Dear Prime Minister,
First may I add my congratulation to the thousands you must already have received on your magnificent victory yesterday. It is a truly historic occasion.
I write now to confirm what I told you some months ago, namely that in the event of a Conservative victory at the polls I did not wish to be considered for ministerial office.
It has been a very great honour and pleasure to have served in your ministerial team for these past eight years, and before that in Conservative Central office, and my decision is certainly not due to any disagreement in policies. I am sure you will understand that I wish to have more time for my family and my outside interests.
I intend to play a full role in the House of Lords, and you may comment on my loyalty and support in all your important work that lies ahead. I wish you, and your government every possible success in it.
Yours ever
Janet
My dear Janet YoungJanet,
Thank you for your letter. I was of course sad to hear of your intention to leave the Government, but fully understand your wish to have more time for your family and outside interests. You have made a major contribution to the Government in a succession of high offices and most recently as Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. You have also given unstintingly of your time to the Party. You will be greatly missed, but I am grateful for your promise of continued active support in the House of Lords.
On a more personal note, may I say how much I have valued your kindness, loyalty and friendship for which I shall always be grateful.
Denis ThatcherDenis joins me in sending best wishes to you both.
Yours ever,
Margaret.
________________
Dear Prime Minister,
Unfortunately Thursday's splendid victory did not include Newport West, despite a considerably increased Conservative vote over 1983. This means, of course, that I must resign as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Welsh Office, a position which it has been a special privilege to hold for the last twenty one months, after only a short time in the House. To serve in your Government has been an exciting challenge and I would like to wish you every success for the new Parliament.
Yours ever,
Mark.
P. S. Your visit to Newport for the campaign rally was a great success and I would like to warmly thank you for coming to us.
Dear Mark RobinsonMark,
Thank you for your letter of today. I am very sorry that, despite having substantially increased your own vote and the Party's percentage of the poll, you were unable to hold Newport West. After capturing the seat for the first time by a narrow margin in 1983, I know how very hard you and your supporters worked and how disappointed you must be.
Your capable contribution as a Parliamentary Secretary will be missed both in the Welsh office and Parliament, and particularly in the health service in Wales which has been your responsibility at a time of development and change.
You have also in the course of your career arsquouired experience in the United Nations and Commonwealth affairs. I hope we shall see you back in the Commons before long; in the meantime, I send you my very best wishes.
Yours ever
Margaret.
________________
Dear Prime Minister,
I am most grateful to you for my appointment to the DES, and have enjoyed doing battle with dons and students in pursuit of government policy. As you know, I am a firm supporter of your policies, especially in the educational field-including, incidentally, the “opting out” proposal for schools.
I am all the more sorry that, for personal and family reasons I cannot keep my hat in the ring for a possible ministerial appointment this time round.
I am making it clear to the press that there is not the slightest question of any disagreement with government policy.
I intend to continue to support the government from the back benches.
Yours sincerely.
George Walden.
My dear George WaldenGeorge,
I am sorry that you have found it necessary to relinquish Ministerial office. You have served at the Department of Education during a most important period for the development of our education policies, and you have led a major review of student support. I am most grateful to you for all you have done.
Thank you for the assurance of your continuing support from the back benches.
Yours ever
Margaret
Dear Gerry MaloneGerry,
It is a matter of deep regret to me that you are no longer a Member of the House of Commons. I know how hard you and your supporters worked and how disappointed you must be.
I do want to thank you most warmly for all you have done in the House for the Party and for the Government, particularly during your period in the Whips' Office.
I shall never forget the speech I heard you make when I visited Aberdeen in the Autumn of 1985, nor the marvellous one you made when you seconded the Motion on the Loyal Address in the same year. I am sure that fighting speeches like these will see you back in the House of Commons before long, and we look forward to that day. In the meantime I send you my very best wishes.
And congratulations on the birth of your daughter.
Yours ever
Margaret.
Dear John McKayJohn,
It is a matter of deep regret to me that you are no longer a Member of the House of Commons. I know how hard you and your supporters worked and how disappointed you must be.
I do want to thank you most warmly for all you have done during your period as Parliamentary Secretary in the Scottish Office. Your realism and practical good sense have been of enormous value across a substantial part of the wide responsibilities of the Scottish Office, including home affairs, agriculture and fisheries, health and most recently education. Your contribution to the making of policy in those areas will be much missed.
I hope we will see you back in the House of Commons before long; in the meantime I send you my very best wishes.
Yours ever
Margaret
Dear Michael AncramMichael,
It is a matter of deep regret to me that you are no longer a Member of the House of Commons. I know how hard you and your supporters worked and how disappointed you must be. Such a sad day for Scotland, as well as for us.
I do want to thank you most warmly for all you have done during your period as Parliamentary Secretary in the Scottish Office. Your understanding of local government in Scotland and your detailed knowledge of financial links between central and local government earned the respect both of your Ministerial colleagues and the whole House.
I hope we will see you back in the House of Commons before long; in the meantime I send you my very best wishes.
Yours ever
Margaret
Dear Prime Minister,
I am extremely grateful to you for offering me a post in the Scottish Office.
