LONDON — A row has erupted over the use of “taxpayers” money to finance the £10 million funeral of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
The Guardian
This comes at a time her supporters have also unveiled plans to honour her with a United States style Presidential library worth £15 million.
Thatcher died on Monday last week and is expected to be buried on Wednesday at a funeral where more than 2 000 people have been invited.
In a news column yesterday, Lord Prescott, the Labour Party former deputy prime minister, said the funding of the funeral using public funds was not justified and was a “political propaganda exercise”.
“And her ‘children’, the out-of-touch Tory boys Cameron and Osborne, are getting you to foot the £10m bill for the biggest political propaganda exercise this country has ever seen,” he wrote.
The bishop of Grantham, Reverend Tim Ellis, also said: “In a context where there is great ill feeling about her legacy, we have a situation where we seem to be expecting the nation to glorify that with a £10m funeral, asking for trouble,” he said.
But the Cherish Freedom Trust said there were plans to honour Thatcher by coming up with a library to be based in central London. The kind of honour, according to those organising it, was adopted from the US where all former Presidents set up a library in their name and to house their papers and honour their legacies.
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So far the trust has reportedly secured pledges worth £1m for the Margaret Thatcher Library and Museum and hopes to raise £15m.
The idea is being championed by Donal Blaney, chief executive of the Thatcherite Conservative Way Forward group.
