Tony Blair and Baroness Thatcher led the tributes to Sir Edward, who died at his homes in Salisbury last night, aged 89. The Prime Minister said: “He was a man of great integrity and beliefs he held strongly from which he never wavered. And he will be remembered by all who knew him as a political leader of great stature and significance.”

Both Lady Thatcher, who ousted Sir Edward as leader of the Conservative Party, and Michael Howard, the present leader, described Sir Edward as “a political giant”.

Lady Thatcher, who had an uneasy relationship with her predecessor, but also shared his modest background, said: “Ted Heath was the first modern Conservative leader — by his humble background, his grammar school education and by the fact of his democratic election.

“As Prime Minister he was confronted by the enormous problems of postwar Britain. If those problems eventually defeated him, he had shown in the 1970 manifesto how they, in turn, would eventually be defeated. For that, and much else besides, we are all in his debt.”

Mr Howard praised Sir Edward’s achievements before becoming Prime Minister. He said: “He was the last Conservative leader who had served in the Second World War. As chief whip, as a senior cabinet minister and, of course, as Prime Minister he made an enormous contribution to the political life of our country.

“He will always be remembered as a Prime Minister who took Britain in to the European Economic Community but his achievements went far beyond that.”

A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said that the Queen had been informed about Sir Edward’s death and was “terribly sorry” after hearing the sad news.

Sir John Major, the former Conservative Prime Minister, said: “[He] was a man of conviction and enormous talent who towered above his critics. His convictions were lasting and never disposable. His experience in the last war convinced him that we should make common cause with our European neighbours. He was convinced co-operation would improve everyone’s economic wellbeing and European security and in these judgments he was correct. We owe him a great debt.”

Charles Kennedy, the Liberal Democrat leader, said: “Our country has lost a gifted, good and indeed great figure.

“There can be few of whom it can be said that they literally changed the course of history but undoubtedly, where Europe is concerned, that can be said of Sir Edward Heath.”

Lord Howe of Aberavon, who served as minister for Trade and Consumer Affairs in Sir Edward’s Cabinet, said he would also be remembered for his attempts to reform the trade unions. “Ted Heath made a very determined effort to achieve that as well,” he said.

“He was Prime Minister in a very difficult time. He had some tough things to tackle. They weren’t easy.” Referring to Sir Edward’s passion for music and his accomplishments as a sailor, Lord Howe said: “The things that were characteristics of his were his commitment and enthusiasm. He didn’t always win but he made a real shot at achieving it.”

Robert Key, the MP for Salisbury, who was a former parliamentary private secretary to Sir Edward, said he was “a great Englishman”. “He loved our country, he loved our Queen, he loved our institutions and he took that love of our country wherever he went in the world,” Mr Key said. Mr Key suggested that Sir Edward’s feelings towards Lady Thatcher had mellowed in recent years. “When he fell out with Margaret Thatcher I think it was perhaps because they were too alike,” he said. “I believe he did mellow to her. He actually knew the battle was over. It was because they came from similar backgrounds. They were great achievers. They were great competitors.”

Tam Dalyell, the former Labour MP who succeeded Sir Edward as Father of the House, said that he was “deeply different from Margaret Thatcher”.

Mr Dalyell, said that their feud was because he did not believe in Lady Thatcher’s view of “them and us” politics. He said: “He had been in the war and you know if you have fought alongside men and women of different political views you come to respect them and listen to what they have to say.”

Lord Prior, a former Heath Cabinet member, said: “The man I knew was a much more sensitive man than most people realised. He cared desperately about people and about the doing the right thing for the country — he was a great patriot.

“I think history will treat him rather more kindly than the present.”

What they said about Sir Edward

Baroness Thatcher

Michael Howard

Lord Prior, a former Heath Cabinet member

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