Margaret Thatcher Wins Landslide to Become Britain's First Female Prime Minister (1979)

On 3 May 1979, the British public went to the polls to vote in the General Election. The Conservative Party's decisive victory was announced on 4 May, and Margaret Thatcher entered Number 10 as Britain's first female Prime Minister.

The election was called amid declining confidence in Jim Callaghan's Labour government and growing dissatisfaction with the UK's economic situation. In response, the Conservative Party centred its campaign on reducing the role of government in the economy, controlling inflation, and restoring national pride. However, the election campaign took place against the backdrop of ongoing unrest in Northern Ireland. On 30 March, the Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Airey Neave, was killed by a car bomb planted by the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) near Westminster, an event that added further complexity to the political climate.

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