Downing Street Years - Margaret Thatcher [535]
From the time that I had announced my resignation, the focus of public interest naturally switched to the question of who would be my successor. As I have said, I did all that I could to rally support for John without publicly stating that I wanted him to win. From about this time, however, I became conscious that there was a certain ambiguity in his stance. On the one hand, he was understandably anxious to attract my supporters. On the other, his campaign wanted to emphasize that John was ‘his own man’. A joke — made in the context of remarks on the Gulf — about my skills as a ‘back-seat driver’ provoked a flurry of anxiety in the Major camp. It was, unfortunately, the shape of things to come.
However, I was truly delighted when the results came through — John Major 185 votes, Michael Heseltine 131 and Douglas Hurd 56. Officially, John was two votes short; but within minutes Douglas and Michael had announced that they would support him in the third ballot. He was effectively the new prime minister. I congratulated him and joined in the celebrations at No. 11. But I did not stay long: this was his night not mine.
Wednesday 28 November was my last day in office. The packing was now all but complete. Early that morning I went down from the flat to my study for the last time to check that nothing had been left behind. It was a shock to find that I could not get in because the key had already been taken off my key-ring. At 9.10 I came down to the front hallway. (I was due shortly at the Palace for my final Audience with the Queen.) As on the day of my arrival, all the staff of No. 10 were there. I shook hands with my private secretaries and others whom I had come to know so well over the years. Some were in tears. I tried to hold back mine but they flowed freely as I walked down the hall past those applauding me on my way out of office, just as eleven and a half years earlier they had greeted me as I entered it.
Before going outside and with Denis and Mark beside me, I paused to collect my thoughts. Crawfie wiped a trace of mascara off my cheek, evidence of a tear which I had been unable to check. The door opened onto press and photographers. I went out to the bank of microphones and read out a short statement which concluded:
Now it is time for a new chapter to open and I wish John Major all the luck in the world. He will be splendidly served and he has the makings of a great prime minister, which I am sure he will be in a very short time.
I waved and got into the car with Denis beside me, as he has always been; and the car took us past press, policemen and the tall black gates of Downing Street, away from red boxes and parliamentary questions, summits and party conferences, budgets and communiqués, situation rooms and scrambler telephones, out to whatever the future held.
* See pp. 755–6.
** See pp. 764–7.
* See p. 757.
Chronology
1979
May 3 General election.
June-7 European elections.
June 12 1979 Budget. Standard rate of income tax cut to 30per cent, top rate to 60 per cent.
June 28 Tokyo G7 summit.
August 1–8 Lusaka CHOGM.
August 27 Assassination of Lord Mountbatten / Warrenpoint bomb.
October 23 Geoffrey Howe announced abolition of remaining exchange controls.
November 29–30 Dublin European Council: budget arguments.
December 16 PM and Lord Carrington arrived in Washington for two-day visit.
December 25 Afghanistan: USSR began invasion.
1980
January 2 Steel strike began. Ended 3 April.
May 5 SAS stormed Iranian Embassy.
June 2 Cabinet endorsed EC budget agreement.
June 22 Venice G7 summit.
September 22 Iran-Iraq War began.
October 10 PM addressed Conservative