Margaret Thatcher: A life in pictures

Book of condolence being signed for Baroness Thatcher at her former constituency office in Finchley

Baroness Thatcher has died after suffering a stroke while staying at the Ritz hotel in central London. Books of condolence have been opened including at her former constituency office in Finchley, north London, and in her home town of Grantham.

British newspapers covering the death of Baroness Thatcher

British newspapers have devoted pages of coverage reflecting on the life of Baroness Thatcher.

Mrs Thatcher launching the Conservative Party manifesto, 1983

Margaret Thatcher was British prime minister from 1979-90.

Margaret Thatcher with her parents and sister, Muriel, 1945

She was born Margaret Hilda Roberts in Grantham, Lincolnshire, in 1925, the daughter of a local grocer.

Margaret Hilda Thatcher, nee Roberts, Conservative politician and future Prime Minister on her wedding day, with husband Denis

In 1951 she married a divorced businessman, Denis Thatcher, and began studying for the bar exams, qualifying as a barrister in 1953, the year in which her twins Mark and Carol were born.

Margaret Thatcher, then known as Margaret Roberts, talking to a chimney sweep while canvassing in Dartford during the General Election

Thatcher is pictured here talking to a chimney sweep in Dartford while campaigning in 1951. She lost on that occasion, but finally entered Parliament in 1959 having won the safe Conservative seat of Finchley.

Margaret Thatcher and her husband Denis, 1979

Mrs Thatcher entered Downing Street in 1979 as Britain's first female prime minister, promising that the Conservatives would cut income tax, reduce public expenditure, make it easier for people to buy their own homes and curb the power of the unions.

Mrs Thatcher

In office she soon cultivated a tough image as "the Iron Lady".

Royal Marines lined up for a weapons check in the hanger of HMS Hermes in the South Atlantic, 1982

Her tough reputation was enhanced by military action against Argentina over the Falkland Islands.

Brighton bomb

She survived violence closer to home. In 1984 the IRA blew up the Brighton hotel where she was staying during the Conservative party conference. The blast sent a chimney crashing down through a column of rooms, killing five people.

Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher wave after their arrival in Camp David, 1984

Mrs Thatcher formed a special relationship with US President Ronald Reagan - her political soulmate. On his death she described Mr Reagan as a great American who "won the Cold War".

Poll tax riots in central London

Her premiership began to unravel when she caused splits in the Tory party over Europe and the poll tax.

Mrs Thatcher leaving Downing Street for the last time

She was ousted as leader - and hence as prime minister - by her own party in 1990. Following her defeat she returned to No 10 prior to a tearful departure in front of the world’s press.

Baroness Margaret Thatcher stands in front of a bronze statue of herself, inside the Palace of Westminster, London

In 2007 Baroness Thatcher became the first living ex-prime minister to be honoured with a statue in the House of Commons.

British Prime Minister David Cameron greets former Prime Minister Baroness Thatcher on the steps of No 10 Downing Street on June 8, 2010 in London, England

Although the Tory peer suffered a series of minor strokes that affected her short-term memory, she continued to fulfil a number of public engagements.

Baroness Margaret Thatcher at Chequers, 1993

Margaret Thatcher has been called the most influential British political figure since Churchill and was one of the dominant political figures of 20th Century Britain.