Norman Tebbit, the eurosceptic, anti-immigration former cabinet minister known as one of Margaret Thatcher’s most loyal supporters, has died aged 94.
The Conservative grandee, who served as employment secretary and Conservative Party chairman in the 1980s, played a key role in Tory politics for a generation and would remain one of the biggest influences on the rightwing until his late years.
As employment secretary he took on the trade unions and told Britain’s 3 million unemployed to “get on your bike” to find a job. As chairman of the Conservative Party from 1985 to 1987 he helped Mrs Thatcher secure her third general election victory.
A loyalist to Thatcher from 1975 when he was part of the team of rightwing Tory MPs who masterminded her surprise leadership victory, Lord Tebbit would earn the nickname “Chingford skinhead” for being one of the hardest Thatcherites in her cabinet.
The Tory grandee was one of the few to relish his Spitting Image puppet claiming that it helped model his public persona as “Thatcher’s enforcer”.
He suffered grave injuries in the IRA’s bombing of the Grand Hotel in Brighton in 1984, which left his wife, Margaret, paralysed from the neck down, with both narrowly surviving the terrorist atrocity.
But the harder side of him was evident in 1990 when he coined the infamous “cricket test” on whether immigrants supported England at the sport as a test for whether they were really British.
He always maintained that Tory MPs had betrayed Margaret Thatcher when she was ousted in 1990 and carried an enmity with Lord Michael Heseltine, whose challenge would force her out, for the rest of his life. The two would later play roles on opposite sides in the Brexit debate.
Tributes poured in following the news of his death, with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch saying he “was an icon in British politics and his death will cause sadness across the political spectrum”.
Meanwhile, former Tory Cabinet minister Sir Simon Clarke described Lord Tebbit as a “political giant” who was “combative with his opponents, fiercely loyal to his friends, somebody who would never accept Britain in decline”.
Lord Tebbit stepped down as an MP in 1992, replaced by former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, and was then given a seat in the House of Lords.
He died peacefully in his home in Bury St Edmunds at 11.15pm on Monday, after having retired from politics three years ago.
He was latterly remembered as one of the most prominent supporters of leaving the EU and advocates for Brexit in the run up to the 2016 referendum and beyond.
Leading the tributes, Ms Badenoch described Lord Tebbit as an “icon” of the party.
She said: “Our Conservative family mourns the loss of Lord Tebbit today and I send my sincerest condolences to his loved ones. Norman Tebbit was an icon in British politics and his death will cause sadness across the political spectrum.
“He was one of the leading exponents of the philosophy we now know as Thatcherism and his unstinting service in the pursuit of improving our country should be held up as an inspiration to all Conservatives. As a minister in Mrs Thatcher’s administration he was one of the main agents of the transformation of our country, notably in taming the trade unions.”
But she noted that it was his “stoicism and courage in the face of terrorism” following the IRA bomb in 1984 “which inspired us”.
Sir Keir Starmer also issued a statement, with his official spokesperson saying his “thoughts are with Norman Tebbit’s children and family at this difficult time” and describing him as a “major figure in politics during the 1980s”.
“Many will remember the great strength he showed in the face of the atrocious IRA bombing at the grand hotel in Brighton, and the courage that he and his wife showed in its aftermath. He will be missed by many”, the spokesperson added.
Paying tribute to the former Tory Cabinet minister, who campaigned against integration with Europe, Eurosceptic think tank the Bruges Group said: “Today we mourn the loss of a political titan without whom the Thatcher revolution may have looked very different.
“A passionate Eurosceptic, Lord Tebbit also served as President of the Bruges Group, leading our years-long campaign against EU integration.”
His former chief of staff Lord Michael Dobbs, author of House of Cards, told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme: “Politics misses people of that sort of character who believe so deeply in what they are pursuing.”
Ex-minister Sir Conor Burns, who worked for Margaret Thatcher, said: “I was fortunate to count him as a friend. Norman was a true Thatcherite revolutionary. Lady T always acknowledged his importance to her success. He was always candid, direct and shrewd. Sometimes his honesty made others uncomfortable which he relished! Norman said what many thought but didn’t have the courage to say. His was a genuine journey of social mobility based on talent – made in harder times when the rise of a white working class man of talent was admired.”
Shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith added: “Sad to learn of the death of Lord Tebbit, a great Conservative whose values Britain could use a great deal more of today.”
Former Tory cabinet minister Sir Simon Clarke noted: “Norman Tebbit was a political giant: combative with his opponents, fiercely loyal to his friends, somebody who would never accept Britain in decline.”
Long after retirement, Lord Tebbit remained a support of rightwing causes in the Tories including becoming honorary president of the Bowe Group. He would be a regular speaker at meetings of the European Research Group (ERG) of Tory Brexiteer parliamentarians.
Former cabinet minister Nadhim Zahawi said: “Norman Tebbit was a giant of Conservative politics and Conservative ideals. A man who looked after his beloved wife beautifully after the horrific terror attack by the IRA. A man who nurtured and befriended young conservatives like me. He was great company on a weekend in the country.”
