Former Thatcher minister Lord Prior who was sidelined by Iron Lady in brutal 1981 ‘wets’ reshuffle dies Jim Prior was moved to Northern Ireland Secretary from … Copyright © Margaret Thatcher Foundation 2021. a Margaret Thatcher cabinet reshuffle in 1981. It must have been an exhausting day all round. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, making a comprehensive shuffle of her Cabinet, served notice today that she is not contemplating any significant … Other Cabinet members' rows are highlighted in yellow. . In one of the most controversial Cabinet reshuffles of modern times, in 1981… Mrs Thatcher having observed Sir Ian Gilmour's response to dismissal may reflect that Mr Prior on the back benches would have had an even higher nuisance value. She takes on the same job, as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, that she held from 1972-74. But in November 1981 Mrs Thatcher faced a rebellion of backbench MPs too. The centrepiece was a purge of the wets, Gilmour, Soames and Carlisle leaving the government, Prior being shifted to Northern Ireland, Thorneycroft leaving the party chairmanship. His previous small office of Paymaster General goes to Mr Cecil Parkinson, the new chairman of the Conservative Party. This proved a dangerously prominent position for a potential critic to occupy and, predictably enough, he quickly began to drift off-message from MT's point of view: within weeks she picked up on a phrase in a speech of his in Putney (1 Feb), contrasting the buoyant atmosphere in Washington at the time of Reagan's inauguration with the "different, diffident mood" in Britain. That is what the Government is now doing." On 18 Aug MT received some striking advice on this question from Charles Douglas-Home (then foreign editor of The Times), reporting private chats with Whitelaw, Prior, Pym, "J.N." He had been one of MT's junior ministers at Education under Heath and had felt the experience gave him some standing with her, if not exactly personal or political closeness. Thorneycroft's admission that he was suffering from "rising damp" came shortly after that (11 Feb). At the end of March Lord Carrington wrote her an angry letter - described by MT's Principal Private Secretary as 'really very silly' - complaining that he had been let down by an Ingham briefing, contrasting this shabby treatment with his own restraint in having gone out of his way "to avoid seeing the press or of giving any indication about differences on the budget or anything else". Mr Parkinson is the one complete surprise. His place at the Treasury is taken by Mr Nicholas Ridley who, like Mr Lawson, is a convinced monetarist. The other two new members of the Cabinet, apart from Mr Tebbit, are Lady Young, who takes Lord Soames's place as Leader of the House of Lords and Minister in charge of the Civil Service, and Mr Nigel Lawson. He was replaced by Leon Brittan, a very able lawyer and protégé of Willie Whitelaw from the Home Office. Indeed, the blow to pride would have made it very hard to accept. But if there was any prospect of a gradual move this autumn towards reflationary policies, that prospect - in the view of those who would like this - has been pushed back for several months at least by the Prime Minister's firm self-assertion. Mr Francis Pym, who remains Leader of the House of Commons, is given the new and more senior title of Lord President of the Council. Soames was said to have complained to friends … Until her final years, Thatcher had a genius of knowing when she had the space to be assertive and when she needed to be more cautious. In 1981 unemployment had risen to levels not seen since the 1930s and public finances foundered in their worst state since 1945. The main drama of yesterday's calls at Downing Street concerned Mr James Prior. Mr Tebbit said on ITN's News at Ten last night that Mrs Thatcher had not given him a brief to "get tough with the unions", but perhaps a fresh approach was needed. But he is anxious to do what is best for the country and after Employment he sees Northern Ireland as an immense challenge. So there are. [i.e., since her visit to the Laings' home in Dunphail & to HMQ at Balmoral, 4-6 Spt] I hate "doing" reshuffles but alas they have to be done. They headlined a Gallup poll for the Daily Telegraph, published 19 March, which showed the budget to be the most unpopular for 30 years. A significant number of Cabinet ministers expressed their disagreement. Mrs Peggy Fenner, MP for Rochester and Chatham, is brought into the Administration for the first time having, like Mr Nicholas Scott, last held office under Mr Edward Heath. The letter 'E' at the top of the "Batting Order" probably refers to a concession she made to Prior, that in going to Northern Ireland he could stay on the cabinet's Economic Strategy committee, which was known as E Committee. policies, Mr Prior, by at first defying Mrs Thatcher to move him and then deciding to fall in with her plans, must for the moment have become a diminished force. Mr Prior's wife, Jane, said last night: "Jim is obviously sad to leave his old job. