How Margaret Thatcher's Final Days as PM Unraveled

Yes, it is now almost a quarter of a century since the longest-serving premier of the 20th Century was unceremoniously booted out of office.

And even after all that time, her shadow still hovers over British political life: as a lodestar in the mythology of the Tory right; and as a hate figure for many on the left.

But what if she had not exited the political stage in November 1990? It is one of the interesting "what ifs" of modern British history. For there was nothing inevitable about her departure.

I have been re-examining the final days of Mrs Thatcher's government for a Radio 4 documentary to be broadcast on Sunday at 13.30 GMT.

Along with my colleague Rob Shepherd, we have spoken to many of the key figures in that final drama including Michael Heseltine, Ken Baker, John Wakeham, Ken Clarke, Chris Patten and John Whittingdale.