What is Margaret Thatcher's legacy? Academics Gillian Peele and Tom Lubbock discuss the legacy of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. In 1975 Margaret Thatcher defeated Edward Heath for the Leadership of the Conservative Party. Both have a firm claim to be the Prime Minister with the humblest origin. Both resigned after failing to defeat a challenge to their leadership on the first ballot. In the words of Malcolm Rifkind, both were 'strong-willed, stubborn and convinced of their own...