Lord Norman Tebbit, the staunch Eurosceptic and former cabinet minister known for his loyalty to Margaret Thatcher, has died aged 94.
As employment secretary and Tory Party chairman in the 1980s, he was a key figure in Conservative politics and a lasting influence on the party's right wing.
As employment secretary, Norman Tebbit took on the trade unions and famously told Britain’s 3 million unemployed to “get on your bike” and find work. As Tory chairman (1985–1987), he helped Thatcher secure her third election win. A key figure in her 1975 leadership bid, he earned the nickname “Chingford Skinhead” for his tough stance and embraced his ‘Spitting Image’ puppet as part of his persona as “Thatcher’s enforcer.”
Lord Tebbit suffered serious injuries in the 1984 IRA bombing of Brighton’s Grand Hotel, which left his wife, Margaret, paralysed. Known for his hardline views, he sparked controversy in 1990 with his “cricket test” on immigrant loyalty. A staunch Thatcher loyalist, he never forgave Tory MPs for ousting her, nor Lord Heseltine, whom he opposed in the Brexit debate.
Tributes poured in after Lord Tebbit’s death, with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch calling him “an icon in British politics” and Sir Simon Clarke describing him as a “political giant.” Labour leader Keir Starmer offered condolences, noting his strength after the IRA bombing.
Former Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson praised Tebbit as “a great patriot” whose values are needed today, while another Essex Conservative MP, Witham's Priti Patel called him “a giant of the Conservative Party” who showed “great courage.”
Lord Tebbit was also the person who introduced the controversial “cricket test” in the 1990s to measure immigrant loyalty, suggesting they should support England over their countries of origin. He later claimed such a test might have prevented the 7/7 London bombings—remarks widely criticised as outdated. By 2018, however, Tebbit softened his stance, telling The Indian Express the test was “immaterial now,” and praised the integration of British Asians and Black athletes, saying race was “no longer an issue.”
His later remarks reflected a growing acknowledgment of the contributions of the immigrant communities in the UK. In Lord Popat’s book ‘A British Subject: How to Make It as an Immigrant in the Best Country in the World’, Lord Tebitt, paying tribute to the British Indian community in the UK, said, “They gave more to the Treasury than they ask for.”
(Please see Lord Popat’s column for more).
Lord Tebbit died peacefully at his home in Bury St Edmunds at 11:15pm on Monday 7 July. He retired from politics three years ago. Tebbit, who stepped down from Parliament in 1992 and entered the House of Lords, was later known as a prominent advocate for Brexit ahead of the 2016 referendum.
