TONY BLAIR will not break off his holiday to attend the funeral of Robin Cook, his former Foreign Secretary, Downing Street has confirmed.

Gordon Brown, the Chancellor, who had a tense political relationship with Mr Cook for more than 20 years, is expected to deliver the eulogy at the funeral, which is likely to be held in St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh, on Friday.

The Prime Minister is understood to feel that the security arrangements that would have to be put in place if he did attend would detract attention from the funeral itself.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said: “At the moment we have no news of what kind of occasion it is going to be but I am not aware that the Prime Minister has any plans to return from his holiday.”

If there is a memorial service at a later date Mr Blair would certainly attend, she said. In Mr Blair’s absence, the Government will be represented at the funeral by John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister.

Mr Blair led the tributes to Mr Cook, who died on Saturday, calling him an “outstanding, extraordinary talent”. But the relationship between the two men was strained, even before Mr Cook quit the Cabinet over the war in Iraq.

Of all the critics of the war, Mr Cook was the one most feared by the Prime Minister. The former Foreign Secretary had continued to criticise Mr Blair’s handling of the situation right up to his death.

In one of his last contributions he noted that warnings that the intelligence services had made to the Government that invading Iraq would make Britain a greater target for terrorists had been correct.

Mr Brown’s decision to deliver the eulogy for Mr Cook reflects a recent rapprochement between the two men. The Chancellor’s allies have made it clear that Mr Cook would have been given a job in a Brown Cabinet if and when Mr Brown took over from Mr Blair as Prime Minister.

Mr Cook had taken to praising the Chancellor and, with Gaynor, his wife, last month spent most of a day with the Browns at their Scottish home in North Queensferry, near Edinburgh. While the Chancellor and Mr Cook shared a long-standing mutual suspicion of each other — both in Opposition and in Government — they had a healthy respect for each other’s intellectual and political abilities.

Mr Cook’s funeral arrangements are expected to be finalised today after the results of a post-mortem examination that is expected to be completed this morning are known.

Margaret Cook, who was married to Mr Cook for 28 years, said that she hoped to attend his funeral but would respect the wishes of Gaynor, his second wife.

“I will certainly be there unless there is any serious opposition. But I would sincerely hope to be there,” she said.

Dr Cook added that she had not been in contact with Gaynor although she said that she felt enormous sympathy for her. She said that her sons, Christopher, 31, and Peter, 32, had spent time with Gaynor over the past two days helping with the funeral arrangements.

“I don’t really think she is in any state to speak to me yet. I have been a thorn in her side long enough,” Dr Cook said. “I have stepped back a little bit and my role is to support the boys. I have been ferrying them around and helping with suggestions (for the funeral).”

She said that she thought that the funeral would be in church. “Although Robin was an atheist, he had a spiritual dimension. We were married in church although he was an atheist then,” she said.

She added that she was not surprised by Mr Blair’s decision not to attend. “I think, on reflection, that a good reason to keep away is the security aspect. It would make the funeral into a bit of a circus if he attended. I don’t think it is a snub.”

Mr Cook, 59, collapsed while on a walking holiday with Gaynor near the summit of Ben Stack in the north of Scotland on Saturday and was pronounced dead 90 minutes later after being airlifted to hospital.

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