The Conservatives after Thatcher

• These resignations, together with the unpopularity of the Poll Tax, led to a revolt against Thatcher by a cabinet that feared she would lose them the next election
• Thatcher approved of her successor, John Major because she thought him the most likely of the potential candidates to maintain her legacy
• Major's government continued with many of Thatcher's policies including:

  • privatisation of British Rail in 1994-97
  • the extension of trade union legislation (Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act of 1992
  • a commitment to lower direct taxation: the basic income tax was reduced from 25% to 23% in 1997
  • a preference for indirect taxation
• Major did maintain privatisation and low taxation, Thatcher was bitterly disappointed by his move to promote closer European integration
• Rows within the party over Europe, and regular reports of 'sleaze' among leading Conservatives, contributed to a disastrous defeat in the 1997 general election, they only gained 165 seats compared to Labour's 419
• Some commentators saw this result as not only a reaction to party problems but also a more general rejection of Thatcher's legacy
• Overall though, the majority of the Party had been converted to Thatcherism, and this commitment to her ideology was made clear when William Hague, who idolised Thatcher as a teenager, became leader in 1997