British foreign secretary was critical of Margaret Thatcher

Francis Pym, an antagonist of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher who served as her foreign secretary during the Falklands War, died Friday after a long illness, his family said. He was 86.

Pym served two years as defense secretary during Thatcher’s first term as prime minister. In 1982, while Britain was battling Argentina to keep control of the Falkland Islands, he was named foreign secretary after the resignation of Peter Carrington.

Thatcher fired Pym after winning the 1983 election, and he became increasingly critical of her policies. Unwisely, he had said during the campaign that he hoped the Conservative Party would not win an overwhelming majority. Thatcher won in a landslide.

Her biographer, the late Hugo Young, described Pym as “perhaps the most perfect epitome of the kind of Conservative politician Mrs. Thatcher detested.”

He was a pro-European moderate, one of the so-called wets she disparaged, and a critic of the government’s economic policies.

But as foreign secretary, he gave crucial support during the most difficult days of her three terms.

Francis Leslie Pym was born Feb. 13, 1922, in Abergavenny, Wales, and was educated at Eton and Cambridge. He was awarded the Military Cross and earned praise as a captain in the 9th Royal Lancers during the African and Italian campaigns in World War II.

He was elected to the House of Commons in 1961, becoming the fifth member of his family since the 17th century to win a seat.

Pym served as secretary of state for Northern Ireland in 1973-74 in Edward Heath’s government.

After Thatcher won power in 1979, she appointed Pym as defense secretary. Increasingly unhappy with Thatcher’s plans to cut defense spending, he lasted only two years in the job.

After being dismissed as foreign secretary, Pym became more outspoken in his opposition to Thatcher.

In 1985, he launched the Conservative Centre Forward group in the House of Commons, which aimed to “recapture the Conservative Party for the traditional brand of Toryism.”

Pym is survived by his wife, Valerie; two daughters; and two sons.