Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has died of a stroke at the age of 87, her spokesman Lord Bell has announced.

Baroness Thatcher led the British government from 1979 to 1990. The 87-year-old had been suffering from dementia for some time and passed away peacefully this morning from a stroke.

Lord Bell's statement said: "It is with great sadness that Mark and Carol Thatcher announced that their mother Baroness Thatcher died peacefully following a stroke this morning. A further statement will be made later."

According to the BBC, Thatcher spent her final days in the Ritz Hotel in London to make it easier to care for her.

More to follow...