ASHTEAD'S Member of Parliament has spoken of being a part of a "truly fitting tribute" after attending the funeral of Margaret Thatcher.
Chris Grayling was among 2,000 guests from around the world, including the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, invited to the former Prime Minister's memorial at St Paul's Cathedral.
The Conservative MP was invited to the service as part of his role in the current administration's cabinet, where he serves as Secretary of State for Justice.
Speaking about the service on April 17, the Lord Chancellor told the Advertiser: "It was a very appropriate occasion and a beautiful service for a fantastic Prime Minister.
"The amount of support and crowds outside the cathedral and along the route was really nice to see and showed the impact she had on the majority of peoples' lives."
He added: "There were a huge number of people in attendance who had been a great friend of Baroness Thatcher and it was very special to have all of those people together under the same roof.
"There were huge cheers from the crowd when they saw the coffin being carried outside of the cathedral and it was a very touching sight."
The former Conservative Prime Minister, who held the role from 1979 to 1990 and is the first and only woman to do so, died following a stroke on April 8 at the age of 87.
Commonly referred to as "The Iron Lady", she is regarded as one of the UK's most important figures of the 20th century
Lady Thatcher's politics and leadership style were renowned, and her brand of policy implemented during her time in office has come to be known as Thatcherism.
Mr Grayling added: "The whole thing was a truly fitting tribute and the sermon by the bishop was spot on. It felt like a great event despite it obviously being a deeply sad moment for the family.
"I think it was genuinely a celebration of her life and times and a coming together of great Conservatives as well as other important institution during her reign such as the Armed Forces.
"The fact that the Queen was in attendance says something of Thatcher's impact on the county and her being there made the day that more special."
