statistics of postwar Britain. The nation was still feeling the effects of the numerous strikes during the recent Winter of Discontent. Inflation had recently topped 20%, and unemployment was in excess of 1.5 million for the first time since the 1930s. Thatcher's monetarist
Statue of Margaret Thatcher (Palace of Westminster) called for the removal of the statue only a week after it was installed. He gained the support of three other MPs, including Glenda Jackson. In 2013, MPs were warned not to touch the statue's toes for good luck as it was damaging it. Statue of Margaret Thatcher (Palace of Westminster) The statue of Margaret Thatcher inside the Houses of Parliament, London, is a bronze sculpture of Margaret Thatcher, the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. It was ordered in 2003 following a change in rules to allow the depiction of living Prime Ministers in Parliament under certain