As I explained, I am deeply concerned, as I know you are, about the General Election result in Scotland. This is not simply a Scottish Office problem&em;I admire tremendously the excellent work and achievements of George Younger, Malcolm Rifkind and their teams over recent years. My anxiety relates to wider policies and attitudes, for example higher education and the University of Aberdeen.
In these circumstances, I wish the freedom to speak and to act on these wider issues affecting Scotland. Therefore, very regretfully, I have decided to decline the opportunity you have offered.
I am most grateful for having been enabled to serve in two Departments of your Government in the past eight years. I have thoroughly enjoyed the work and the responsibility, and I have found great personal satisfaction in it.
I assure you of my continuing support.
Yours ever,
Alick
Dear Alick Buchanan SmithAlick,
Thank you for your letter of 15 June. I am sorry that you felt unable to accept a post in the Scottish Office, but of course I respect your wish to return to the back benches.
You will take with you the wealth of experience of 12 years on the Government front bench&em;as Parliamentary Secretary in the Scottish Office, and for the last 8 years as Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and in the Department of Energy. I want to thank you most warmly for all you have done, both as Minister and for the Party in Scotland.
Thank you too for your assurance of your continuing support. There is a lot of work to be done in restoring the Party's fortunes in Scotland, and though I am sorry not to have your contribution in the Scottish Office, I look forward to it from the back benches.
Yours ever,
Margaret.
Dear Lord Lucas,
I am writing to thank you, on your departure from Government, for all that you have done while you were a Minister of the Crown, first as Lord in Waiting, then as Government Spokesman on Transport and the Environment and latterly as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department of Trade and Industry. I know that the William WhitelawLeader of the House of Lords valued your contribution greatly as did the Secretaries of State for Trade and Industry under whom you served. I wish you every success in the future.
Yours sincerely
Margaret Thatcher.
Dear Rhodes BoysonRhodes,
I am writing to thank you for all your services while you were a Minister of the Crown, first as Parliamentary Under Secretary in the Department of Education and Science and then as Minister of State in the Department of Health and Social Security, the Northern Ireland Office and the Department of the Environment. You enhanced every Department in which you served with your wit, down to earth approach and knowledge of how ordinary people think. I want to thank you too for the notable contribution which you have made in explaining and defending Government policies on radio and television, both while you were a Minister and when we were in Opposition. I very much hope that we will continue to hear your robust contribution from the Back Benches.
Yours ever
Margaret.
Dear Alastair GoodladAlastair,
I want to thank you for all that you have done during your six years in Government, first as a member of the Whips' Office and for the last three years as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department of Energy. I know that both Chief Whips under whom you served valued your contribution most highly as did the Peter WalkerSecretary of State for Energy. You have been a robust defender of our energy industries, and particularly of our civil nuclear industry in what were often difficult times for that industry. All those who serve in that industry have reason to be grateful to you.
Yours ever
Margaret
Dear Prime Minister,
Thank you for your letter. It was kind of you to write as you did.
It was a great privilege to serve in Government. I much enjoyed my years in the Whips Office under two outstanding Chief Whips. Such service provides a unique insight into the workings of the House of Commons. I also much valued my time at the Department of Energy. I developed a deep respect for the management and employees of the Electricity Supply Industry, and much appreciated the opportunity of working closely with them, especially during the miners' strike. I was very pleased to have been involved in the future of British Nuclear Fuels Limited and the Atomic Energy Authority, particularly during the course of the legislation converting the latter into a trading fund. That the climate of public opinion towards civil nuclear power is as favourable as it now is owes much to the efforts of those working in the nuclear industry, but above all to the resolute support which you showed for them in difficult times as in normal. They and future generations have every cause to be grateful to you for your steadfastness in that as in other matters.
I will do all within my power to support you and the Government from the back benches, and will help in any way I can,
Yours ever,
Alastair
Dear Prime Minister,
You have asked that I should resign from your Government.
It has been a privilege to serve in various capacities for the past eight years during which time your Governments have brought about a transformation in working attitudes and a dramatic improvement in Britain's competitiveness.
In my time at Defence, I was particularly pleased to be able to lead the teams which persuaded our American allies to buy large amounts of equipment, such as Rapier and Hawk, from us. You always supported me in the close working relationship which I have developed with so many sectors of British industry.
I have frankly been disappointed that we have not yet been able to announce our approval for a significant expansion in Britain's Space activities. There is a tremendous and widespread interest in Space, not only in industry but throughout many of our universities and schools. Space projects are very high technology and provide an opportunity for a Government to state how confident it is about the future. After our considerable economic achievements I see no reason for Britain to display any lack of confidence in such an important area of future activity.
Yours sincerely
Geoffrey Pattie
Dear Geoffrey PattieGeoffrey,
Thank you for your letter and for your kind remarks.
The help you have given as a Minister since 1979&en;and before, in Opposition&em;has been of immense value. You brought to your different offices a great knowledge of foreign affairs and of defence, and you have worked with enthusiasm and considerable expertise to strengthen British industry, particularly in areas of high technology. I too remember the notable successes in export sales to which you contributed so much during your time at the Ministry of Defence and the Department of Trade and Industry.
I do understand your disappointment that it has not so far proved possible to announce increased resources for Space activities. I am sure that you will continue to follow this with close interest.
I am most grateful to you for all you have contributed in Government during the past eight years, and I send you my very warm thanks.
Yours ever,
Margaret.