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher fired three Cabinet critics of her Conservative government's hard-line monetarist economic policies Monday. "He does not regard it as promotion or demotion. Mr Prior's main concern, expressed often and publicly, was that by going to Belfast he would be removed from the main area of economic discussion in the Government. Heseltine and Tebbit were much talked of as possible replacements, so that Parkinson's appointment was a genuine surprise. The indignity of it all was emphasised by a published exchange of letters between them after his resignation when he complained that she had accused him in a TV interview of leaking and linked that to his dismissal; MT denied the interpretation, but the impression lingered. Within three hours of his departure, Mrs Thatcher … Judith Dawson reports back on possible ministerial changes in Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s cabinet reshuffle, notably the move of Employment Secretary James Prior to Northern Ireland, following his non-confrontational approach to the trade unions and despite his threat to resign. The budget of that year was also a crucial one, long remembered with or without admiration, according to taste. Next page - Rebellion of the 'wets' & the SDP. This was a long-trailed event, perhaps too long: as early as 10 July Ingham warned MT that the lobby was "increasingly excited" at the prospect, and of course jockeying for position broke out, particularly for the party chairmanship which Thorneycroft was thought certain to be vacating. That is what the Government is now doing.". Their most prominent leader, Jim Prior, who was threatening to resign if he was moved from the Department of Employment, capitulated and was moved to the more onerous task of Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Gamble, 1981). Boris Johnson Cabinet reshuffle: Four ministers under spotlight when PM orders shake-up BORIS JOHNSON has been tipped to reshuffle his Cabinet in … Who could she promote. At this stage they contented themselves with briefing the press about cabinet divisions, a fact reported to MT by Bernard Ingham ("Some very clear briefing is being given"; six cabinet ministers said to be opposed, but only three actually spoke against in cabinet). The batting order has MT seeing Gilmour first, then Atkins second, clearing the Northern Ireland Office for Prior. At some point later she wrote the following on the first page of the old draft: "Departed from the text in as much as I said something to the following effect. At the party conference MT paid him a warm tribute in her speech, after which he wrote her an equally warm letter of thanks. And later he notes: "She is very uncertain of herself. There is some material on the second 1981 reshuffle, which took place on Monday 14 September 1981. Pym was promoted, in a small way, swapping the Chancellorship of the Duchy of Lancaster for the more senior Lord Presidency of the Council, though in substance his job remained the same, Leadership of the House of Commons and coordinator of presentation. In 1981 Margaret Thatcher purged her cabinet of the so-called “wets” who objected to her plans to cut public spending. He feels these might prove to be just the qualities that are needed to deal with Northern Ireland, let us hope so." Why? At a stroke, this reshaped and reinvigorated her government, despatched deadbeats and disloyal colleagues while promoting talented supporters. To hold two reshuffles in a single year was itself a symptom of party divisions. Decision made easier by Mrs Thatcher. Keith Joseph moved from Industry to Education. He duly emerged as a rebel in the sharp arguments over economic policy during the autumn of 1981, deploring the lost Disraelian legacy of the party, as he saw it. There are important fragments in the Cambridge files on the crucial 1981 budget, adding to the picture we get from official material at Kew. Among other changes, Mr David Howell is moved from Energy to be Secretary of State for Transport, a downward move although not so represented, and Mr Norman Fowler moves up from Transport to be Secretary of State for Health and Social Security. "Unfortunately I shall be away as I am taking a brief rest after these rather traumatic events in order to recover and be able to do my work" [THCR 6/2/4/17 f3]. The image below comes from the September 1981 reshuffle, headed by MT "Batting order", a rare but apt use of a cricketing analogy on her part: note the tight timings, which mattered a good deal, because it proved surprisingly difficult to manage the simple business of getting people in and out the famous front door at No.10 with minimum risk of, or opportunity for, embarrassment. This was my overriding consideration when the Prime Min- ister asked me to assume responsibility for Northern Ireland. Sack the lot of them !” This would be the episode whose climactic scene is . We are releasing this year a planning note for the reshuffle by MT's Principal Private Secretary, Clive Whitmore, which sketches two scenarios, turning on the question of whether Pym would be moved or not - presumably the most difficult question. The 'no hope' budget delivered by Chancellor Geoffrey Howe in March marked the beginning of a six-month period which witnessed pressures in Northern Ireland, hunger strikes, urban riots and unprecedented unrest within the Conservative Party. Relations became very strained around the time of the 1981 budget leading to a reshuffle in which Thatcher brought in more of her natural supporters, such as Nigel Lawson, Norman Tebbit and Cecil Parkinson, dismissing or marginalising some of the wets. Report on the first cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher since winning the UK General Election in 05/79. Pym also got in on the act, "rather deftly" briefing the lobby in favour of an annual pre-budget cabinet discussion of economic policy, also carefully noted by Ingham. She pulled back at the eleventh hour from some of the middle-order changes - e.g., not sacking Sally Oppenheim, leaving the Welsh Office team in place - but otherwise everything went as intended. 