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{{Infobox government cabinet
{{Infobox government cabinet
|incumbent = [[1979 United Kingdom general election|1979]]–[[1983 United Kingdom general election|1983]]
|incumbent = [[1979 United Kingdom general election|1979]]–[[1983 United Kingdom general election|1983]]
|image = Margaret Thatcher (1983).jpg
|image = Reagan-Thatcher cabinet talks.jpg
|caption = Thatcher with members of her cabinet (left) during talks with [[Ronald Reagan]] and members of his cabinet (right) in 1981
|caption = Thatcher in 1983
|date_formed = {{Start date|1979|5|4|df=y}}
|date_formed = {{Start date|1979|5|4|df=y}}
|date_dissolved = {{End date|1983|6|10|df=y}}
|date_dissolved = {{End date|1983|6|10|df=y}}
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| [[Shadow Cabinet of Michael Foot|Foot Shadow Cabinet]]
| [[Shadow Cabinet of Michael Foot|Foot Shadow Cabinet]]
}}
}}
|previous = [[Labour government, 1974–1979#Callaghan ministry|Callaghan ministry]]<!--this is an {{R to section}} link-->
|previous = [[Callaghan ministry]]<!--this is an {{R to section}} link-->
|successor = [[Second Thatcher ministry]]
|successor = [[Second Thatcher ministry]]
|flag=Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government) (St Edwards Crown).svg
|flag=File:Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom_(1-2).svg|jurisdiction=United Kingdom}}
|flag_border=false
|jurisdiction=United Kingdom}}


[[Margaret Thatcher]] was [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]] from 4 May 1979 to 28 November 1990, during which time she led a [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] [[majority government]]. She was the first woman to hold that office. During her premiership, Thatcher moved to [[Economic liberalisation|liberalise]] the [[British economy]] through [[deregulation]], [[privatisation]], and the promotion of [[entrepreneurialism]].
[[Margaret Thatcher]] was [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]] from 4 May 1979 to 28 November 1990, during which time she led a [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] [[majority government]]. She was the first woman to hold that office. During her premiership, Thatcher moved to [[Economic liberalisation|liberalise]] the [[British economy]] through [[deregulation]], [[privatisation]], and the promotion of [[entrepreneurialism]].
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Following the [[1979 vote of no confidence in the Callaghan ministry|vote of no confidence]] against the Labour government and prime minister [[James Callaghan]] on 28 March 1979, a general election was called for 3 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.
Following the [[1979 vote of no confidence in the Callaghan ministry|vote of no confidence]] against the Labour government and prime minister [[James Callaghan]] on 28 March 1979, a general election was called for 3 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 Conservatives won the election with a majority of 44 seats and their leader [[Margaret Thatcher]] became the United Kingdom's first female prime minister.
The Conservatives won the election with a majority of 43 seats and their leader [[Margaret Thatcher]] became the United Kingdom'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 twenty per cent, and unemployment was in excess of 1.5 million for the first time since the 1930s.
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 twenty per cent, and unemployment was in excess of 1.5 million for the first time since the 1930s.
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|rowspan=3|[[Leader of the House of Commons]]||'''[[Norman St John Stevas]]'''||5 May 1979||also [[Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster]]
|rowspan=3|[[Leader of the House of Commons]]||'''[[Norman St John Stevas]]'''||5 May 1979||also [[Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster]]
|-
|-
|'''[[Francis Pym]]'''||6 January 1981||also [[Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster]] January - September 1981, [[Lord President of the Council]] from September 1981 - April 1982
|'''[[Francis Pym]]'''||6 January 1981||also [[Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster]] January September 1981, [[Lord President of the Council]] from September 1981 April 1982
|-
|-
|'''[[John Biffen]]'''||5 April 1982||also [[Lord President of the Council]]
|'''[[John Biffen]]'''||5 April 1982||also [[Lord President of the Council]]
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|rowspan=2|[[Leader of the House of Lords]]||'''[[Christopher Soames|The Lord Soames]]'''||5 May 1979||also [[Lord President of the Council]]
|rowspan=2|[[Leader of the House of Lords]]||'''[[Christopher Soames|The Lord Soames]]'''||5 May 1979||also [[Lord President of the Council]]
|-
|-
|'''[[Janet Young, Baroness Young|The Baroness Young]]'''||14 September 1981||also [[Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster]] from September 1981 - April 1982, [[Lord Privy Seal]] from April 1982
|'''[[Janet Young, Baroness Young|The Baroness Young]]'''||14 September 1981||also [[Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster]] from September 1981 April 1982, [[Lord Privy Seal]] from April 1982
|-
|-
|rowspan=3|[[Lord President of the Council]]||'''[[Christopher Soames|The Lord Soames]]'''||5 May 1979||also [[Leader of the House of Lords]]
|rowspan=3|[[Lord President of the Council]]||'''[[Christopher Soames|The Lord Soames]]'''||5 May 1979||also [[Leader of the House of Lords]]
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|rowspan=15|Assistant [[Whip (politics)|Whip]]s || [[Robert Boscawen|Hon. Robert Boscawen]] ||May 1979 -January 1981||&nbsp;
|rowspan=15|Assistant [[Whip (politics)|Whip]]s || [[Robert Boscawen|Hon. Robert Boscawen]] ||May 1979 -January 1981||&nbsp;
|-
|-
|[[John Cope, Baron Cope of Berkeley|John Cope]]||May 1979 - January 1981||&nbsp;
|[[John Cope, Baron Cope of Berkeley|John Cope]]||May 1979 January 1981||&nbsp;
|-
|-
|[[Tony Newton, Baron Newton of Braintree|Tony Newton]]||May 1979 - September 1981||&nbsp;
|[[Tony Newton, Baron Newton of Braintree|Tony Newton]]||May 1979 September 1981||&nbsp;
|-
|-
|[[John Wakeham]]||May 1979 - January 1981||&nbsp;
|[[John Wakeham]]||May 1979 January 1981||&nbsp;
|-
|-
|[[Peter Brooke, Baron Brooke of Sutton Mandeville|Hon. Peter Brooke]]||May 1979 - September 1981||&nbsp;
|[[Peter Brooke, Baron Brooke of Sutton Mandeville|Hon. Peter Brooke]]||May 1979 September 1981||&nbsp;
|-
|-
|[[John Gummer]]||January 1981 - September 1981||&nbsp;
|[[John Gummer]]||January 1981 September 1981||&nbsp;
|-
|-
|[[Alastair Goodlad]]||January 1981 - February 1982||&nbsp;
|[[Alastair Goodlad]]||January 1981 February 1982||&nbsp;
|-
|-
|[[Donald Thompson (politician)|Donald Thompson]]||January 1981 - January 1983||&nbsp;
|[[Donald Thompson (politician)|Donald Thompson]]||January 1981 January 1983||&nbsp;
|-
|-
|[[Nicholas Budgen]]||September 1981 - May 1982||&nbsp;
|[[Nicholas Budgen]]||September 1981 May 1982||&nbsp;
|-
|-
|[[David Hunt, Baron Hunt of Wirral|David Hunt]]||September 1981 - February 1983||&nbsp;
|[[David Hunt, Baron Hunt of Wirral|David Hunt]]||September 1981 February 1983||&nbsp;
|-
|-
|[[Ian Lang]]||September 1981 - June 1983||&nbsp;
|[[Ian Lang]]||September 1981 June 1983||&nbsp;
|-
|-
|[[Tristan Garel-Jones]]||March 1982 - June 1983||&nbsp;
|[[Tristan Garel-Jones]]||March 1982 June 1983||&nbsp;
|-
|-
|[[Archie Hamilton|Hon. Archie Hamilton]]||May 1982 - October 1984||&nbsp;
|[[Archie Hamilton|Hon. Archie Hamilton]]||May 1982 October 1984||&nbsp;
|-
|-
|[[John Major]]||January 1983 - June 1983||&nbsp;
|[[John Major]]||January 1983 June 1983||&nbsp;
|-
|-
|[[Douglas Hogg]]||February 1983 - June 1983||&nbsp;
|[[Douglas Hogg]]||February 1983 June 1983||&nbsp;
|-
|-
|rowspan=2|[[Foreign Secretary]]||'''[[The Lord Carrington]]'''|| 5 May 1979||&nbsp;
|rowspan=2|[[Foreign Secretary]]||'''[[The Lord Carrington]]'''|| 5 May 1979||&nbsp;

