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Glamorous

22nd November 1968
Page 26
Page 26, 22nd November 1968 — Glamorous
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

shadow takes

Peter's place

• Mrs. Margaret Thatcher, the Conservatives' new shadow Transport Minister, is 43, and the only woman in Mr. Heath's front-bench team.

She has a keen mind, formidable energy and considerable academic accomplishments, but with her good looks and great charm of manner, she has remained a very feminine person. She is married and has a son and daughter—twins.

Mrs. Thatcher takes over from Mr. Peter Walker, 36, the youngest member of the Shadow Cabinet, who has held the transport portfolio since April 1966. His leadership of the Conservative campaign, both in the Commons and in the country, against the Transport Bill, was acknowledged, even among Labour MPs, to have been outstanding. He has now taken over housing, land and local government.

The new shadow Transport Minister was at Kesteven School and Grantham Girls' School before going to Somerville College, Oxford, where she took an honours degree in chemistry.

On leaving university she did chemical research for four years. After her marriage in 1951, to Denis Thatcher, chairman and from our political correspondent managing director of the Atlas Preservative Co., Erith, she read law, and in 1954 was called to the bar. She specialized in tax law.

Mrs. Thatcher fought the 1950 and 1951 General Elections for the Conservatives at Dartford and reduced the Labour majority from 20,000 to 12,000. In 1959 she was returned for Finchley with a 16,260 majority in a three-cornered fight and has represented the constituency ever since.

In 1960 she successfully sponsored the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Bill which gave the Press and public a statutory right to attend the meetings of various public bodies. A year later she was appointed joint Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance.

In Opposition Mrs. Thatcher was successively front bench spokesman on pensions and national insurance, housing and land and the Treasury, before winning a place in the Shadow Cabinet two years ago as spokesman on power. With this wide range of experience and the notable competence with which she has tackled these diverse subjects, .Mrs. Thatcher must be regarded as a leading candidate for high office in any future Conservative administration.


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