This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2013/apr/08/no-state-funeral-margaret-thatcher

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
No state funeral for Margaret Thatcher No state funeral for Margaret Thatcher
(about 3 hours later)
Lady Thatcher will receive a ceremonial funeral with military honours at St Paul's Cathedral. Lady Thatcher will be honoured with a funeral of a scale not accorded to a former prime minister since the lavish spectacle of Winston Churchill's state funeral half a century ago, with the brunt of costs expected to be borne by the taxpayer.
The Queen has consented to the honour, said Downing Street. It is understood that Thatcher had been consulted on the details of the service, which is expected to reflect her love of Elgar. There will be no public lying in state at her request, it is understood. Downing Street announced that Britain's first female prime minister would receive a rare ceremonial funeral, with gun carriage, military procession and a service at St Paul's Cathedral, in the style of the funerals of Diana, Princess of Wales and the Queen Mother.
A No 10 spokesman said: "We can announce that, with the Queen's consent, Lady Thatcher will receive a ceremonial funeral with military honours. One rung below a state funeral, which is normally accorded to sovereigns, a ceremonial funeral requires the consent of the Queen, which has been given. There will be no public lying-in-state, at Thatcher's own request.
"The service will be held at St Paul's Cathedral. A wide and diverse range of people and groups with connections to Lady Thatcher will be invited. The service will be followed by a private cremation. All the arrangements being put in place are in line with wishes of Lady Thatcher's family. Further details will be published over the coming days." Costs are to be borne by the government and Lady Thatcher's estate, with Downing Street declining to reveal at this stage the proportion to be met by the state. A No 10 spokesman said the costs to the public purse would be published after the event.
The streets between Westminster and St Paul's will be cleared for the procession. They will undoubtedly include the costs of the planned military procession, involving hundreds of members of the armed services, and of the major policing and security operation expected to be mounted.
The costs of the funeral will be borne by the government and Thatcher's estate, Downing Street said. There will be a military bearer party and members of the armed forces will line the route. The total costs of policing the Queen Mother's funeral in 2002 ran to £4.3m, of which £2.1m was additional costs directly attributed to the funeral arrangements. The bill to the Ministry of Defence was revealed to be £301,000.
A ceremonial funeral is one below a state funeral, which is normally reserved for monarchs. Sir Winston Churchill was the last former premier to be given a state funeral, in 1965. The funerals of the Queen Mother and Diana, Princess of Wales, were ceremonial funerals. Reports at the time indicated the total costs of Diana's ceremonial funeral was greater than £3m, and may have been closer to £5m.
There is little difference between a ceremonial and a state funeral, but the latter would require an act of parliament. "To the man in the street it will look like a state funeral," said one Whitehall official. In the case of a state funeral, parliamentary approval is usually sought in advance, primarily to authorise funds. But there is little visible difference between a state and ceremonial funeral.
St Paul's recently provided a backdrop for the Occupy movement in London, with a tented protest against social and economic inequality – which it blamed on deregulation of the City that began with Thatcher's so-called "big bang" – springing up on the steps of the cathedral. Plans reportedly mooted in 2008, under Gordon Brown's premiership, for a state funeral for Thatcher caused controversy at the time. But according to her friend and spokesman Lord Bell, Thatcher herself did not wish for a state funeral and thought a fly-past over the service would be a waste of money.
When protesters were evicted the cathedral was criticised by some for its perceived cosiness with the establishment. "She specifically did not want a state funeral and nor did her family. She particularly did not wish to lie in state as she thought that was not appropriate. And she didn't want a fly-past as she thought that was a waste of money – somewhat in character, you might think. She expressed those views to me personally and she will get what she wanted," Bell said.
The funeral will take place in the middle of a series of open debates called The City and the Common Good being held under the cathedral dome. The armed forces will play a key part, in accordance with Thatcher's wishes. Her coffin will be moved to Chapel of St Mary Undercroft in the Palace of Westminster on the night before the funeral.
• Poll: should Thatcher have a state funeral? On the day, the streets will be cleared of traffic and the coffin will be taken by hearse to the Church of St Clement Danes, the RAF chapel on the Strand. From there it will be transferred to a gun carriage drawn by the King's Troop Royal Artillery and borne in procession to St Paul's, along a route lined by tri-service military personnel and members of the public who wish to pay tribute.
At St Paul's there will be a military guard of honour, and Chelsea pensioners will line the steps. The service, which will be televised, is expected to reflect Thatcher's love of Elgar. It is not yet known whether the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, will play a formal role.
Guests to the ticket-only service will include political leaders as well as people and groups with connections to her. It is not yet known whether the Queen will attend.
After the service there will be a private cremation. It is understood that Thatcher expressed wishes to be laid to rest beside her husband, Denis. in the cemetery of the Royal Chelsea hospital.
Apart from Churchill, three other prime ministers to receive a full state funeral in modern times were the Duke of Wellington in 1852, Viscount Palmerston in 1865 and William Gladstone in 1898. However, the funerals of post-war prime ministers have tended to be more modest affairs.
Ironically, the funeral of Thatcher, whose government was responsible for the "big bang" deregulation of the City, will take place in the middle of a series of open debates to run from 11 April at the cathedral on "The City and the Common Good".
St Paul's recently provided a backdrop for the Occupy movement in London, and when protesters were evicted it faced criticism from some quarters for its perceived acquiescence to the establishment.