EDUCATION MINISTER RUAIRÍ Quinn will attend Margaret Thatcher’s funeral on behalf of the Irish government next Wednesday.
The Labour Party minister will attend the funeral at St Paul’s Cathedral in London next week where the former Conservative Party leader will be mourned.
A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs said: “As neither the Taoiseach nor the Tánaiste are available to attend, Minister Ruairí Quinn will be attending to represent the government.”
Meanwhile, the British government has said that over 2,000 invitations will be sent out for the funeral with Downing Street today releasing an initial guest list.
Notable attendees will include the Queen, all surviving former prime ministers, all surviving US presidents, all surviving members of Thatcher’s Cabinet, the current British Cabinet, Labour leader Ed Miliband and the former South African president FW de Klerk.
One notable non-attendee is the former leader of the British Labour Party, Neil Kinnock, who was the leader of the opposition during much of Thatcher’s 11 years as Prime Minister.
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev is not attending due to health problems and neither is Nancy Reagan, the widow of former US President Ronald Reagan.
Picture: Julien Behal/PA Wire
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