Commenting on the death of Baroness Margaret Thatcher, Martin Callanan, British Conservative MEP and Leader of the European Conservatives and Reformists group in the European Parliament, said:

Commenting on the death of Baroness Margaret Thatcher, Martin Callanan, British Conservative MEP and Leader of the European Conservatives and Reformists group in the European Parliament, said:

“I joined the Conservative Party because of Margaret Thatcher and her inspiration. She has always been one of my political heroes and I always enjoy quoting her in the European Parliament.

“Margaret Thatcher was the greatest world leader of our age. We deeply feel her loss but we also celebrate the extraordinary legacy she has left Britain, Europe and the World.

“Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan helped to transform the political map of Europe. Their strength in facing down the communists inspired millions of people from Central and Eastern Europe to believe that freedom could be achieved.

“In the ECR group we sit beside a number of MEPs from behind the old Iron Curtain – a prospect that we could not have dreamt of thirty years ago. So many of our friends from countries like Poland and the Czech Republic tell us that they came into politics and fought for their freedom thanks to the action taken by Thatcher and Reagan.

“Mrs Thatcher also agreed to be a patron of the ECR group’s affiliated think tank, New Direction. We were so proud to have her on board as we set out to realise her vision of a European community of open markets and cooperation but not of ever-closer political integration.

“In these difficult times we can all learn a huge amount from Margaret Thatcher’s political life. We could use a true ‘Iron Lady’ in Europe today.

“We will ask the European Parliament for an official opportunity to pay tribute to this giant of the 20th century. We will never see a leader like her again.”