Baroness Thatcher has pulled out of a visit to Downing Street to mark her 85th birthday because she is suffering from flu.

The former prime minister had been due to attend an event hosted by David Cameron with about 150 friends and colleagues on Thursday evening.

At Baroness Thatcher's request, it went ahead in her absence, a government spokesman said.

Baroness Thatcher's birthday was on Wednesday.

She was taken ill at home on Thursday.

Guests, who included previous members of her cabinets such as Lord Tebbit and Lord Howe, will be invited to return to Downing Street to celebrate once she has recovered.

In a statement read out by Mr Cameron at Thursday night's event, Baroness Thatcher said: "After all the trouble that everyone has been to, I am so disappointed not to be with you this evening.

"I want to thank the prime minister and everyone present for your understanding.

"I hope that you will appreciate that on this particular occasion I have had to accept that the Lady is not for returning. Please, please enjoy yourselves."

Mr Cameron invited Baroness Thatcher, Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990, to Number 10 soon after he took over the premiership from Labour's Gordon Brown in May.

He told the Conservative conference in Birmingham last week that she had been "the greatest peacetime prime minister of the 20th century".

On the advice of doctors, Lady Thatcher, who has previously suffered minor strokes, rarely speaks in public, but still attends public functions.

In March 2008 she was taken ill during a dinner in Westminster and spent the night in hospital as a precaution, bit was later given a clean bill of health.

Get well soon, Mrs. Thatcher.  Hope nothing bad happens!
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Really...Thatcher seems to be the last great leader Britain ever had.

Really...Thatcher seems to be the last great leader Britain ever had.


In a poll for greatest post-war Prime Minister she was ranked 1st, 2nd was Winston Churchill. I wonder if anyone in the UK thought this over 20 years ago, lol.

Baroness Thatcher has been ill for quite some time. I am surprised she is still alive to be honest.

In a poll for greatest post-war Prime Minister she was ranked 1st, 2nd was Winston Churchill. I wonder if anyone in the UK thought this over 20 years ago, lol.

Baroness Thatcher has been ill for quite some time. I am surprised she is still alive to be honest.

Get well Maggie!

Former Prime Minister Baroness Thatcher has been admitted to hospital.

Really...Thatcher seems to be the last great leader Britain ever had.


Not fantastically difficult, given some of the jokers that have 'led' this country in modern times... ::)

That said, I'm sure there's still quite a number of people who'd like to see her shuffle off...

Not fantastically difficult, given some of the jokers that have 'led' this country in modern times... ::)

That said, I'm sure there's still quite a number of people who'd like to see her shuffle off...
We all know her as "Thatcher the Milk Snatcher", when as Education Secretary and against her private protests, the abolition of free milk for school-children aged seven to eleven. She believed that few children would suffer if schools were charged for milk, however she agreed to give younger children a third of a pint, daily, for nutritional purpose.

We all know her as "Thatcher the Milk Snatcher", when as Education Secretary and against her private protests, the abolition of free milk for school-children aged seven to eleven. She believed that few children would suffer if schools were charged for milk, however she agreed to give younger children a third of a pint, daily, for nutritional purpose.


I think I was one of those very children!

Of course, that was when she was a very small fish in a big pond...who would have thought back then that she would jump to the forefront of politics with alarming speed, divide the country in terms of wealth and economic outlook, preside over festering race riots, sail half the navy to a place on the other side of the world to win an imminent election, break the unions, sell our prized utilities on the cheap, antagonise Europe and come a cropper with the Poll Tax?

Certainly not Ted Heath, that's for sure...

We all know her as "Thatcher the Milk Snatcher", when as Education Secretary and against her private protests, the abolition of free milk for school-children aged seven to eleven. She believed that few children would suffer if schools were charged for milk, however she agreed to give younger children a third of a pint, daily, for nutritional purpose.


At least she didn't try and tell you ketchup is a vegetable!
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/13/jerk.gif

I think I was one of those very children!

Of course, that was when she was a very small fish in a big pond...who would have thought back then that she would jump to the forefront of politics with alarming speed, divide the country in terms of wealth and economic outlook, preside over festering race riots, sail half the navy to a place on the other side of the world to win an imminent election, break the unions, sell our prized utilities on the cheap, antagonise Europe and come a cropper with the Poll Tax?

Certainly not Ted Heath, that's for sure...
I was too, but to young to noticed what was going on.

I was too, but to young to noticed what was going on.


Don't worry about it.  By the time I realized what was going on we were neck deep in Ronald Reagan and on our way to becoming what we became. Oh, America...
::)