In the midst of this disaster, her Europhile opponents within her party devised a plot in 1990 to overthrow her by putting up one of their number (sacked from the cabinet for inefficiency) in the annual leadership election.
Looking at now-released cabinet records concerning the invasion of Suez (1956), the US and British-supported overthrow of Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadeq (1953) and the overthrow of the elected government of British Guiana (1953), Mr Curtis finds talk in private only of oil and other strategic interests.