Monmouth's MP and Assembly Member have paid tribute to Baroness Thatcher following the death of the former Prime Minister at 87 after a stroke.

Monmouth MP David Davies said: "I was inspired by Margaret Thatcher to join the Conservative Party during the 1980s and I believe she was one of the greatest Prime Ministers of the last century.

"At the time she became Prime Minister the British economy was in a state of near collapse. Lady Thatcher pioneered a series of economic reforms which, although criticised at the time, went on to be widely copied by governments of left and right throughout the developed world and it is for this that she will always be remembered.

"However I believe that equally important was Lady Thatcher's contribution to the end of the Cold War which had divided the world.

"Along with other statesmen such as Ronald Reagan she was opposed to any policy of appeasement with the Soviet bloc who were imprisoning their citizens behind a heavily armed and impregnable border.

"The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the subsequent move to democracy was something that might not have happened without the determination by Western leaders such as Lady Thatcher to stand up for human rights and freedom in the Communist ruled nations of Eastern Europe.

"On a personal note, I was very saddened to hear of her death but I will always remain proud to call myself a Thatcherite."

Monmouth's AM Nick Ramsay said: "This is very sad news.

"Baroness Thatcher was instrumental in halting the economic decline that had plagued Britain throughout the 1970s.

"She provided strong leadership on the world stage and her partnership with President Reagan and the Soviet Union's Mikhail Gorbachev helped resolve the tensions of the Cold War, making the world a safer place for generations to come.

"Baroness Thatcher changed Britain for the better and I've no doubt her legacy will stand the test of time."