Mrs Blair 'exploiting' PM's job

2005-06-02 12:11

London - Cherie Blair, wife of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, faced accusations on Wednesday from the opposition Conservative party that she was exploiting her husband's job to make money on the United States (US) lecture circuit.

Leading Conservative member of parliament Chris Grayling told BBC radio Mrs Blair was "effectively exploiting" her husband's position and violating the spirit of ministerial rules.

He demanded a tightening up of government rules as Mrs Blair prepared to give an inside account of life in 10 Downing street at a talk in Washington next week.

"The rules for ministers explicitly say they cannot make money from commercial activities in relation to their job," Grayling said.

"What we have here is a grey area because we have — not the minister himself, but his wife giving lectures to paying audiences about their life at number 10," he said.

A fine line

Grayling told BBC radio he was not accusing Blair of breaking any rules, but said she had strayed over the line of "what people would feel the rules should say".

Grayling has written to cabinet office minister John Hutton asking him to look into the matter.

He said the ministerial code should cover activities directly linked to the job of the prime minister.

Blair's talk on Monday at the 2 500-seat Kennedy Centre is billed as the inside account of the "First Lady of Downing Street" and coincides with the prime minister's trip to Washington for talks with US President George W Bush.

Britain's domestic Press Agency news agency said it understood all tickets had been sold at between $60 and $95.

A Downing Street spokesperson said: "Mrs Blair's engagement has been arranged for some time. It is a private engagement and she is travelling independently of the prime minister's party.

"If she and the prime minister are in Washington at the same time it is a coincidence," the spokesperson said.

Blair led his Labour Party to a third straight term in power last month, albeit with a smaller margin than in the previous elections.

- AFP