MRS THATCHER quit as Prime Minister and both Douglas Hurd and John Major were waiting in the wings to step into her shoes.
The Foreign Secretary and the Chancellor both announced their intention to contest the Tory leadership against Michael Heseltine within hours of her decision to stand down.
Dozens of people were evacuated from their homes in Audley Range, Blackburn, after a gas alert.
Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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