Taxpayers can 'well afford' to foot estimated £10m cost of Margaret Thatcher's funeral, says Hague
British taxpayers can well “afford” to contribute to the estimated £10 million cost of Baroness Thatcher's funeral, the Foreign Secretary William Hague said this morning, as MPs and peers gathered to debate her legacy.
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But Mr Hague, who was backed by Baroness Thatcher when he ran successfully for the party leadership in 1997, said the cost of funeral arrangements and other associated expenses were entirely appropriate considering what the former prime minister had contributed to Britain.
Speaking on BBC One's Breakfast programme, Mr Hague said: “It's right Parliament meets and commemorates such a leader of historic proportions in our country's history.
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“When it comes to money, the rebate she negotiated for this country from the EU has brought us so far £75bn - which is twice the size of our annual defence budget.
“I think that puts money in perspective... so I think we can afford to contribute to a funeral.”
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/uk/taxpayers-can-well-afford-to-foot-estimated-10m-cost-of-margaret-thatchers-funeral-says-william-hague-29187676.html
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