Latest revision as of 02:59, 19 December 2024

First Thatcher ministry

Cabinet of the United Kingdom
19791983
Thatcher with members of her cabinet (left) during talks with Ronald Reagan and members of his cabinet (right) in 1981
Date formed4 May 1979 (1979-05-04)
Date dissolved10 June 1983 (1983-06-10)
People and organisations
MonarchElizabeth II
Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher
Prime Minister's historyPremiership of Margaret Thatcher
Deputy Prime Minister[note 1]
Total no. of members213 appointments
Member party  Conservative Party
Status in legislatureMajority
339 / 635 (53%)
Opposition cabinet
Opposition party  Labour Party
Opposition leader
History
Election1979 general election
Outgoing election1983 general election
Legislature terms48th UK Parliament
Budgets
PredecessorCallaghan ministry
SuccessorSecond Thatcher ministry

Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 4 May 1979 to 28 November 1990, during which time she led a Conservative majority government. She was the first woman to hold that office. During her premiership, Thatcher moved to liberalise the British economy through deregulation, privatisation, and the promotion of entrepreneurialism.

This article details the first Thatcher ministry which she led at the invitation of Queen Elizabeth II from 1979 to 1983.

Formation

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Following the vote of no confidence against the Labour government and prime minister James Callaghan on 28 March 1979, a general election was called for 3 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 Conservatives won the election with a majority of 43 seats and their leader Margaret Thatcher became the United Kingdom'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 twenty per cent, and unemployment was in excess of 1.5 million for the first time since the 1930s.

Thatcher's monetarist and deflationary economic policies saw a cut in the inflation rate from a high of 22 per cent in May 1980 to just over 13 per cent by January 1981, and by June 1983 it had fallen to a 15-year low of 4.9 per cent.

