Thatcher Was 'Remarkable Figure,' Former British Prime Minister Says

Although a divisive leader, Margaret Thatcher will be "missed profoundly" on both sides of the Atlantic, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Monday.

Speaking at Lafayette College in Easton a few hours after Thatcher's death was reported, Blair said Thatcher was someone who believed in a strong bond between the United States and the United Kingdom.

“Whether you agree with her or disagree with her, and I had plenty of times where I disagreed with her, she was a remarkable, empowering figure," Blair said at the start of his speech, which was the college's 2013 Lives of Liberty Lecture.

Thatcher, 87, died Monday after suffering a stroke. She had led England's Conservative Party for nearly 12 years, the longest tenure of any 20th century prime minister. She was also the first woman to lead the nation.

"But although that in itself is a great accomplishment, I think it says a lot about her that it is not the accomplishment for which she will be known in history," Blair said.

He recalled a meeting they had when he first entered Parliament. Each Wednesday afternoon, the prime minister held a question-and-answer session with members of Parliament.

Blair said he decided to challenge Thatcher's record on employment in England using figures from the government's 1944 "white paper" on unemployment.

Thatcher then refuted his arguments, he said, using figures from the same paper.

“I sat down to complete humiliation," Blair said.

Years later, when he became prime minister, he found himself on the other side of the table during the question-and-answer session, and learned it could be a "terrifying" experience.

To this day, he joked, whenever noon rolls around on Wednesday, "a slight chill comes over me."