# Canonical recap data for Margaret Thatcher Elected Prime Minister (1979)
# Source: https://recap.at/1979/thatcher-elected
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: thatcher-elected
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1979/thatcher-elected"
title: Margaret Thatcher Elected Prime Minister
aliases:
- 1979 UK general election
- Thatcher's election
- The Iron Lady's rise
- May 1979 election
subtitle: First female British Prime Minister's election reshaping Anglo-American conservatism and industrial policy.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1979-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1979
decade: 1970
country:
name: United Kingdom
slug: united-kingdom
summaryShort: Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the longest-serving British prime minister of the 20th century and the first woman to hold the office. As prime minis
summaryLong: Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the longest-serving British prime minister of the 20th century and the first woman to hold the office. As prime minister, she implemented policies that came to be known as Thatcherism. A Soviet journalist dubbed her the "Iron Lady", a nickname that became associated with her uncompromising politics and leadership style.
lede: Margaret Thatcher won the UK general election on May 3, 1979, becoming the first woman to serve as Prime Minister. Her victory marked a sharp rightward turn in British politics, ending the post-war consensus on the welfare state and promising radical economic reform. The election reshaped Britain's political landscape for a generation.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Margaret_Thatcher_stock_portrait_%282%29_%28cropped%29.jpg/1280px-Margaret_Thatcher_stock_portrait_%282%29_%28cropped%29.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Margaret Thatcher"
importance: 86
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Election date
  value: 3 May 1979
- label: Conservative majority
  value: 62 seats
- label: Tenure length
  value: 11 years, 209 days
- label: Conservative vote share
  value: 43.9%
- label: Labour vote share
  value: 36.9%
- label: Voter turnout
  value: 76%
- label: Age when elected
  value: 53 years old
- label: Years as Conservative leader before election
  value: 4 years (since 1975)
timeline:
- date: 1975-02-11
  title: Thatcher elected Conservative Party leader
  description: Margaret Thatcher defeats Edward Heath in the Conservative Party leadership election, becoming party leader and Leader of the Opposition.
- date: 1978-09-28
  title: Callaghan announces election delay
  description: Prime Minister James Callaghan surprises Parliament by announcing he will not call an election before the spring of 1979, prolonging Labour's grip on power during the 'Winter of Discontent.'
- date: 1978-10-01
  title: Winter of Discontent begins
  description: Widespread strikes by lorry drivers, bin collectors, and hospital workers cripple British public services, turning public opinion sharply against the Callaghan government.
- date: 1979-03-28
  title: Callaghan loses confidence vote
  description: The Labour government loses a vote of no confidence in Parliament by one vote, forcing Callaghan to call a general election for May 3, 1979.
- date: 1979-05-03
  title: Thatcher elected Prime Minister
  description: Margaret Thatcher's Conservative Party wins 339 seats with a 62-seat majority over Labour's 269. Thatcher becomes the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
- date: 1979-05-04
  title: Thatcher takes office
  description: Margaret Thatcher arrives at 10 Downing Street as Prime Minister and forms her first Cabinet, appointing Geoffrey Howe as Chancellor of the Exchequer.
- date: 1979-06-21
  title: First Budget introduced
  description: Chancellor Geoffrey Howe presents a budget cutting income tax and raising VAT from 8% to 15%, signaling the government's commitment to fighting inflation through monetary restraint.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Thatcher"
  title: Margaret Thatcher
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: Thatcher's election severed Britain from three decades of centrist consensus and ushered in an era of privatization, union-busting, and aggressive foreign policy. Her 11-year tenure became the template for Reaganomics and reshaped the Conservative Party's identity. The economic and social divisions she deepened remain live wires in British politics today.
categories:
- election
taxonomy:
domain: political
eventTypes:
- election
- regime_change
canonicalClasses:
- governance
- transformation
- conflict
impactRadius: global
velocity: sudden
predictability: scheduled
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: transition
metaDescription: Margaret Thatcher elected UK Prime Minister, May 1979. First woman to hold office; 11-year tenure reshapes Britain.
