Letters to persons leaving the Government (Boscawen, Dunn, Mitchell, Roe, Stanley)

(1) Robert Boscawen MP

Dear Prime Minister,

As you well know I told you at the beginning of this Parliament that I would wish before too long to make way for younger people in your Whips Office in what is necessarily an arduous task.

I have served there ever since May 1979 and have greatly appreciated and enjoyed the opportunity of being a member of your Government throughout these momentous years that have changed our Country's prospects so fundamentally for the better.

I know you may be thinking of making changes soon and I feel it right to put my resignation in your hands now before the Recess begins. I thank you again for allowing me to be in your team.

Yours, ever Bob. [end p1]

Dear Robert BoscawenBob,

When you wrote to me last week, you reminded me that at the beginning of this Parliament you had told me that you would wish to make way before too long for younger people in the Whips' Office. Even so, it was with much regret that I received your letter telling me of your wish to resign your office of Comptroller of Her Majesty's Household.

You will be greatly missed. You are the longest serving member of the Whips' Office and your constancy and wise counsel have played a crucial part in securing the passage of all the legislative programmes since we returned to office in 1979. You also have the unique distinction of being the last member of the Government who was a serving officer in the Second World War. You have given truly magnificent service to country, Parliament and Party.

With warm good wishes,

Yours ever Margaret

[end p2] (2) Robert Dunn MP

Dear Bob DunnBob,

Following our talk this morning, I want to thank you again for everything that you have done during the five years you have been a member of the Government. During that time you have participated in helping to fashion our new policy for schools, culminating in the Education Reform Bill which is due to receive its Royal Assent this week. Future generations of pupils and their children will have cause to thank you and your colleagues in the Department of Education and Science who have helped put that legislation on the statute book. I too am truly grateful for your role and for all the help you have given me during the last five years.

With very best wishes,

Yours ever Margaret [end p3]

(3) David Mitchell MP

Dear David MitchellDavid,

I was very sad when you told me today that you wanted to resign. You have been with me from the beginning and I very much wanted you to carry on in Government. But of course I fully appreciate that you have other duties to think of, in particular your family.

You have been an excellent Minister, first at Industry, then in Northern Ireland and finally in Transport where you did wonders in steering through deregulation of buses. I shall miss you tremendously, but you were good enough to say that you would continue to give us your full support from the back benches.

With warm regards and good wishes,

Yours ever Margaret [end p4]

(4) Marion Roe MP

Dear Marion RoeMarion,

I want to thank you for your characteristically generous and supportive response when we spoke this morning. I want to thank you also for all that you have done at the Department of the Environment during the last year. You have been at the Department during a very busy time. You have helped steer the Housing Bill, one of our crucial flagship Bills, through its gruelling Committee Stage in the House of Commons. I know that Nicholas Ridley has valued too your contribution to the development of policy on rural housing and planning.

With best wishes for the future,

Yours ever Margaret [end p5]

Dear Prime Minister,

Thank you very much for your kind letter about the work than I had done whilst I was a Minister. It was indeed a privilege to have served in your Government and I shall always be grateful to you for giving me that opportunity.

I know that you will [end p6] appreciate that I am very sad that my ministerial career is over after only a year in office.

I shall serve the Party to the best of my ability from the back-benches and give you personally my whole-hearted support.

Yours sincerely Marion. [end p7]

(5) John Stanley MP

Dear Margaret,

As I said to you when we spoke this morning. I had felt for some time that I should like to return to the back benches at the next convenient moment.

It has been a great privilege to serve in your historic administration for more than 9 years as minister for Housing and Construction, as Minister for the Armed Forces and finally as Minister of State in Northern Ireland where Tom King is handling the most [end p8] difficult responsibilities so outstandingly well.

I hope that you yourself will be at the helm for a long time yet and I send you my warmest good wishes for the future.

Yours ever John [end p9]

Dear John StanleyJohn,

Thank you for your warm letter following our talk this morning. We have worked closely together for a long time, since the days when you were my Parliamentary Private Secretary as Leader of the Opposition, and I shall very much miss you in Government. But I have understood your wish to return to the backbenches and I must respect that.

You have been an outstandingly effective and hard-working Minister in a variety of demanding posts, most recently in Northern Ireland, where you have made a vital contribution in very difficult circumstances. Both the Government and the Party are very much in your debt for all you have done as a Minister. You were good enough to tell me that we could look to your continued strong support on the backbenches. I am most grateful for this.

May I add a special word of thanks to Susan StanleySusan. I know what a tremendous support she has been to you.

With warm regards and best wishes,

Your ever Margaret