1981 – July 23: Thatcher confronted in a Cabinet meeting by a major rebellion by ‘wets’ opposed to her economic policies, led by Michael Heseltine. The character of the reshuffle was clear early on: Ian Gow told Alan Clark on 21 July to expect a "major reshuffle in the autumn and that The Lady would be bringing in many of her friends" (p249 Into Politics). In his heart I think Jim really rather wanted to try the Northern Ireland task and like a true patriot he has risen to the occasion and I understand has received a very warm welcome". Published polling was surveyed by Central Office alongside their private surveys. And in 1981, Margaret Thatcher purged her Cabinet of the dissenting “wets” and elevated like-minded allies such as Norman Tebbit. She persuaded him that the job was vitally important and that she wanted a new man there to take, in time, a new political initiative. January 1981 A reshuffle sees a doubling of the number of Jews in the Cabinet. Mr Lawson's resignation forced a cabinet reshuffle only four months after the Prime Minister had put a new team in place. Later on the radio he warned that many people still in the Cabinet shared his criticisms of policy. Norman St John-Stevas was deeply hurt by his dismissal, as his obituaries the week of this release reminded us. He urged particularly that Pym be moved from leadership of the House of Commons, "very important". 1981 was memorable for two significant shuffles of the cabinet pack as MT visibly struggled to maintain control of government and party, the second proving a decisive moment. The consensus among Conservatives last night was that the Prime Minister, while shifting the centre of gravity of the Government perceptibly to the right, has strengthened her own position so far as this was in her power. But she has found room in it for three totally loyal colleagues, each of them in their way strong politicians, with a fourth devotee as party chairman. Changes include sacking of Leader of the House Norman St John-Stevas and replacement by Francis Pym. Mr Prior also secured the help of two valued colleagues. Mr Norman Tebbit was promoted to the sensitive post of Secretary of State for Employ- ment, which Mr James Prior was so reluctant to leave. Unlike Lord Thorneycroft, Mr Parkinson, as a senior Minister, will attend all Cabinet meetings and receive all Cabinet papers, without formally being a member of the Cabinet. A reshuffle to end the dissent and bring in fresh faces. a Margaret Thatcher cabinet reshuffle in 1981. Lord Gowrie, his Minister of State at the Department of Employment, goes with him; and Mr Nicholas Scott, a Liberal Conservative, who held junior office at the Department of Employment briefly in 1974, also goes to the Northern Ireland Office as Under-Secretary of State. “That’s right, Mrs. Thatcher, sack them. In her highly successful reshuffle of September 1981, Margaret Thatcher got rid of Lord Soames. Norman St John-Stevas was dropped altogether, to be replaced by Francis Pym, John Nott succeeding him at Defence. Sir Ian Gilmour, whose outspokenness raises the question of how he felt able to remain In office for so long, said last night on BBC radio that there were still many people in the Cabinet who thought the same as he did. Mr Carlisle, in his resignation letter, promised loyal support to the Conservative Party. Labor Party leader Neil Kinnock described the reshuffle, Britain’s biggest Cabinet shake-up since 1962, as a shambles, and opposition members said Hurd’s position had been undermined. The Prime Minister promised further discussion in the autumn. Concessions on fuel were announced during the Finance Bill. He consulted Mr William Whitelaw, the Home Secretary, Mr Michael Jopling, the chief whip, and other friends, and he consulted his wife and four children. Papers released last year show him perhaps relying overmuch on that connection. . The big question, of course, was whether Prior would agree to move to Northern Ireland? Mr Prior agreed to serve as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland after being dissuaded by his family and friends from leaving office. His predecessor there, Sir Keith Joseph, becomes Secretary of State for Education and Science. Later in the month, he declined an invitation to meet her when she visited Cambridge, a sad little letter carefully brought to her notice. It is a credible contemporary source. By far the most unpopular feature was the increase in petrol duty, of which a cool 87 per cent disapproved (10 per cent in favour). Although the latter had emerged as a critic of economic policy, it seems likely he was expecting to leave anyway - at 72, he had been chairman for six years, and any successor would need to be in place well before the next election, due in 1983/84. That neatly summed her view of the politics of it all. And on BBC television's Newsnight Mr Tebbit, a former airline pilot, said he was "a hawk, but not a kamikaze". Alan Walters became MT's No.10 economic adviser at the beginning of Jan 1981. Unavoidably perhaps he was compensated by being given a lead role in the presentation of government policy, a