Sunday July 17, 10:04 PM
ITN
Former Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath has died, aged 89. A spokesman for Sir Edward confirmed the death of the Conservative Prime Minister who was elected to office in 1970.
His death comes just a week after the ex-Tory leader was well enough to celebrate his 89th birthday with a party.
In more than half a century in the House of Commons, Sir Edward's, often referred to as Ted, crowning achievement was to lead Britain into Europe.
He is equally well known for his feud with Baroness Thatcher, who ousted him as party leader.
Sir Edward secured British membership of the Common Market after becoming Prime Minister in 1970.
His time in Downing Street was also marked by a confrontational approach to pay and the unions which resulted in numerous strikes.
With the country on a three-day week and rubbish piling up in the streets the miners threatened to bring his government down.
In 1974 Sir Edward called an election asking "who governs Britain?" and did not get the answer he had hoped for as Harold Wilson's Labour Party came back to power.
The knives were out and a junior colleague Margaret Thatcher surprised everyone by trouncing him in the first round of a leadership contest the following year.
Sir Edward had been party leader since 1964.
He entered Parliament as an MP in February 1950 and only stood down at the 2001 election.
His bitter-sweet Commons farewell speech included a characteristic attack on his party's Euroscepticism.
He said: "It is only right we should share our sovereignty without European neighbours for the greater benefit of all".
A bachelor, Sir Edward is famed for his love of music and sailing, in which he competed at international level.
