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Conservatives pay tribute to Norman Tebbit

Ben Parker
BBC political reporter
PA Media A black and white photograph of a man seated at a desk, holding a pen in his right hand as if he is about to sign the papers in front of him. He is wearing a suit, shirt and tie, and is looking over the top of his glasses at the camera and smiling.PA Media
Lord Tebbit in 1985, ahead of his first cabinet meeting after the Brighton bombing

Tributes have been paid to former cabinet minister Norman Tebbitt, who has died.

Lord Tebbit, who lived in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, was MP for Epping and then Chingford in Essex between 1970 and 1992 before joining the House of Lords.

Both he and his wife Margaret, who died in 2020, were injured in the IRA Brighton bombing in 1984, with Mrs Tebbit paralysed from her chest down.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Lord Tebbit's son William said: "At 11.15pm on 7 July 2025, Lord Tebbit died peacefully at home aged 94."

Lord Tebbit was elected in Epping in 1970 but the seat was abolished four years later.

The boundaries were redrawn and it was renamed Chingford, and he represented that constituency until the 1992 general election.

Former Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "We mourn the passing of a great patriot, a great Conservative – and today more than ever we need to restore the values of Norman Tebbit to our politics."

PA Media Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Norman Tebbit wave to the crowds down below from a window.PA Media
Lord Tebbit was Conservative Party chairman when it won the 1987 general election

Lord Tebbit had his critics, and in 1990 he provoked anger when he posed a "cricket test" to help determine whether a person was truly British.

"A large proportion of Britain's Asian population fail to pass the cricket test," he said.

"Which side do they cheer for? It's an interesting test. Are you still harking back to where you came from or where you are?"

Sir John Whittingdale, Conservative MP for the Essex constituency of Maldon and a former special adviser to Lord Tebbit, said he was a "very combative politician".

"He said what he thought, and listening to Norman was always very entertaining," Sir John said.

He added that he believed Lord Tebbit could have gone on to become prime minister had he not chosen to care for his wife following the Brighton bomb.

Another Essex Conservative MP, Witham's Priti Patel, called Lord Tebbit "a giant of the Conservative Party", and said he had "displayed great courage".

PA Media A man in a pinstriped suit, a blue striped tie and glasses standing behind a woman in a wheelchair. She is wearing a purple top and a purple scarf. Behind them is a cream building with windows.PA Media
Lord Tebbit and his wife Margaret visited the Grand Hotel in Brighton 25 years after the bombing

Lord Deben – former Suffolk Coastal MP John Gummer – served alongside Lord Tebbit in Margaret Thatcher's cabinet, and said he left behind a legacy of "bravery" in how he cared for his wife.

The former environment secretary said Lord Tebbit "did what he thought was right" and showed "remarkable courage" following the Brighton bombing.

Meanwhile, South Suffolk MP James Cartlidge said: "Saddened to hear about the passing of Lord Tebbit.

"He was a true giant of British politics who defied terrorism and always stayed true to his principles.

"Having settled in Suffolk, even in his later years it was so impressive that he still took the time to involve himself in our local Conservative association."

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