Funeral costs to be ‘much less’ than £10m

Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude has defended the spending on Baroness Thatcher’s funeral, saying it will cost “much, much less” than a reported £10m.
By The Newsroom
Published 18th Apr 2013, 01:01 BST
The coffin bearing the body of Baroness Thatcher is moved from the Palace of WestminsterThe coffin bearing the body of Baroness Thatcher is moved from the Palace of Westminster
The coffin bearing the body of Baroness Thatcher is moved from the Palace of Westminster

The Minister, who has been overseeing the funeral arrangements, said the state would always pay the costs of the funeral and memorial service of a former prime minister. He added that Lady Thatcher’s family would be bearing some of the cost.

Speaking on ITV’s Daybreak programme, Mr Maude said Lady Thatcher was a “remarkable” premier who made a “massive contribution” and it was right in a “decent country” that this should be recognised.

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“The costs will be a fraction of what is being bandied around,” he said.

Guests take their seats ahead of the funeral service of Baroness Thatcher, at St Paul's Cathedral, central London.Guests take their seats ahead of the funeral service of Baroness Thatcher, at St Paul's Cathedral, central London.
Guests take their seats ahead of the funeral service of Baroness Thatcher, at St Paul's Cathedral, central London.

“The state will always pay for the costs of a funeral and memorial service of a former prime minister and Margaret Thatcher was very adamant she did not want to have a separate memorial service, so this is the one occasion where people have the opportunity to pay their respects, give her a send-off and commemorate what was, by any consideration, a very remarkable life.”

He said it was right that the country recognised “a game-changing prime minister, both for Britain and also a leader internationally”.

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