Ex-PM Thatcher kept in hospital

Baroness Thatcher will stay in hospital for "several days" as a "precautionary measure", her spokesman has said.

Mark Worthington said 83-year-old Lady Thacher, who was prime minister from 1979 to 1990, was "very comfortable".

She was able to sit up in a chair and talk to visitors but doctors would assess her condition over the coming days, Mr Worthington added.

She was taken to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital on Friday after she fell, fracturing her arm.

On Saturday Lady Thatcher's son Sir Mark said she was "in good spirits".

He said his mother was "relaxed" and had "a bit of mischief about her".

On Friday, Lady Thatcher's office said there were no complications or other health issues to be concerned about, following her accident.

"It's a simple fracture, but bearing in mind who she is, she's 83 and the shock to the system, it's just belt and braces. There is nothing untoward."

They said she had tripped and fallen on Friday morning. An ambulance was called and she was transferred under police escort, with her special branch protection detail, to the hospital.

An X-ray revealed she had fractured her upper arm.

'Nothing untoward'

Lady Thatcher, who led Britain from 1979 to 1990, has become increasingly frail in recent years and has suffered a number of minor strokes. Her daughter Carol has also spoken about her struggle with dementia.

Ill health forced her to abandon her regular public speaking engagements in 2002 but she still makes public appearances.

In March last year she spent the night in hospital after feeling unwell while having dinner with friends.

But last week she was at the Carlton Club in London to mark the 30th anniversary of her historic election victory.

In September 2007 Gordon Brown surprised many of his own backbenchers by inviting the peer to visit Downing Street and praising her as a "conviction politician".

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