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| Tony Benn's funeral takes place in Westminster | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Crowds have gathered in Westminster to pay their last respects to Tony Benn, whose funeral service has been taking place yards from the House of Commons. | |
| Banner-wielding trade unionists, anti-war campaigners and other well-wishers burst into applause as the funeral cortege arrived at the church. | |
| The veteran Labour politician died earlier this month at the age of 88. | The veteran Labour politician died earlier this month at the age of 88. |
| His body lay in rest before the funeral service in the Palace of Westminster's Chapel of St Mary Undercroft. | His body lay in rest before the funeral service in the Palace of Westminster's Chapel of St Mary Undercroft. |
| He was only the second politician to be granted the honour after Baroness Thatcher. | He was only the second politician to be granted the honour after Baroness Thatcher. |
| The service took place in St Margaret's, which is known as "the parish church of the House of Commons", after his body was taken on the short journey by hearse from Parliament, with family members following on foot. | |
| The procession was led by the chaplain to the Commons Speaker, the Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin, who had kept an overnight vigil beside the body. | |
| Onlookers clapped as the coffin was carried from the hearse to the entrance to the church but silence fell as Big Ben chimed 11:00, and it was borne into the church to the sound of the choir broadcast on speakers to those outside the private ceremony. | |
| Mr Benn's sons and grandsons carried his casket - topped with red roses - into the church for what has been described as a traditional funeral service, to be conducted by Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend John Hall. | |
| Labour Leader Ed Miliband, a family friend, and shadow chancellor Ed Balls were among the mourners. | |
| Among those seen shedding a tear was Mr Benn's long-time Labour colleague and former foreign secretary Dame Margaret Beckett. | |
| Figures from across the political spectrum, including Conservative grandee Lord Heseltine and Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams, joined Mr Benn's friends and allies on the left, including George Galloway, Dennis Skinner and Ken Livingstone, at the service. | |
| House of Commons speaker John Bercow read from First Corinthians 13 and the congregation sang Jerusalem, seen by many socialists as their anthem. | |
| Tributes poured in from across the political spectrum after Mr Benn's death. | Tributes poured in from across the political spectrum after Mr Benn's death. |
| Mr Miliband described him as an "iconic figure" while Prime Minister David Cameron said that Mr Benn ensured there was "never a dull moment", even for those who disagreed with every word he said. | |
| Mr Benn's son, Labour shadow cabinet minister Hilary, told MPs how much his father, who won 16 elections, loved Parliament and was devastated when he was initially barred from entering the Commons upon his own father's death in 1960, "because it was alleged that his blood was blue". | Mr Benn's son, Labour shadow cabinet minister Hilary, told MPs how much his father, who won 16 elections, loved Parliament and was devastated when he was initially barred from entering the Commons upon his own father's death in 1960, "because it was alleged that his blood was blue". |
| He added: "His blood was never blue, it was the deepest red throughout his life." | He added: "His blood was never blue, it was the deepest red throughout his life." |
| The funeral will be followed by a private family cremation later this afternoon and a memorial meeting will be held later in the year. |