Cameron honours "great" Margaret Thatcher

David Cameron last night honoured Margaret Thatcher as a "great" and "towering figure".

The Conservative leader presented his predecessor with a lifetime achievement award, saying she had "transformed our country".

The former prime minister and Tory peer was honoured at the Morgan Stanley Great Britons Award at London's Guildhall.

Presenting the award, Mr Cameron said: "As one of the towering figures of the past 50 years, Baroness Thatcher modernised and transformed our country and once again gave Britain a powerful voice in world affairs.

"She truly is a great Britain."

The new Conservative leader has been accused of distancing himself from Lady Thatcher in an effort to modernise the Tory party and position himself as the "heir to Blair".

Last year he said she had been the "greatest peace-time prime minister of the 20th century".

He added: "One of the reasons you deserve this award so much is your enormous courage - courage in sticking to your convictions and always believing they should be followed through."

Lady Thatcher, who was prime minister between 1979 and 1992 before being ousted by her colleagues, thanked Mr Cameron and urged him to claim a "proper majority" at the next election.

Last September Gordon Brown claimed a PR coup over his Tory rival by inviting Lady Thatcher to a high-profile tea party at Downing Street.

He praised his ideological advisory, proclaiming Lady Thatcher a "conviction politician".

Lord Norman Tebbit accused Mr Cameron of "being at great pains to distance himself" from the Conservative prime minister.