The demise of a pet cat led to the false rumour that Margaret Thatcher had passed away reaching the Canadian prime minister.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper was among 1,700 luminaries at a gala tribute to Canada's armed services in Toronto when word reached him.  They were in the middle of dinner when phones started to buzz with text messages claiming that: "Lady Thatcher has passed away."  Dinner chatter reportedly veered to expressions of shock and reminiscences of the 84-year-old former British prime minister, as news of her apparent passing spread like wildfire.

Canadian Press reports that the rumour eventually reached the ears of Mr Harper. Back in Ottawa, his aide Dimitri Soudas was dispatched to confirm the news and prepare an official statement.  Mr Soudas immediately emailed his contacts at Buckingham Palace and in British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's office.  They had no idea what he was talking about. Lady Thatcher, they informed an embarrassed Mr Soudas, was still very much alive.

About 20 minutes after the rumour mill started churning, a new message began to circulate among the diners at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.  It was Transport Minister John Baird's beloved 16-year-old cat - whom he'd named Thatcher out of admiration for one of his political heroes - who had died.  Mr Soudas reportedly commented: "If the cat wasn't dead, I'd have killed it by now."

Ah well... put the bunting away for the time being.

I would gladly pay the ultimate price...

The original was here