Tory grandee Norman Tebbit dies aged 94

Tory former Cabinet minister Lord Norman Tebbit has died aged 94, his son said.

The Conservative grandee was one of Margaret Thatcher’s closest political allies and played a key role in Tory politics for a generation.

As employment secretary he took on the trade unions, and as chairman of the Conservative Party from 1985 to 1987 he helped Mrs Thatcher secure her third general election victory.

He suffered grave injuries in the 1984 Brighton bombing, which left his wife, Margaret, paralysed from the neck down.

In a statement, Lord Tebbit’s son William said: “At 11.15pm on July 7, 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.”

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said: “Our Conservative family mourns the loss of Lord Tebbit today and I send my sincerest condolences to his loved ones.

“Norman Tebbit was an icon in British politics and his death will cause sadness across the political spectrum.

“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.

“Our nation has lost one of its very best today and I speak for all the Conservative family and beyond in recognising Lord Tebbit’s enormous intellect and profound sense of duty to his country.

“May he rest in peace.”