Westland affair

The Westland Affair was a political controversy in the UK during the late 1980s involving Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s government. It centered on a disagreement over the future of the Westland helicopter company. Thatcher’s government initially supported a sale to an American company, but the then-Defense Secretary, Michael Heseltine, favored a European consortium approach. When Heseltine resigned over the dispute, it led to questions about government integrity and conflicts of interest. The affair damaged public trust and revealed tensions within the Conservative Party about decision-making and accountability.