Third Thatcher ministry

Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 4 May 1979 to 28 November 1990, during which time she led a Conservative majority government. She was the first woman to hold that office. During her premiership, Thatcher moved to liberalise the British economy through deregulation, privatisation, and the promotion of entrepreneurialism.

This article details the third Thatcher ministry which she led at the invitation of Queen Elizabeth II from 1987 to 1990.

Election
The Conservatives were elected for a third successive term in June 1987, with a majority of 102 seats. It enabled Margaret Thatcher to become the longest-serving prime minister of the 20th century, as Britain's economic recovery continued.

Fate
Then, on 1 November 1990, came the first of a series of events which would spell the end of Margaret Thatcher's years in power. Sir Geoffrey Howe, the Deputy Prime Minister, long resentful of being ousted as Foreign Secretary, resigned from the cabinet over its European policy. Soon afterward, in his resignation speech in the House of Commons, he publicly denounced Thatcher, having once been one of her closest allies, personally and for her hostility towards the programmes of the European Community. On 14 November, former cabinet minister Michael Heseltine challenged Thatcher's leadership. Thatcher polled higher than him in the first round of the leadership contest, but failed to gain an outright victory in the first round of voting.

Within minutes of the result being announced, Thatcher informed reporters that she intended to let her name go forward for the second ballot. However, on 22 November, before a second round of the contest could take place, Margaret Thatcher announced her resignation as Prime Minister and Leader of the Conservative Party after more than 11 years, explaining that she was resigning to make way for a leader more likely to win the next general election.

Her successor was the Chancellor of the Exchequer, John Major, who was elected on 27 November 1990, and who at 47 became the youngest Conservative Prime Minister of the 20th century.

June 1987 to July 1989

 * Margaret Thatcher – Prime Minister
 * The Viscount Whitelaw – Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council
 * The Lord Havers – Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain
 * John Wakeham – Leader of the House of Commons and Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal
 * Nigel Lawson – Chancellor of the Exchequer
 * John Major – Chief Secretary to the Treasury
 * Geoffrey Howe – Foreign Secretary
 * Douglas Hurd – Home Secretary
 * John MacGregor – Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
 * George Younger – Secretary of State for Defence
 * Kenneth Baker – Secretary of State for Education
 * Norman Fowler – Secretary of State for Employment
 * Cecil Parkinson – Secretary of State for Energy
 * Nicholas Ridley – Secretary of State for the Environment
 * John Moore – Secretary of State for Health
 * The Lord Young of Graffham – Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and President of the Board of Trade
 * Kenneth Clarke – Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
 * Tom King – Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
 * Malcolm Rifkind – Secretary of State for Scotland
 * Paul Channon – Secretary of State for Transport
 * Peter Walker – Secretary of State for Wales
 * David Waddington – Chief Whip of the House of Commons and Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury
 * Sir Patrick Mayhew – Attorney General for England and Wales

Changes

 * October 1987 – Lord Mackay of Clashfern succeeds Lord Havers as Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain.
 * January 1988 – Viscount Whitelaw retires and is succeeded by John Wakeham as Lord President of the Council. Lord Belstead succeeds Wakeham as Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal. Lord Belstead succeeds Viscount Whitelaw as Leader of the House of Lords.
 * July 1988 – Department of Health and Social Security broken up into component parts:
 * John Moore continues on as Secretary of State for Social Security.
 * Kenneth Clarke becomes Secretary of State for Health. Tony Newton succeeds Clarke as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

July 1989 to November 1990

 * Margaret Thatcher – Prime Minister
 * Sir Geoffrey Howe – Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council
 * The Lord Mackay of Clashfern – Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain
 * The Lord Belstead – Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal
 * Nigel Lawson – Chancellor of the Exchequer
 * Norman Lamont – Chief Secretary to the Treasury
 * John Major – Foreign Secretary
 * Douglas Hurd – Home Secretary
 * John Gummer – Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
 * Tom King – Secretary of State for Defence
 * John MacGregor – Secretary of State for Education
 * Norman Fowler – Secretary of State for Employment
 * John Wakeham – Secretary of State for Energy
 * Chris Patten – Secretary of State for the Environment
 * Kenneth Clarke – Secretary of State for Health
 * Kenneth Baker – Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
 * Peter Brooke – Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
 * Malcolm Rifkind – Secretary of State for Scotland
 * Tony Newton – Secretary of State for Social Security
 * Nicholas Ridley – Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and President of the Board of Trade
 * Cecil Parkinson – Secretary of State for Transport
 * Peter Walker – Secretary of State for Wales

Changes

 * October 1989 –
 * John Major succeeds Nigel Lawson as Chancellor of the Exchequer.
 * Douglas Hurd succeeds John Major as Foreign Secretary.
 * David Waddington succeeds Douglas Hurd as Home Secretary.
 * Tim Renton succeeds David Waddington as Chief Whip.
 * January 1990 – Norman Fowler resigns as Secretary of State for Employment and is succeeded by Michael Howard.
 * May 1990 – Peter Walker resigns as Secretary of State for Wales, having announced his intention in March. David Hunt succeeds him.
 * July 1990 – Nicholas Ridley resigns as Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. Peter Lilley succeeds him.
 * November 1990 – At the start of the month, Geoffrey Howe resigns and the title of Deputy Prime Minister is not reallocated. John MacGregor succeeds him as Lord President of the Council and is in turn succeeded by Kenneth Clarke as Secretary of State for Education and Science, who is succeeded by William Waldegrave as Secretary of State for Health.

List of ministers
Members of the Cabinet are in bold face.