BLACK Country Conservative MPs have been reliving their memories of former Prime Minister Baroness Thatcher, who died today, describing her as an inspiration and a “titan of our age”.

Stourbridge MP Margot James was among one of the first members of the public to congratulate Margaret Thatcher when she became leader of the Conservative Party back in 1975.

Ms James was a 17-year-old A level politics student when she heard the party had elected its first-ever female leader and she was one of the first to rush to meet the Iron Lady, as she became known, who stopped to shake hands with supporters outside Parliament amid the celebrations.

She recalled: “I heard the news that she’d won and I went to the House of Commons on the off-chance of seeing her. It was marvellous.

“There were so many people there and I was crushed at the front of the railings. She came round with a huge bouquet of flowers; shaking people’s hands - and she got to me and shook my hand.”

Ms James, who won her Stourbridge seat for the Tories in 2010, went on to enjoy a number of other meetings over the years with Baroness Thatcher - Britain’s first and only female Prime Minister - including sitting next to her at a dinner for aspiring female politicians.

She said Thatcher’s leadership and government had been instrumental in creating the conditions the enabled her to build up a successful business - as well as inspiring her own career in politics.

Ms James, who joined the Conservative Party at the age of 15, recalls: “I was 21 when she was elected Prime Minister. At that time our economy and Britain’s place in the world was dire, my father’s business had been nearly wrecked - it was such a bad scenario.

“I really felt like there was no future for anyone who wanted to make something of their lives and get on.

“It was her government that paved the way for all the freedoms and incentives that she restored. My ability to start a business and do well was the result of her government.”

She added: “She analysed what was wrong with Britain, she knew what needed to be done and she never wavered.

”She had an extraodinary sense of duty. She was very resilient and absolutely determined.

“I was inspired by her; she made me realise what you could achieve in politics.”

Dudley South MP Chris Kelly also paid tribute to Mrs Thatcher, who suffered a stroke, aged 87, saying he was “deeply saddened” to hear of the death of his “absolute hero” who occupied Number 10 from 1979 to 1990.

He added: “I adored her immensely. I feel privileged to have met her many times and, even more so, to have shared laughs, jokes and smiles with her. Those are moments I will never forget.

“Margaret Thatcher was undoubtedly the greatest of Britons – it is impossible to overstate her significance in domestic and international affairs. A true titan of our age.”

Baroness Thatcher’s funeral is expected to be held at St Paul’s Cathedral.

The Conservative leading lady’s death follows that of former Brierley Hill MP Sir Fergus Montgomery who was instrumental in Margaret Thatcher’s election as Tory leader in 1975.

The former Tory MP, who twice served as Thatcher’s Parliamentary Private Secretary before she rose to power, passed away on March 19 aged 85.