Norman Tebbit: Former Tory minister who served in Margaret Thatcher’s government dies aged 94 | Politics News
Norman Tebbit, the former Tory minister who served in Margaret Thatcher’s government, has died at the age of 94.
His son William confirmed the news, saying Lord Tebbit died “peacefully at home”.
Lord Tebbit was a leading political voice throughout the turbulent 1980s – entering the cabinet as employment secretary and leaving six years later as Conservative party chairman.
He was trade secretary when he was injured in the IRA’s bombing of Brighton’s Grand Hotel during the Conservative Party conference in 1984.
Five people died in the attack and Lord Tebbit’s wife Margaret was left paralysed. She died in 2020 at the age of 86.
Before entering politics, Lord Tebbit trained as a pilot with the RAF – at one point narrowly escaping from the burning cockpit of a Meteor 8 jet.
He was responsible for legislation that weakened the powers of the trade unions and the closed shop, making him the political embodiment of the Thatcherite ideology that was in full swing.
His tough approach was put to the test when riots erupted in Brixton, south London, against the backdrop of high rates of unemployment and mistrust between the black community and the police.
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