Margaret Thatcher Dies: Tributes Pour In

The Queen says she is "saddened" by the death of Baroness Thatcher, while Prime Minister David Cameron recalled Parliament in tribute.

The Tory leader's impact was underlined by the reaction to her death at the Ritz Hotel in London this morning, where she suffered a stroke while recuperating following a minor operation.

"Today we lost a great leader, a great Prime Minister and a great Briton" said a sombre Mr Cameron, who cut short a trip to Europe and flew back to London after the news the 87-year-old had died.

"Margaret Thatcher didn't just lead our country - she saved our country."

Standing outside Number 10, Mr Cameron said Lady Thatcher had defied those who said a woman - especially a shopkeeper's daughter - could not succeed in politics.

She had fought "big political battles" against union barons, unleashed enterprise, won the the Falklands War and helped win the Cold War, he added.

"We can't deny that Lady Thatcher divided opinion. For many of us, she was and is an inspiration. For others she was a force to be defined against.

"But if there is one thing that cuts through all of this - one thing that runs through everything she did - it was her lion-hearted love for this country.

"She was the patriot prime minister and she fought for Britain's interests every single step of the way."

And Buckingham Palace said: "The Queen was sad to hear the news of the death of Baroness Thatcher. Her Majesty will be sending a private message of sympathy to the family."

Lady Thatcher will have a funeral at St Paul's Cathedral with full military honours - the same status as accorded to the Queen Mother - in recognition of her huge influence on the country.

Global leaders added their voices to the tributes, with Barack Obama saying Lady Thatcher had been a "true friend" to the US.

"As a grocer's daughter who rose to become Britain’s first female prime minister, she stands as an example to our daughters that there is no glass ceiling that can't be shattered," he said.

"As prime minister, she helped restore the confidence and pride that has always been the hallmark of Britain at its best.

"And as an unapologetic supporter of our transatlantic alliance, she knew that with strength and resolve we could win the Cold War and extend freedom’s promise.

"Here in America, many of us will never forget her standing shoulder to shoulder with President Reagan, reminding the world that we are not simply carried along by the currents of history - we can shape them with moral conviction, unyielding courage and iron will."

The Argentine Pope Francis said he recalled "with appreciation the Christian values which underpinned her commitment to public service and to the promotion of freedom among the family of nations."

Back in Britain, Labour leader Ed Miliband sent his condolences to Lady Thatcher's family.

"She will be remembered as a unique figure," he said.

"She reshaped the politics of a whole generation. She was Britain's first woman Prime Minister. She moved the centre ground of British politics and was a huge figure on the world stage.

"The Labour Party disagreed with much of what she did and she will always remain a controversial figure. But we can disagree and also greatly respect her political achievements and her personal strength.

"Critics and supporters will remember her in her prime."

Liberal Democrat leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: "Margaret Thatcher was one of the defining figures in modern British politics.

"Whatever side of the political debate you stand on, no-one can deny that as prime minister she left a unique and lasting imprint on the country she served."

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond said today was not the time to scrutinise her time as PM.

"Margaret Thatcher was a truly formidable prime minister whose policies defined a political generation," he said.

"No doubt there will now be a renewed debate about the impact of that legacy. Today, however, the proper reaction should be respect and condolences to her family."

Lady Thatcher's successor, former Conservative prime minister Sir John Major, described her as a "true force of nature" and a "political phenomenon".

Fellow former PM Tony Blair said: "Margaret Thatcher was a towering political figure. Very few leaders get to change not only the political landscape of their country but of the world. Margaret was such a leader.

"Her global impact was vast. And some of the changes she made in Britain were, in certain respects at least, retained by the 1997 Labour Government, and came to be implemented by governments around the world.

"Even if you disagreed with her as I did on certain issues and occasionally strongly, you could not disrespect her character or her contribution to Britain's national life. She will be sadly missed."

And Gordon Brown said: "Even those who disagreed with her never doubted the strength of her convictions and her unwavering belief in Britain's destiny in the world."

Mayor of London Boris Johnson said Britain had lost its greatest prime minister since Winston Churchill.

"She ended the defeatism and pessimism of the post-war period and unleashed a spirit of enterprise," he said.

"She fought against the clubby, cosy, male-dominated consensus of both main parties - and she won.

"Her beliefs - in thrift, hard work, and proper reward for merit - were not always popular. But her legacy is colossal.

"This country is deeply in her debt. Her memory will live long after the world has forgotten the grey suits of today's politics."

Others were more vitriolic in their reactions to the death of the conservative icon.

But Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams said Lady Thatcher did "great hurt" to the Irish and British people during her time as prime minister.

"Working class communities were devastated in Britain because of her policies," he said.

"Her role in international affairs was equally belligerent whether in support of the Chilean dictator Pinochet, her opposition to sanctions against apartheid South Africa; and her support for the Khmer Rouge."

And National Union of Mineworkers secretary Chris Kitchen told Sky News said what Lady Thatcher did to the mining industry was "unforgivable".

"My sympathy goes out to the family, as obviously, it's a bereavement. But (after) the disservice she did to the country, I won't be shedding any tears," he said.

Former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev, whose good relations with Lady Thatcher played a part in the end of the Cold War, said she would have a place in history.

"Margaret Thatcher was a great politician and a bright individual. She will go down in our memory and in history," he said.

And US secretary of state Henry Kissinger said: "She was a tremendous prime minister, she was a great lady, she had very strong opinions.

"And to those of us who knew her over the decades she was a very warm person, which is not the public image that is often given."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "She was truly a great leader, a woman of principle, of determination, of conviction, of strength; a woman of greatness."

Meryl Streep, one of a handful of actresses who have played Lady Thatcher on the screen, also paid tribute to her.

"To me she was a figure of awe for her personal strength and grit," said Streep, who won an Oscar for her lead role in The Iron Lady.

"To have given women and girls around the world reason to supplant fantasies of being princesses with a different dream: the real-life option of leading their nation; this was groundbreaking and admirable."

The Thatcher family have asked well-wishers to donate to the Royal Hospital Chelsea instead of leaving flowers, however mourners have left several floral tributes at her Belgravia home.