It’s nice that The Guardian has opened up a contest to look into the web of front companies Tony Blair has set up to manage his wealth and income, but the true outrage remains how much money he has “earned” in the first place:
Blair is estimated to be in the process of receiving up to £14m, making him one of Britain’s wealthiest ex-prime ministers. This includes a £4.6m memoirs deal with Random House.
He is also receiving a series of US fees from the Washington Speakers Bureau for making speeches estimated to include a £600,000 signing-on fee; consultancies with the US bank, JP Morgan and with Swiss insurers Zurich Financial Services; and commercial consultancy deals through his private firm, Tony Blair Associates, with regimes in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates among others.
The growth in Blair’s personal wealth was illustrated in May 2008, when he agreed to pay £5.75m for the late actor John Gielgud’s Buckinghamshire residence, described as “a small stately home”.
This was in addition to the £4.45m paid earlier for a London home in Connaught Square, together with an adjoining mews house.
All quite legal and above board, the rewards of years of hard work doing favours for the Americans and international business. He may be despised and hated the world over, but those who fancy they rule it appreciate their faithfully servant and have rewarded him accordingly.