Chequers guest list prompts disquiet over tobacco tycoon’s visit
The first ever list of people the Prime Minister has entertained at his official country residence, has been published.
Tony Blair, whose interest in showbiz personalities has long been touted in the press, has entertained a number of celebrities at Chequers including former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell and ex-England footballer Sir Trevor Brooking.
The list, which shows the names of individuals entertained at Chequers since June 2001, shows that the Prime Minister has also played host to Sir Terry Leahy, boss of the supermarket chain Tesco and the business guru Edward de Bono.
But Mr Blair is likely to come under fire for entertaining French tobacco tycoon Alain Dominique Perrin at the Buckinghamshire mansion.
The Prime Minister is currently facing a parliamentary inquiry over his failure to declare a 2002 family holiday at Mr Perrin’s French chateau and commentators suggest that news of the tobacco boss’ visit to Chequers will add to disquiet over Mr Blair’s links with the cigarette industry.
The full list of guests the Prime Minister has entertained at Chequers was passed to Liberal Democrat MP Norman Lamb last week after an 18-month battle to acquire the information from Downing Street.
Mr Lamb asked parliamentary ombudsman Ann Abraham to intervene in April 2003 after the Prime Minister refused to answer a parliamentary question about who he had entertained at his official residence.
Ms Abraham reportedly overruled “fierce resistance” from officials and deemed that the information should be published on the grounds of public interest, as funding for official entertainment at Chequers is provided by the taxpayer.
The list of guests does not however include those who have met privately with the Prime Minister at Chequers without being fed there.
Mr Lamb, who told The Observer newspaper he would be writing to the Prime Minister to question why Mr Blair had used taxpayer’s money to entertain Mr Perrin, described the release of the information as a victory for freedom of information.
“While an important principle has been established, this saga shows the Government has a lot to learn if it is truly to endorse freedom of information”, said Mr Lamb.
The Government says the new Freedom of Information Act, which came into force yesterday, will make a large amount of official information available to the public
