How Zola Budd passport row reached the top of Thatcher's government

Declassified papers show Geoffrey Howe warned Leon Brittan against giving athlete special treatment before 1984 Olympics The decision to grant the South African-born athlete Zola Budd a British passport provoked a bitter row at the top of Margaret Thatcher's government, newly declassified papers show, pitching the then home secretary, Leon Brittan, against his sceptical colleague Sir Geoffrey Howe. Budd, a 17-year-old running sensation, was ineligible to compete in international competitions bec...