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Despite having campaigned to stay in the European Economic Community (EEC) the precursor to the EU former Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher is now often portrayed as a spiritual mother of euroscepticism. She passionately fought and won a number of battles against what she saw as the excessive powers of Brussels. In 1984, she negotiated a British rebate on contributions to the EEC in what has long been considered one of the Iron Ladys finest victories.

Despite her anti-EU stance, according to Lord David Owen, it was one of Baroness Thatchers key decisions that ultimately tied Britain to the EU.

In an interview with Express.co.uk, the former Foreign Secretary and SDP leader argued that the former Prime Minister should have listened to her then-Chancellor Nigel Lawson before signing the Single European Act.

He explained: "Nigel Lawson is a significant figure.

"He wrote to Margaret Thatcher twice in 1986 warning her not to allow the use of the term 'monetary', which was very significant in the Single European Act.

"He deserves great praise for this.

"Thatcher should have said no, and she realised this later.

"We should have said no to the monetary system, because if we had, then we could have easily vetoed Maastricht."

The Brexiteer noted: "But having gone on and on with that language, it was much harder to block Maastricht.

"Particularly when Kohl was so accommodating giving us the opt outs."

The Single European Act (SEA) was the first major revision of the 1957 Treaty of Rome.

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The Act set the European Community the objective of establishing a single market by December 31, 1992.

It was signed in Luxembourg on February 17, 1986, and at The Hague on February 28, 1986.

The Act set the precedent that, in order to achieve such a market, a genuine Economic and Monetary Union had to be established a goal which was set out in its preamble.

It conferred on the Community a monetary capacity, which is to say the possibility of adapting the Community institutions to the subsequent development of an economic and monetary policy.

The future economic monetary union was, therefore, to be established within the Community framework.

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Despite Baroness Thatcher's mistake, she spent the following years fighting against the Maastricht Treaty the international agreement that saw what was then the European Community evolve into the European Union with initially only 12 member states.

While the Iron Lady's successor Sir John Major was in favour of signing Maastricht, she believed the Treaty would have "diminished democracy and increased bureaucracy in Britain.

Referring to the signing of the Single European Act, the Tory grandee said in 1993: Our trust was not well-founded.

We got our fingers burnt.

"The most silly thing to do when you get your fingers burnt is to bring forward a bigger and worse Act which is the equivalent of putting your head in the fire.

Speaking months later in the House of Lords, Baroness Thatcher also claimed: I could never have signed this treaty.

Despite opposition from the Conservatives, Sir John signed the Treaty on February 7, 1992.

Read more:
Brexit blow: How Margaret Thatcher unintentionally tied Britain to EU - Express