Thatcher's ex-economic adviser dies at 82

LONDON, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Alan Walters, the economic adviser to former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, has died at 82.

The Daily Mail reported Monday that Walters died Saturday. He suffered from Parkinson's Disease.

In his role in the Thatcher administration, Walters reportedly clashed with the then-Chancellor of the Exchequer Nigel Lawson over entering the Exchange Rate Mechanism, the precursor to the euro system.

He was first appointed economic adviser Thatcher in 1981, and was reappointed in 1988.

The newspaper said it is thought that Walters's resignation statement in 1989 began a chain of events which led to Thatcher's political downfall.