wikidataQid: Q7416
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The Times
  publisherSlug: the-times
  headline: Mrs. Thatcher Wins Election Victory - Conservatives Secure Clear Majority
  publishedAt: 1979-05-04
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: Margaret Thatcher led the Conservative Party to a decisive election victory on May 3rd, unseating Prime Minister James Callaghan and securing a working majority in Parliament. The Iron Lady's campaign focused on economic reform and stemming industrial unrest.
  significance: 90
  type: newspaper
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: The Guardian
  publisherSlug: the-guardian
  headline: First Woman Prime Minister Takes Office - Thatcher Era Begins
  publishedAt: 1979-05-04
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - Margaret Thatcher became Britain's first female Prime Minister, a historic moment that signaled a sharp rightward turn in Conservative policy and promised radical economic restructuring.
  significance: 90
  type: newspaper
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: The New York Times
  publisherSlug: the-new-york-times
  headline: Britain Swings Right - Thatcher Victory Signals Shift Away from Consensus Politics
  publishedAt: 1979-05-04
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: Margaret Thatcher's election victory is being read as a decisive rejection of the postwar consensus that has governed Britain for three decades. American observers note parallels to conservative movements building in the United States.
  significance: 85
  type: newspaper
  region: United States
- publisher: Der Spiegel
  publisherSlug: der-spiegel
  headline: Die eiserne Lady ubernimmt die Macht
  publishedAt: 1979-05-08
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: "DE: 'Die eiserne Lady ubernimmt die Macht' / EN: 'The Iron Lady Seizes Power' - German analysts view Thatcher's victory as part of a broader Western turn toward monetarism and away from Keynesian economic consensus."
  significance: 75
  type: magazine
  region: West Germany
- publisher: BBC Radio News
  publisherSlug: bbc-radio
  headline: Thatcher Victory - Extended Coverage of Election Results and Cabinet Formation
  publishedAt: 1979-05-04
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - BBC radio bulletins throughout election night and the following day tracked Thatcher's victory margins, her path to Number 10, and speculation over her first ministerial appointments.
  significance: 88
  type: radio
  region: United Kingdom
gallery:
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Margaret_Thatcher_stock_portrait_%282%29_%28cropped%29.jpg/1280px-Margaret_Thatcher_stock_portrait_%282%29_%28cropped%29.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Margaret_Thatcher_stock_portrait_%282%29_%28cropped%29.jpg/800px-Margaret_Thatcher_stock_portrait_%282%29_%28cropped%29.jpg"
  caption: Margaret Thatcher
  credit: Wikipedia · "Margaret Thatcher"
  width: 330
  height: 459
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Thatcher-loc.jpg/1280px-Thatcher-loc.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Thatcher-loc.jpg/800px-Thatcher-loc.jpg"
  caption: Thatcher-loc
  credit: Marion S. Trikosko
  width: 1606
  height: 1913
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95/Thatcher_greets_daughter_Carol_with_Carters_1979.jpg/1280px-Thatcher_greets_daughter_Carol_with_Carters_1979.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95/Thatcher_greets_daughter_Carol_with_Carters_1979.jpg/800px-Thatcher_greets_daughter_Carol_with_Carters_1979.jpg"
  caption: Thatcher greets daughter Carol with Carters 1979
  credit: White House photo office
  width: 1071
  height: 716
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/Margaret_Thatcher_%281981%29.jpg/1280px-Margaret_Thatcher_%281981%29.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/Margaret_Thatcher_%281981%29.jpg/800px-Margaret_Thatcher_%281981%29.jpg"
  caption: Margaret Thatcher (1981)
  credit: Marcel Antonisse / Anefo
  width: 606
  height: 709
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260608212700/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Thatcher"
  capturedAt: 2026-06-08
  label: Margaret Thatcher
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Thatcher"