Decreasing the public sector borrowing requirement as a share of GDP was a part of the medium term financial strategy at the beginning of the first Thatcher ministry. It was brought down from around five per cent during the 1978–1979 period to around half of this figure during the 1982–1983 period.[1]

Public expenditure as a share of GDP increased at around 1.5 per cent per year during the 1979–1983 period, despite the target being a reduction of one per cent, per year. This increase in spending was mostly driven by larger expenditures in social security programs such as unemployment benefits, industrial support, and increased lending to nationalized industries; defense spending did not go up considerably during the Falklands War.[2]

Long-term unemployment increased considerably during this period: almost one third of the unemployed had been without a job for more than one year. The manufacturing industry was considerably affected during the first Thatcher government: employment in this sector decreased by almost 20 per cent between 1979 and 1982. This decrease drove almost all of the drop in employment for this period.[3]

Productivity started seeing considerable growth during the 1979–1982 period in some industries. Total factor productivity growth during these years was 13.9 per cent in the metal manufacture industry, 6.6 per cent in motor vehicle manufacture, 7.1 per cent in ship and aircraft manufacture, and 7.5 per cent in agriculture.[4]

Income distribution widened considerably during Thatcher's ministry. During the 1979–1986 period, real income per capita fell for the two lower quintiles by four and 12 per cent respectively; but for the top three quintiles, it went up by 24, 11, and 10 per cent, respectively.[5]

Thatcher also oversaw union reforms which saw strikes at their lowest for thirty years by 1983. However, her economic policies also resulted in the loss of much of Britain's heavy industry. Coal pits, steel plants, machine-tools and shipyards were particularly hard hit, most of all in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north of England. By 1983, unemployment had reached 3.2 million, although economic growth was now re-established following the recession of 1980 and 1981.

The Labour opposition, which changed leader from James Callaghan to Michael Foot in 1980, was in no position to exploit the situation and mount a threat to the Conservative government's power. The change of leader saw the party shift dramatically to the left, and in 1981 a host of disenchanted Labour MPs formed the breakaway Social Democratic Party. The new party swiftly formed an alliance with the Liberals with a view to forming a coalition government at the next election. Roy Jenkins, leader of the SDP, worked in conjunction with Liberal leader David Steel with the goal of forming a coalition government at the next general election. For a while, opinion polls suggested that this could happen, with support for the Alliance peaking at 50 per cent in late 1981, with both the Tories and Labour faring dismally.

However, when the Falkland Islands (a British dependent territory in the South Atlantic) were seized by Argentine forces in March 1982, Thatcher was swift to mount a military response. The subsequent ten-week Falklands War concluded with a British victory on 14 June when the Argentines surrendered. The success of this military campaign saw a rapid turnaround in voter sentiment, with the Tory government firmly in the lead in all major opinion polls by the summer of 1982. A Conservative victory at the next election appeared inevitable, although it appeared far from clear whether it would be Labour or the Alliance who formed the next opposition.

Fate

[edit]

Thatcher had the option of waiting until May 1984 before calling a general election, but the opinion polls remained in her favour as 1983 dawned; she called a general election for 9 June. With all the pollsters pointing towards a Conservative majority, the most interesting outcome of the election was the guessing game as to whether it would be Labour or the Alliance who formed the next opposition.

In the event, the Conservatives were re-elected with a 144-seat majority. The election was an unmitigated disaster for Labour, who polled a mere 27.6 per cent of the vote and were left with just 209 MPs in the new parliament. The Alliance came close to Labour in terms of votes with 25.4 per cent of the electorate voting for them, but won a mere 23 seats.

Cabinets

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May 1979 to September 1981

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Changes

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September 1981 to June 1983

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In September 1981, a substantial reshuffle took place.

Changes

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List of ministers

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Members of the Cabinet are in bold face.

Notes

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References

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Citations

[edit]
  1. ^ Buiter et al. 1983, pp. 323–334.
  2. ^ Buiter et al. 1983, p. 332.
  3. ^ Buiter et al. 1983, p. 337.
  4. ^ Bean & Symons 1989, p. 38.
  5. ^ Bean & Symons 1989, p. 53.

Bibliography

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  • Bean, Charles; Symons, James (1989). "Ten Years of Mrs. T." NBER Macroeconomics Annual. 4: 13–61. doi:10.1086/654096. S2CID 153189592.
  • Buiter, Willem; Miller, Marcus; Sachs, Jeffrey; Branson, William (1983). "Changing the Rules: Economic Consequences of the Thatcher Regime" (PDF). Brookings Papers on Economic Activity. 1983 (2): 305–379. doi:10.2307/2534293. JSTOR 2534293.
  • Hennessy, Peter (2001), "A Tigress Surrounded by Hamsters: Margaret Thatcher, 1979–90", The Prime Minister: The Office and Its Holders since 1945, Penguin Group, ISBN 978-0-14-028393-8
  • British Cabinet and Government Membership, archived from the original on 16 January 2009, retrieved 20 April 2012
  • British Government 1979–2005, archived from the original on 7 February 2012, retrieved 20 November 2007
Preceded by Government of the United Kingdom
1979–1983
Succeeded by