Big Ben History Ben Monro-davies

The latest in a series of conversations with the men in the room when Margaret Thatcher resigned in November 1990. Today's guest is Kenneth Clarke - her then Health Secretary - who told her directly in a one to one meeting it was time to go.

Margaret Thatcher was a triple election winner, feted abroad, whose premiership ended with her sobbing through her resignation statement. Ben Monro-Davies talks to the men and one woman in room where it happenned

In this episode we hear from Peter Lilley. Lilley was and is an ardent Thatcherite. And out of loyalty to her - he felt duty bound to tell her frankly that her time was up after she failed to avoid a second ballot in the Conservative leadership battle of November 1990. Here he recalls a painful experience.

Margaret Thatcher was the longest serving Prime Minister of the Twentieth Century. And she thought she more time to run - until her party - and in her eyes, the cabinet - deserted her.

On the Big Ben History podcast - Ben Monro-Davies interviews the men and one woman in the room when she cried through her resignation statement.

In this episode Malcolm Rifkind, her last Secretary of State for Scotland, remembers the final days of the Iron Lady.

The latest Conversation with the men (and one other woman) in the cabinet room when Margaret Thatcher resigned in November 1990. Today's guest is Michael Howard, who went on to be Home Secretary and Leader of the Tories. He was an ardent Thatcherite - who believes she would have gone on to win the 1992 election - but felt forced to tell her it was time to go because she had lost the support of her backbench MPs. He blames her exit on the man in charge of her leadership campaign - Peter Morrsion a Conservative grandee known for having an alcohol problem and now suspected of being a paedophile. 

Andrew Turnbull, like other senior officials and her cabinet ministers, witnessed Margaret Thatcher tearfully read out her resignation statement to her colleagues in November 1990. As her Principal Private Secretary, he was also in the room for a series of one to one meetings beforehand where her colleagues told her the game was up. He recalls the events of her fall - and how the Prime minister had become incredibly preoccupied with foreign affairs - prompting the observation there was “more grandeur, less Grantham” - the town where she was born.

This is the latest in a series of conversations with those in the cabinet room when Margaret Thatcher resigned

Normal Lamont considers himself a Thatcherite. He thought his leader was right on Europe - unlike most of his cabinet colleagues. But even ideological affinity and personal loyalty could not trump the numbers in November 1990 - when the results came in he had to tell her it was time to go.