Politicians attend funeral of ‘inspiring leader’ Norman Tebbit

Tory former Cabinet minister Lord Norman Tebbit will be remembered as a “giant” and an “inspiring leader”, the friend who gave the eulogy at his funeral said.

The service, at St Edmundsbury Cathedral in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk where Lord Tebbit had lived, was attended by a cast of politicians including former Conservative MP and novelist Jeffrey Archer and his wife Mary.

Conservative grandee Lord Tebbit, who was one of Margaret Thatcher’s closest political allies, died on July 7 aged 94.

Tory peer and author Lord Michael Dobbs, who gave the eulogy at Thursday’s service, described Lord Tebbit as “a giant, an inspiring leader”.

Former leader of the Conservative Party Iain Duncan Smith, who gave a reading from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, said afterwards that the service was “glorious”.

“It was a glorious service and rather befitting for Norman, Norman Tebbit, who quite often was understated but never missed an argument,” said Sir Iain.

“He was clear, he was himself from the word go, he didn’t change his values throughout the whole of his time,” he said.

“He was a tough competitor but the beauty of it that came out was he had a real soft heart and was kind and had many friends on all sides of the house.

“He was my mentor throughout the early part of my political career.”

Lord Tebbit was injured in an IRA bombing during the Conservative Party conference in Brighton in 1984, which left his wife, Margaret, paralysed from the neck down.

He served as employment secretary, taking on the trade unions, and as chairman of the Conservative Party from 1985 to 1987 he helped Mrs Thatcher secure her third general election victory.

He also served as trade secretary and had a reputation as a political bruiser.

He left the Commons in 1992 and became a member of the House of Lords.

His son William said his father died “peacefully at home”.

Lord Tebbit’s coffin arrived at the cathedral in a black hearse driven at walking pace, with family members following behind on foot.

Lord Tebbit’s children William, Alison and John each took turns to share reflections of their father, who Alison described as “uncompromising” and “loyal”, also possessing humour and a “sense of fun”.

The service, also attended by Sir Graham Brady, Tory MP Mark Francois, Lord Deben and Labour MP for Bury St Edmunds Peter Prinsley, ended with the RAF March as the recessional music as people filed out.