Thatch‧er, Margaret /ˈθætʃəʳ/
(1925–) a British politician in the Conservative Party, now officially called Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven, and sometimes called Maggie in the newspapers. She became leader of her party in 1975, and in 1979 became the UK’s first woman Prime Minister, a position she held until 1990. She won three
general elections – in 1979, 1983, and 1987. Her ideas become known as Thatcherism, and under her leadership politics in the UK became much more
right-wing. During her time as Prime Minister, the Conservative government reduced taxes, took away power from
trade unions, and started a programme of
privatization (=selling state-owned services such as electricity and gas, so that they became private companies). She was seen as a strong and determined leader who would not change her mind easily and would not accept disagreement among her ministers. For this reason, she was sometimes called ‘the Iron Lady’.
[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