Margaret Thatcher voted worst Prime Minister in last 100 years

Margaret Thatcher has been voted the worst Prime Minister of the last 100 years by an association of historical writers, just pipping David Cameron to the unenviable title.

Baroness Thatcher got the thumbs-down from 11 of the 45 fiction and non-fiction authors who took part in the Historical Writers Association survey, including the organisation’s former chair Manda Scott, who condemned her for ‘neo-liberalism, deindustrialisation, free market ideology, Scottish poll tax, selling council houses and failing to act on early stages of global warming’.

Undated handout X-ray issued by the RSPCA of a dog which had to be put down after he was found buried alive with a nail through his head. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Wednesday October 19, 2016. 

Walkers made the horrific discovery whilst out in Kirkleatham Woods in Redcar, Cleveland at lunchtime on Wednesdayhis handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.

Dog buried alive with a nail hammered into its head

But the choice was disputed by former Liberal Democrat leader Lord Ashdown, who told the Harrogate History Festival that the Iron Lady was ‘a great and necessary destroyer’.

‘I put her down as one of the most successful PM’s of all time, not because I agreed with her, but because she laid out her stall and she achieved it, and Britain in many ways was stronger afterwards – although in many ways it was also weaker, particularly our sense of communities,’ said Lord Ashdown.

File photo dated 27/06/16 of David Cameron who is to continue his drive to create a "Big Society" in his first role after quitting politics. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday October 11, 2016. 

The former prime minister will help oversee the expansion of the National Citizen Service (NCS) into a universally available programme to help more teenagers gain life skills, as chairman of NCS Patrons. See PA story POLITICS Cameron. Photo credit should read: Rick Findler/PA Wire
David Cameron came in a close second place 

Almost 100 days after leaving office, Mr Cameron was named the worst PM of the last 100 years by 10 authors, accused by HWA chair Imogen Robertson of ‘sleep-walking us into Brexit’.

Author Tom Harper gave Cameron his vote, saying: ‘Neville Chamberlain had to contend with Hitler, Eden with Nasser: Cameron couldn’t see off Nigel Farage.’