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Norman Tebbit, Former U.K. Minister and Close Thatcher Ally, Dies at 94

Obituaries|Norman Tebbit, Former U.K. Minister and Close Thatcher Ally, Dies at 94

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/08/obituaries/norman-tebbit-dead.html

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Lord Tebbit held a series of roles in Margaret Thatcher’s cabinet, but left high office after his wife was seriously hurt in a bombing by the Irish Republican Army.

A headshot of Lord Norman Tebbit, wearing a suit and tie, against a blue background.
Lord Norman Tebbit was a leading figure in Margaret Thatcher’s government.Credit...David Levenson/Getty Images

July 8, 2025, 6:46 a.m. ET

Lord Norman Tebbit, an uncompromising right-wing British politician who was once considered to be a potential prime minister, died on Monday.. He was 94.

His son William said in a statement to the BBC that Lord Tebbit had “died peacefully at home.” He did not give a cause of death.

Lord Tebbit, a member of Parliament from 1970 to 1992, was a leading figure in Margaret Thatcher’s government but abandoned high office to tend to his wife after she was mostly paralyzed in a hotel bombing by the Irish Republican Army, in which he was also badly hurt.

Michael Dobbs, an author, former close aide to Mr. Tebbit and fellow member of the House of Lords, told the BBC he had confirmed the death with the family. “Norman has been frail — or was frail — for quite some time, and sadly it’s almost a relief for his wonderful family and for Norman himself,” he said.

Well into his 80s, Lord Tebbit — ennobled as a baron in 1992 — retained the ability to project himself into the public eye, both as a blogger and from the red leather benches of the House of Lords, Britain’s unelected upper house of Parliament. From both platforms, he sniped at his opponents and at members of his own party who did not share his uncompromising views. He resigned from the Lords in 2022.

Image

Lord Tebbit with Prime Minister Thatcher in 1987. As a minister and close ally of Ms. Thatcher’s, he took a lead in her campaign to crush the power of labor unions.Credit...Gerald Penny/Associated Press

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