DAVID CAMERON

Today we lost a great leader, a great Briton, and a great Conservative.

A lot of things will be written about Lady Thatcher in the days and weeks to come, but for me one thing stands out above all other: her passionate belief in Britain.

As she once said: «for the Conservative Party politics has always been about something more than gaining power. It has been about serving the nation. We are above all a patriotic party» – and she was a true patriot Prime Minister.

It was for Britain that she took on the unions, privatised industry, unleashed enterprise, rescued our economy, spread home ownership and fought the Falklands war. And it was for liberty that she helped win the Cold War and freed countless people from oppression.

Her achievements were colossal. Her impact was immense. And we can be proud that Margaret Thatcher was a Conservative Prime Minister.

Today, the best tribute we can pay is to keep her values and vision alive in Government: to keep backing Britain’s hardworkers; to keep believing in Britain – and to keep making it as great as can be.