Margaret Thatcher hospitalized

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was taken to the hospital Friday evening after falling ill at her home, a Conservative Party spokesman said.

Thatcher, 82, was admitted to St. Thomas' Hospital near Westminster Palace for tests, the spokesman said.

"Her condition is stable and she is speaking to the medical staff who are caring for her," a hospital spokeswoman told the BBC.

Thatcher is expected to stay overnight for observation, the hospital said, according to The Associated Press.

Britain's first and only female prime minister retired from public life after a stroke in 2002.

She suffered several smaller strokes after that.

Nicknamed the "Iron Lady" by the Soviet press after a 1976 speech criticizing communism, Thatcher enjoyed a close working relationship with President Ronald Reagan, with whom she shared similar conservative views.

Although her doctors advised against public speaking, a frail Thatcher attended Reagan's 2004 funeral, saying in a prerecorded video that Reagan was "a great president, a great American, and a great man."

"And I have lost a dear friend," she said.

Thatcher was elected head of the Conservative Party in 1975 and took office as prime minister when the Conservatives won control of the government in 1979.

She won re-election in 1983 and 1987, but was forced to resign three years later during an internal leadership struggle after she introduced an unpopular tax that led to rioting in the streets.

During her time as prime minister, she emphasized the rights of the individual versus that of the state, moral absolutism and nationalism.

In her first term, Thatcher reduced or eliminated many government subsidies to business, a move that led to a sharp rise in unemployment. By 1986, 3 million Britons were out of work.

Thatcher was the first 20th century British leader to win three terms.

She was named Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven after leaving office. E-mail to a friend

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