move strongly endorsed by the party chairman, Lord Thorneycroft, and with the backing of MT's trusted PPS, Ian Gow. Lady Young, who learnt her politics in local government in Oxford in the 1960s is a deputy chairman of the Conservative Party and a trusted associate of the Prime Minister. Later some of the wets kicked themselves for not having resigned over the budget, Gilmour particularly. She seems to have at least considered the possibility of a conciliatory gesture: the Whitmore note suggests that she contemplated offering him the Arts portfolio - which he already held and much enjoyed - outside the Cabinet, but if the offer was made, it was rejected. Mrs Thatcher embarked on a sudden Cabinet reshuffle. Other ministers fumed silently, or almost silently. Mr James Prior animatedly telling reporters nothing at all in Downing Street. Mrs Thatcher made the decision easier for him by offering him, from the outset, the retention of his seat on the Cabinet's main economic committee, the E Committee, something that Mr Atkins did not have. They include a brief daily diary, in a week-to-a page A4 format volume, which appears to have been written reasonably close to events, sometimes daily, sometimes after a longer gap. The January 1981 Cabinet reshuffle was Thatcher’s only attempt at putting one of her inner circle in a position to try and exert control over the MOD. That MT was even thinking in terms of possibly removing the Chancellor - that her relationship with him had soured to this degree, that early - is a shock. One year after winning an historic third term in power, Tony Blair underwent … It was described by some as a humiliating ‘U-turn’, however NUM vice-president Mick McGahey described it as “more a body swerve”. At the same time, the weightiest Cabinet critic of Treasury. In 1981 when her government announced that 23 pits were to close it resulted in a national strike threat by the miners and several unofficial stoppages. ", "He is a man with great conciliatory abilities and persuasive powers as well as boundless energy and broad shoulders. Prior was plainly treated with special care: she gave him time to consult colleagues and family before making a final decision; in all they met three times during the day, including an evening drink. Thatcher battled cabinet 'wets' over Howe austerity plans National Archives releases papers detailing row over 1981-1982 spending round that ended with purge of opponents in reshuffle … It was wrong, said W.W." And the offer of Northern Ireland was a clever one. The files contain fascinating documents planning the moves, which were always orchestrated by a senior official despite their highly political character. But like John Hoskyns, at this stage, Walters was something of a sceptic about MT. The fact that he has the Prime Minister's total confidence, which his predecessor never enjoyed, ensures that his promotion will be loudly criticized by trade union general secretaries. The Whitmore notes suggest that if Pym hadn't been moved, Nott would have stayed put and Biffen would have become leader of the House of Commons, a job he occupied later. Four other Cabinet ministers were switched between posts; in all, 10 of the 22 Cabinet places were affected. No one" (6 Jan). Sir Ian Gilmour published a blistering statement, saying he had been dismissed because he disagreed with the Government's economic policy, and making plain his intention to campaign in the party and the country for a change of course. Mr Norman Tebbit will be the man to introduce a further Bill, in the next session of Parliament, to curb the powers of the trade unions, and as such will be closely watched. Many doubting ministers had been sacked in a September cabinet reshuffle, the so-called "purge of the Wets". The 1981 budget statement was one of the most contentious the British Treasury had ever submitted. Off she went after that, though not as fast as the Coalition in terms of radical evangelism. And when the time came to pay the bill - they had scarpered (couldn't be found)". For three or four hours, Mr Prior deliberated. It was difficult to see the move as any other than a demotion for Pym, who stood well at that time in the Parliamentary Party. He has caught Mrs Thatcher's eye as an active Minister of State at the Department of Trade, and replaces Lord Thorneycroft, aged 72, who wrote to the Prime Minister last month urging her to appoint a younger man. Cabinet reshuffle in full: List of ministers sacked, backed and cracked in shake-up Boris Johnson has taken the chop to his top team with Esther McVey, Julian Smith and Andrea Leadsom among those out. "Every prime minister has to reshuffle from time to time. Jim Prior, one of the few surviving Tory Cabinet "wets" purged by Margaret Thatcher, has died aged 89. Prior had allowed it to be publicly known that he didn't want the job, but it is striking that there is no sign of a Plan B in case he refused, such as leaving Atkins in Belfast. MT's notes on the batting order include a reference to the hunger strikes. In a statement last night, Mr Prior said: "I have always regarded it as my first duty in Politics to serve my country. In episode 2, Thatcher’s cabinet balks at her proposed “wholesale configuration of the state and its institutions”, telling her she is being “too rash, too reckless… (Douglas-Home was on good terms with MT: when she went to see Anyone for Denis in May - more on which below - she asked that he be seated