Blair’s makeup habits scrutinised
Prime Minister Tony Blair has spent more than £1,800 of taxpayers’ money on cosmetics and make-up artists since coming into office, it has been revealed.
Downing Street paid £1,050.22 for cosmetics for Mr Blair’s media appearances between 1999 and 2005, according to figures revealed in answer to a parliamentary question.
A further £791.20 was spent on makeup artists over the last two years, The Sunday Times reports.
The information was revealed as MPs and peers broke up for the summer parliamentary recess on Thursday, the paper said.
Government whip Lord Bassam of Brighton disclosed the figures in response to a parliamentary question tabled by Tory peer, Lord Hanningfield.
The Sunday Times claims the figures suggest that spending on the Prime Minister’s cosmetics reached its height between 2003 and 2004, when he was under scrutiny about intelligence reports on weapons of mass destruction.
During the last election, some commentators had also speculated as to whether Mr Blair was using fake tan to stay looking healthy in spite of dull grey weather.
Claudia Croft, fashion editor of The Sunday Times, said politicians has to increasingly think about their image given the amount of political information departed on television.
“Blair can’t look pasty and knackered, so he’d need fake tan, a bit of blusher, lots of hair gel and some foundation. Maybe he might use a bit of lip gloss,” she speculated.
The brands and types of cosmetic products used by Mr Blair were not revealed in the parliamentary answer.
