Four Premiers united in tribute to Ashdown
FOUR former prime ministers led the tributes yesterday at a celebration of the life of Liberal Democrats leader Paddy Ashdown.
Tory premiers Sir John Major and David Cameron sat side by side with Labour’s Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
They joined more than 2,000 well-wishers to honour Lord Ashdown, who died last December, aged 77, two months after being diagnosed with cancer.
Among those packed into Westminster Abbey were representatives from the Royal Marines and Special Boat Service, in which Lord Ashdown served.
Also present were colleagues from the Foreign Office and intelligence services, along with friends from his former constituency of Yeovil, in Somerset.
Sir John Major described Lord Ashdown as “a political opponent who became a friend to cherish”.
He was a man of “ideals, not shabby deals”, he said.
Born into an Army family, Lord Ashdown joined the Marines aged 18. The following year, he married wife Jane. They had two children, Kate and Simon, and remained together until his death. In 1983, he became the MP for
Yeovil, his home town, before being elected Liberal Democrat leader in 1988, a role he held till 1999.
He went on to serve as high commissioner for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Sir John told how, during his time in the troubled region, Lord Ashdown was informed Serbian gangsters had put a £1.8million price on his head, to which he replied: “It’s not enough.”
Also attending were Liberal grandees Lord Steel, Sir Nick Clegg, Sir Vince Cable and Tim Farron, current party leader Jo Swinson and Dame Shirley Williams, aged 89.
Commons Speaker John Bercow attended with his wife Sally.