in the same row.) MT genuined disliked causing personal pain and certainly understood that Stevas would take it badly. Of the four new Ministers, two, Mr William Shelton, who becomes Under-Secretary at Education, and Mr Iain Sproat, Under-Secretary at Trade, were described yesterday as long. All Rights Reserved. In what must be her last big effort to build a Cabinet in tune with her economic thinking, the Prime Minister yesterday dropped three Cabinet ministers, including the hostile Sir Ian Gilmour, Lord Privy Seal, and promoted several ministers and back-benchers on whose support she has relied since becoming party leader in 1975. John Biffen was moved to Trade from the Chief Secretaryship (where his semi-public criticism of economic policy had cost him the confidence of the Chancellor, as shown by papers released here last year). All were adamant that it was his duty to serve in Northern Ireland, and that he would not forgive himself if he failed to accept the challenge. As it is, she has avoided a potentially disastrous gulf between the left and right wings of the party. . MT defended the budget in an improvised speech the day after (11 Mar), discarding her previously prepared text. Had he stayed at Defence, it is very unlikely Pym would have become Foreign Secretary during the Falklands War. <, Lord Hailsham of St Marylebone: Lord Chancellor, Lord Carrington: Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Sir Geoffrey Howe: Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir Keith Joseph: Secretary of State for Education and Science, Mr Francis Pym: Lord President of the Council, Leader of the Commons, Mr James Prior: Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Mr John Nott: Secretary of State for Defence, Mr Peter Walker: Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Mr Michael Heseltine: Secretary of State for the Environment, Mr George Younger: Secretary of State for Scotland, Mr Nicholas Edwards: Secretary of State for Wales, Mr Patrick Jenkin: Secretary of State for Industry, Mr John Biffen: Secretary of State for Trade, Mr David Howell: Secretary of State for Transport, Mr Norman Fowler: Secretary of State for Social Services, Mr Leon Brittan: Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Lady Young: Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Leader of the House of Lords, Mr Nigel Lawson: Secretary of State for Energy, Mr Norman Tebbit: Secretary of State for Employment, Mr Cecil Parkinson: Paymaster General and Chairman of the Conservative Party (will attend Cabinet meetings). Mr Lawson, former Financial Secretary to the Treasury, becomes Secretary of State for Energy. Whether even now she commands a majority in her own Cabinet remains in doubt. Many doubting ministers had been sacked in a September cabinet reshuffle, the so-called "purge of the Wets". Walters told MT of the seminar at which the Swiss economist, Jurg Niehans, argued that British monetary policy was too tight and that £M3 was the wrong monetary aggregate to target, "MT very defensive: NO ONE must know about it - especially Bank of England. Mr Lawson, as a member of the Treasury team since May, 1979, has been regarded as the most convinced monetarist in the Government. He went in early, by a back door, and was urged by the Prime Minister, in 45 minutes of discussion, to accept the Northern Ireland post. "J.P. has been taken to task by Whitelaw for being disloyal and holding a pistol to PM's head. Blair’s 2006 reshuffle. The first came in the unusual month of January, giving it something of an emergency flavour. It is simply something different which he intends to go at with all his customary hard work and enthusiasm. If any Conservative is more convinced, it is probably Mr Jock Bruce-Gardyne, whose appointment as Minister of State at the Treasury is one of five or six further moves to be announced. . This would be the episode whose climactic scene is . Lord Soames's brief letter hid his disappointment. (Nott): "I was left with an overwhelming feeling that you cannot let them go on like this: the whole thrust of the government is crippled - even subverted - by your ministers parading their consciences, frustrations, hysteria, snobberies, masculinity or ambitions before an audience". Am rapidly learning the political game - never admit to an error" (8 Jan) . Frightened of calls for relaxation or sops to the wets. Some Ministers have pestered the Government for more public spending. They were swiftly dubbed the ‘wets’, and rather than securing any changes in policy were effectively marginalised by a Cabinet reshuffle in September 1981. This caused Thatcher to back down and bide her time. Mr Humphrey Atkins moves from the Northern Ireland Office to take Sir Ian Gilmour's post of Lord Privy Seal, the number two position at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Lord Soames, former Lord President of the Council, after an exceptionally long, varied, and distinguished political career, resigned at Mrs Margaret Thatcher's request, and so did Mr Mark Carlisle, Secretary of State for Education and Science, who goes to the back benches. Later, on 23 Feb, Walters recounts her warning Howe "that he must get the PSBR down or 'you are for the chop'". Mr Patrick Jenkin, whom Mr Fowler replaces, becomes Secretary of State for Industry. We publish documents showing the depth of disaffection it inspired among the 'wets'. 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