In UK can an executor of a will have the deceased's body donated to science rather than pay for a funeral?

The executor must carry our the wishes of the deceased and if those include the donation of the body for medical research, then he must complete a form containing a declaration to that effect. It is also permissible to donate the body on the basis that the deceased expressed a wish that this be done, without the need to produce any documentation in support. As you will see, a great deal here depends upon the integrity of the executor. Something else which not everybody appreciates is that a body donated in this way has to be collected very soon after the death and it has to be in very good condition. Not all of us would meet the exacting standards of the institution concerned.