London: An unseemly row was raging in Britain on Wednesday over whether former prime minister Margaret Thatcher should be granted a state funeral when she dies.
Thatcher, 80, who is currently enjoying good health, is generally seen as Britain's most divisive post-war leader.
According to a report in the conservative Daily Telegraph newspaper on Wednesday, Prime Minister Tony Blair has dismissed suggestions that she should become the first leader since Winston Churchill to be accorded a state funeral.
A spokeswoman for Blair's office said, "All that we can confirm is that there are no such plans and it is not appropriate to comment further."
The comment followed reports that Left-wing Labour Parliamentarians are up in arms about the possibility of a state funeral for Thatcher, and have pressed Blair to take a stand.
The Telegraph said plans for a state funeral would include a cortege passing through Trafalgar Square, along Whitehall and past Downing Street, the seat of government, ending with a service at St. Paul's Cathedral or Westminster Abbey.
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