An unseemly row was raging in Britain on Wednesday over whether Margaret Thatcher, the former prime minister, should be granted a state funeral when she dies.
Thatcher (80), who is currently enjoying good health, is generally seen as Britain’s most divisive post-war leader.
According to a report in the conservative Daily Telegraph newspaper on Wednesday, Prime Minister Tony Blair has dismissed suggestions that she should become the first leader since Winston Churchill to be accorded a state funeral.
A spokesperson for Blair’s office said: ”All that we can confirm is that there are no such plans and it is not appropriate to comment further.”
The comment followed reports that left-wing Labour parliamentarians are up in arms about the possibility of a state funeral for Thatcher, and have pressed Blair to take a stand.
The Telegraph said plans for a state funeral would include a cortege passing through Trafalgar Square, along Whitehall and past Downing Street, the seat of government, ending with a service at St Paul’s Cathedral or Westminster Abbey. — Sapa-dpa