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Mrs Thatcher made her last, tearful speech from the steps of Number 10
Downing Street
1990: Tearful farewell from Iron Lady
England have
Britain has a new prime minister for the first time in over 11 years.
Margaret Thatcher formally tendered her resignation to the Queen early this
morning after leaving Downing Street for the last time.
John Major was elected her successor yesterday by Conservative Party
members.
The womandubbedas the Iron Lady during her premiership made her last
tearful speech as the leader of the country from the doorstep of Number 10.
Mrs Thatcher told reporters the country had become a much improved place in
which to live since she took office in 1979.
"We're leaving Downing Street for the last time after eleven-and-a-half
wonderful years and we're happy to leave the UK in a very much better state than
when we came here," she said.
She also gave her support to her successor: "Now it's time for a new
chapter to open and I wish John Major all the luck in the world."
After the speech she and her husband, Denis, were driven to Buckingham
Palace, watched by a small crowd keen to witness this significant moment.
"It's part of history and we'd just like to say good bye and wish her
well," said one onlooker outside the gates of the palace.
Mrs Thatcher had a half-hour meeting with the Queen before returning to her
private home in Dulwich, south London.
Fifteen minutes later Mr Major arrived at the palace and was formally
invited by the Queen to form a new administration.
The premiership of Britain's first female leader - and the longest since
1827 - was at an end.
The cancellation of race meets across the country has thrown the racing
world into uncertainty
1967: Racing is latest victim of foot-and-mouth
Artificially 1969:
The All horse racing in Britain has been cancelled indefinitely to help
prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease.
The decision was taken by the National Hunt Committee, on the advice of the
Ministry of Agriculture.
It means the certain cancellation of two of National Hunt racing's top
races: the Massey-Ferguson Gold Cup on 9 December, and the highly prestigious
King George VI Cup at Kempton Park on Boxing Day.
It also throws thousands of jockeys, stable lads, trainers and bookmakers
into a state of uncertainty.
Top jockey Stan Mellor said he would be ?00-?00 a week out of pocket due to
lost earnings, while lesser-known jockeys without steady work from trainers
could find themselves out of work altogether.
Racehorse trainers have particularly difficult decisions to make, as racing
can be re-started at any time with seven days' notice.
Lambourn trainer Fulke Walwyn spoke for many when he said he was
disappointed that there had been no time limit set.
"I would be happier if we knew how long this would last," he said.
Most trainers, however, were accepting of the decision, saying that they
would do whatever it took to help prevent the spread of the disease.
Bookmakers are also expected to be hit badly. William Hill estimate they
stand to lose tens of thousands of pounds each week.
The government is also expected to lose millions of pounds in tax revenues,
normally collected from betting. As recently as two days ago, the Ministry of
Agriculture was still saying that no immediate shutdown of racing was
necessary.
But it is now thought the situation has become so critical that any
movement of animals around the countryside could spread the disease.
The latest figures show the number of foot-and-mouth cases still climbing
to record levels.
There were 52 new outbreaks reported today, bringing the number of cases to
more than 1,200 since the beginning of the epidemic. More than 200,000 animals
have so far been slaughtered.
The Agriculture Minister, Fred Peart, told the Commons the government was
preparing a vaccination programme as a last-ditch weapon against the disease.
However, he said, he was still convinced that the slaughter policy was in the
best interests of the country.
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发表于 2016-7-9 23:55:57