Do British Prime Ministers have term limits and if so why was Thatcher in office so long?

Answer 1

The British Government has to call a General Election every four or, at the maximum, five years. British Prime Ministers do not have term limits as US Presidents have, they can remain in power for as long as they are supported by public opinion and the confidence that their own party has in their leadership. Margaret Thatcher was in power for so long because she had the majority support of the Conservative Party, and also because the opposition Labour Party was weak and in disarray at the time. She was finally forced to resign in November 1990 because of the overwhelming opposition to the Poll Tax (basically, a tax for a person's very existence!) both from the British public at large and from within her own Party.

Answer 2

NO. British Prime Ministers do not have term limits. Within every four years, the Prime Minister must call elections and the party must prevail in order for the current Prime Minister to retain his post, but as long as that party retains a dominant position, there is no requirement that the Prime Minister be someone different. The Conservatives with Thatcher retained a dominant position for 11 years with her and continued to be dominant for a few more years under her less popular successor.

Answer 3

There is no limit for British Prime Ministers but there has to be a General Election at least once in any five year period. Mrs Thatcher was Prime Minister for a long time because her Political Party won the elections.