Baroness Thatcher taken to hospital 'feeling faint'

Conservative celebrations over the election of David Cameron as their new leader were dampened last night when Margaret Thatcher was admitted to hospital.

It is understood that Baroness Thatcher, 80, complained of feeling faint while at the hairdresser, and her bodyguards took her to hospital. The former prime minister was detained overnight at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital as a precautionary measure.

A Conservative Party spokeswoman said doctors were confident that Lady Thatcher would be well enough to leave today. "She was not feeling very well ... They took her into hospital and they are running a few tests," the spokeswoman said.

Mark Purcell, of Chelsea and Westminster hospital, said: "Lady Thatcher was brought to the accident and emergency department at about 5pm. She has had a number of tests and she will remain in hospital overnight as a precaution... Her condition is stable and comfortable and she is now resting."

Lady Thatcher's daughter, Carol, won ITV's I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here show on Monday, and Lady Thatcher was reported to have remarked that she was keeping up the Thatcher reputation for winning.

Lady Thatcher, who had a reputation for surviving on four hours sleep a night when she was Prime Minister, became ill after radical dental work, when she was forced out of office in 1990. She fainted and collapsed during a US speaking tour.

She was later advised by her doctors to stop speaking in public after suffering a stroke, and scaled down her public appearances.

In October, this year, Lady Thatcher celebrated her 80th birthday at a dinner at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hyde Park. It was attended by The Queen as well as the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and stars from showbusiness, but she failed to invite Mr Cameron, while inviting his rivals David Davis and Liam Fox.

She has suffered a number of personal blows in recent years with the death of her husband, Denis, and the criminal conviction of her son, Mark, in South Africa, for his role in an attempted military coup in the oil-rich state of Equatorial Guinea.