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Article: FUNERAL ROW: Black Rod `put under constant pressure' Downing Street rejects fresh round of accusations based on unpublished `killer memo'
- Article from:
- The Independent (London, England)
- Article date:
- June 17, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2002 The Independent - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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DOWNING STREET applied "sustained and constant pressure" to
enhance Tony Blair's role in the Queen Mother's funeral, according to
a newspaper report of the memo setting out Black Rod's account of
events leading up to her lying-in-state.
Officials also attempted to persuade Black Rod to back their
version of events when Mr Blair complained about the story to the
Press Complaints Commission, it was claimed.
The bitter political row over whether Mr Blair's staff attempted
to alter details of the lying-in-state at Easter was reignited by the
revelations, despite Downing Street's attempt to close down the story
by issuing its own detailed dossier on Friday.
The Conservatives issued immediate ...