Watch the clip from John Major and take a few notes on Thatcher’s downfall

• Margaret Thatcher’s downfall is often misrepresented and oversimplified
• The poll tax was the primary factor that destabilised her leadership
• Treasury ministers warned early that the poll tax would cause major problems
• The policy broke with the principle of taxation based on income or property
• Assurances that the poll tax would not hurt average workers proved wrong
• Thatcher became politically committed to the poll tax and refused to retreat
• Her unwillingness to compromise deepened party and public opposition
• The poll tax severely damaged Conservative Party support
• Europe became a second major source of tension within the party
• Thatcher’s strong anti-European rhetoric clashed with a pro-European parliamentary party
• Many Conservative MPs supported Europe to prevent future European conflict
• MPs feared Thatcher would lose the next general election
• Party loyalty weakened as electoral concerns grew
• Thatcher failed to reassure or unite her party when challenged
• Her leadership style discouraged conciliation at a critical moment
• She ran a weak leadership campaign against Michael Heseltine
• Loss of party confidence, not a single event, ultimately brought her down

Read the article on May’s snap election and take half a page of notes

• Theresa May called a snap general election after repeatedly ruling it out
• Decision was framed as necessary due to opposition from other parties and the House of Lords
• Internal Conservative opposition to Brexit compromise was a larger unspoken factor
• At least 50 Conservative MPs were prepared to reject any soft Brexit deal
• Snap election seen as best chance to secure approval for a Brexit compromise
• EU demands after Article 50 made significant concessions unavoidable
• Risk of a no-deal Brexit increased without stronger parliamentary backing
• Growing need for a lengthy implementation or transition phase influenced the decision
• Hardline Brexiteers viewed the transition phase with suspicion
• Winning an election would push the next vote beyond the Brexit transition period
• Opinion polls showed Labour more than 20 points behind the Conservatives
• Polling advantage made the timing politically attractive
• Jeremy Corbyn’s acceptance guaranteed the required parliamentary majority for an early election
• Election carried risk of strengthening SNP calls for a second independence referendum
• May had previously resisted an election to avoid distraction and accusations of political gamesmanship
• Voters’ response depended on whether they blamed parliamentary obstruction or party division
• Three factors drove the U-turn: EU compromise demands, need for transition, and Labour’s weakness

Watch the documentary on May’s time in office

Political advisors: Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill

• Theresa May inherited a cabinet deeply split between Leave and Remain factions
• May deliberately formed a balanced cabinet, which entrenched division rather than unity
• Cabinet meetings were long, inconclusive, and exposed irreconcilable Brexit positions
• Ministers openly disagreed on whether Brexit was desirable at all
• May struggled to impose authority due to her lack of an electoral mandate
• Key Brexit decisions were often delayed or avoided to prevent cabinet collapse
• Trust between May and many cabinet ministers was weak and distant
• Real power shifted away from cabinet to May’s two chiefs of staff
• Cabinet was sidelined from strategic planning, increasing resentment
• Decision-making became centralised, undermining collective responsibility
• Ministers complained of being excluded from meaningful debate
• Brexit policy lacked clarity because cabinet could not agree on a single direction
• The Chequers plan was developed secretly to bypass cabinet infighting
• Cabinet acceptance of Chequers was fragile and quickly unraveled
• Senior ministers resigned after Chequers, exposing cabinet instability
• Boris Johnson and David Davis openly broke with May over Brexit strategy
• Cabinet unity collapsed into public dissent and coordinated opposition
• Hardline Brexiteers within cabinet viewed May’s deal as betrayal
• Cabinet became a battleground rather than a forum for resolution
• Internal cabinet conflict weakened May’s negotiating position with the EU

Summaries

Margaret Thatcher

Thatcher didn’t fall because of one sudden mistake but because of a slow collapse in party confidence. The poll tax was the trigger: it broke basic principles of fair taxation, hurt ordinary voters, and was warned against early by her own ministers. Thatcher’s refusal to back down turned policy failure into political disaster, badly damaging Conservative support. At the same time, her hard-line anti-European stance alienated a largely pro-European parliamentary party. As fears grew that she would lose the next election, loyalty eroded. Her uncompromising leadership style, failure to reassure MPs, and weak response to Heseltine’s challenge ultimately cost her the confidence of her party.

Theresa May

May’s leadership was undermined by Brexit from the start. She called a snap election to strengthen her hand for an inevitable Brexit compromise, betting on Labour’s weakness and strong polls—but it backfired. In office, she led a deeply divided cabinet split between Leave and Remain, deliberately balanced but permanently fractured. Lacking a personal electoral mandate, May centralised decision-making around her chiefs of staff, sidelining cabinet and deepening mistrust. Attempts to bypass division (notably Chequers) collapsed into resignations and public rebellion. Persistent cabinet infighting weakened her authority at home and her leverage with the EU, leaving her unable to unite party or country behind a single Brexit strategy.