Norman Tebbit, the former Conservative cabinet minister and one of Margaret Thatcher’s most loyal supporters, has died at the age of 94.
Tebbit represented the constituencies of Epping and Chingford as an MP for 22 years before receiving a life peerage, making him Lord Tebbit of Chingford. He retired from the House of Lords in 2022.
During his long political career he served as employment secretary, trade and industry secretary, chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster and chair of the Conservative party.
His death was confirmed by his son, William, who said in a statement: “At 11.15pm on 7 July 2025 Lord Tebbit died peacefully at home aged 94. His family ask that their privacy is respected at this time and a further statement regarding funeral arrangements will be made in due course.”
Former Conservative prime ministers led tributes to the Tory grandee. Rishi Sunak said Tebbit was a “titan of Conservative politics”. Sunak said his “resilience, conviction and service left a lasting mark on our party and our country”.
David Cameron said Tebbit was a man of “great conviction” and “profound self-belief”, adding: “They don’t make ’em like Norman any more.”
“A man of great conviction, profound self-belief and with a direct and sometimes abrasive tone, he generated strong reactions from all sides,” Cameron said.
“I was sometimes on the hard end of that, but there is no doubting the tremendous impact he had on our country and my party. A staunch believer in self-reliance, hard work and enterprise, as secretary of state for employment he reformed our outdated and ineffective trade union laws, and thus transformed industrial relations in Britain for good.
“But for all his caustic tongue and sharp wit, he was also privately a kind and thoughtful man. The way he stepped aside from public life to care so tenderly and devotedly for his beloved wife, Margaret, after the Brighton bomb speaks to his compassion and the importance he placed on family, above all.”
The Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, said Tebbit “was an icon in British politics and his death will cause sadness across the political spectrum”.
Downing Street said Keir Starmer’s thoughts were with Tebbit’s family and paid tribute to the “great strength he showed” in the face of the Brighton bombing. “He will be missed by many,” a Number 10 spokesman said.
As employment secretary, Tebbit took on the trade unions, and as chair of the Conservative party from 1985 to 1987 he helped Thatcher secure her third general election victory.
He sustained serious injuries in the 1984 Brighton bombing, which left his wife, Margaret, paralysed from the neck down.
Badenoch said: “He was one of the leading exponents of the philosophy we now know as Thatcherism and his unstinting service in the pursuit of improving our country should be held up as an inspiration to all Conservatives. As a minister in Mrs Thatcher’s administration, he was one of the main agents of the transformation of our country, notably in taming the trade unions.
“But to many of us it was the stoicism and courage he showed in the face of terrorism which inspired us as he rebuilt his political career after suffering terrible injuries in the Brighton bomb, and cared selflessly for his wife, Margaret, who was gravely disabled in the bombing – a reminder that he was first and foremost a family man who always held true to his principles. He never buckled under pressure and he never compromised.”
Tebbit was a prominent figure in the Thatcher era with a reputation as a political bruiser unafraid of confrontation as he helped drive forward the economic and social changes that characterised the 1980s.
After inner-city riots in Handsworth, Birmingham, and Brixton, south London, in 1981, he made comments that led to him being called “On yer bike” by critics who felt he was a symbol of Conservative indifference to rising unemployment.
Rejecting suggestions that street violence was a natural response to rising unemployment, he retorted: “I grew up in the 30s with an unemployed father. He didn’t riot. He got on his bike and looked for work, and he kept looking till he found it.”
In 1990, in response to concerns over integration of migrants, he set out the “cricket test”, suggesting the side British Asians supported in internationals should be seen as an indicator of whether they were loyal to the UK, leading to accusations of racism.
He was memorably described by Labour’s Michael Foot as a “semi-housetrained polecat”, and was also nicknamed the “Chingford skinhead” in reference to his east London constituency, while his puppet on the satirical TV show Spitting Image was a leather jacket-clad hardman – an image Tebbit enjoyed because “he was always a winner”.
The former chancellor Nadhim Zahawi said: “Rest in eternal peace, great man. Norman Tebbit was a giant of Conservative politics and Conservative ideals. A man who looked after his beloved wife beautifully after the horrific terror attack by the IRA. A man who nurtured and befriended young conservatives like me.”
The Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, said on X: “Norman gave me a lot of help in my early days as an MEP and was a great man. RIP.” (Guardian)
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