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William Hague says it is right MPs "commemorate the achievements of a leader of such historic proportions"
William Hague has defended the cost of Baroness Thatcher's funeral, saying the UK can "afford" to contribute.
Speaking as MPs and peers prepare to pay their respects when Parliament is specially reconvened at 14:30 BST, the foreign secretary said it was right to commemorate a "historic" leader.
Downing Street said the cost of the funeral would not be released until after the event.
The funeral will involve hundreds of service personnel and a gun salute.
It is due to take place next Wednesday, with the ceremony in London's St Paul's Cathedral following a procession from Westminster.
More than 700 armed forces personnel will be involved in lining the route, including three bands whose drums will be covered in black cloth.
A gun salute will be fired from the Tower of London and the coffin will be carried into St Paul's by service personnel from regiments and ships closely associated with the Falklands campaign.
Lady Thatcher's family is meeting an unspecified amount of the expense, thought to cover transport, flowers and the cremation, with the government funding the rest, including security.
No official figure has been given for the estimated overall costs, although newspaper reports suggest it could be up to £10m.
In other developments:
- Labour leader Ed Miliband is expected to tell MPs where he thinks Lady Thatcher "went wrong"
- The Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr says the former prime minster made an "unabashedly racist" comment to him after her retirement
- The chairmen of Wigan Athletic and Reading football clubs say Lady Thatcher's life must be honoured in some way, as the Premier League say they will not be asking clubs to hold a one-minute silence at forthcoming fixtures.
- Rupert Murdoch praises the former prime minister as a "risk taker" who "believed in doing the right thing".
- Unite union leader Len McCluskey calls Thatcherism an "evil creed"
- Books of condolence will be made available shortly in the Guildhall, in the City of London and St Margaret's Church, Westminster.
Some of the former Conservative prime minister's opponents have queried the cost of the funeral and the expense of bringing Parliament back for a day during its Easter recess for MPs and peers to pay tribute and debate her legacy.
MPs returning from overseas visits can claim up to £3,750 in travel expenses
But, speaking on BBC One's Breakfast programme, Mr Hague, a former Conservative leader, said: "It's right Parliament meets and commemorates such a leader of historic proportions in our country's history.
Analysis
"Not exactly complimentary."
That's what Margaret Thatcher made of a question from the Labour MP David Winnick as she faced her final Prime Minister's Questions in 1990.
Mr Winnick is among those who want to be uncomplimentary again.
For him, and for other critics, it would be hypocritical to remain silent as the House of Commons considers her legacy.
After all, she famously enjoyed a good parliamentary fight.
The question for her opponents: how forthright should they be when she can no longer answer back?
And will they choose to attend to hear the tributes of others?
"She changed the course of our history and there have been many comments over the last few days from all corners of the political spectrum.
"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."
Mr Hague, who first came to public prominence in 1977 when he spoke, aged 16, to the Thatcher-led Conservative Party's annual conference, was her favoured candidate when he ran successfully for the party leadership in 1997.
He said he believed many people on the left's biggest problem with Lady Thatcher was "they could never beat her".
"They claimed to stand for millions of people but they could never get as many votes as Mrs Thatcher in an election," he said.
Prime Minister David Cameron will lead tributes later in the Commons, with Labour leader Ed Miliband and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg also due to speak.
Mr Miliband has told his MPs they are free to criticise Lady Thatcher, but must do so in a "respectful" way and he has "urged" his frontbench to attend the debate.
In his own speech, he will discuss where she "went wrong", including her stance on apartheid in South Africa and the impact of her policies on some communities, a party source said.
Mr Miliband has asked his MPs to attend, but some say they will not, calling the event a waste of money. One MP, John Mann, has said tributes could have been paid next week, when Parliament is due to return.
Former shadow health secretary John Healey, who will also not take part, said: "It's completely over the top. It's a misuse of Parliament."
Respect's George Galloway has dismissed the event as a "state-organised eulogy".
'Co-ordination meeting'After the last death of a former prime minister, Sir Edward Heath, in 2005, the Commons staged an hour-long debate to pay tribute. Up to seven-and-a-half hours has been set aside for Lady Thatcher.
The funeral of the UK's first female prime minister, who died on Monday after a series of strokes, will be attended by the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh.
It will be the first time that the sovereign has attended the funeral of a British politician since that of Sir Winston Churchill in 1965.
Former Labour prime minister Tony Blair has confirmed he will be attending, amid speculation former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and ex-US first lady Nancy Reagan may also be present.
Continue reading the main storyLady Thatcher, who had been in poor health for several years, will not have a state funeral, but will be accorded the same status as Princess Diana and the Queen Mother.
A ceremonial funeral, with full military honours, is one rung down from a state funeral - normally reserved for monarchs - and requires the consent of the Queen.
A Downing Street spokesman said the details had been agreed at a "co-ordination meeting" between the Thatcher family and Buckingham Palace and that Lady Thatcher's estate would make a contribution.
Lady Thatcher was prime minister from 1979 to 1990, winning three successive general elections. She died "peacefully" on Monday after suffering a stroke while staying at the Ritz hotel in central London.
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Westminster
The funeral procession will set out from the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft which lies beneath St Stephen's Hall the at the Palace of Westminster.
St Clement Danes
A hearse will take the body to the RAF Chapel at the church of St Clement Danes on the Strand. From there Baroness Thatcher's coffin will be drawn to St Paul's Cathedral on a gun carriage by the King's Troop Royal Artillery.
St Paul's Cathedral
The route to St Paul's will be lined by all three armed forces and Chelsea Pensioners will attend on the steps of the Cathedral.
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