Blair faces inquiry into £6 million a year security bill
TONY BLAIR faces a Parliamentary inquiry into the spiralling cost of his security after six police officers were photographed guarding the rear of his home.
Local residents say the presence of such large numbers of armed officers is making them nervous and affecting the once calm atmosphere of the upmarket neighbourhood.
Tory MP Mark Field will this week table a Commons question about the costs of protecting Mr Blair, estimated at £6million a year and rising.
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He says the state should only pay to protect one of his homes and all other security should be met from the money he earns from capitalising on his years as prime minister.
The furore comes as Mr Blair faces questions about the purpose of his meeting with the Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi last month at which he was said to have been entertained “like a brother”.
With police forces facing drastic cutbacks, neighbours living near Mr Blair’s £4million town house in Connaught Square, London, are astonished at the array of firepower being used to protect him.
Last Wednesday one armed officer stood guard at the front of the house with three others at the rear, where the Blairs own another property in a mews-style close.
During the afternoon three other officers arrived at the rear of the property, possibly for a shift change or to bolster the security presence.
One neighbour said: “The armed officers sit at the back in full view of everyone with their guns on a table, sipping coffee. They work shifts so we think there are 20 or so involved.
“Some days you have to thread your way past three heavily armed men just to get into your street. It’s utterly ridiculous.”
The officers on house guard are in addition the 16 or so close protection officers constantly at his side as he travels the globe on private money-making ventures or when in the Middle East, where he acts as a part-time envoy for the European Union, America, the UN and Russia.
Armed officers also guard Mr Blair’s £4million country home near Aylesbury, Bucks. On Friday there appeared to be two on duty.
In contrast, Gordon Brown is said to have 10 close protection officers. At his Scottish home last week, the Sunday Express could only see one.
David Cameron has asked for less security and often does not use his armoured car to save public money.
Last night backbencher Mr Field, whose constituency covers Connaught Square, said: “This has been an ongoing sore for the past couple of years and some residents have had enough of it. It is unnerving for residents to see police with machine guns.
“Some are pleased they have so much police coverage on one hand but, as the situation in the Middle East ebbs and flows, there are concerns it could be a security risk.
“You are looking at a substantial security bill. Given the personal wealth Mr Blair has acquired very rapidly in the time since he has been prime minister, given the fact there is going to be heightened security because of the Iraq war and his ongoing involvement in the Middle East, it begs the question whether it would be more sensible for him to live in a place where it would be easier to provide security.
“Given the controversy over his time in office, he is going to need constant security for the rest of his life. A sensible arrangement would be for the state to cover the expense of security around one property. If you want to have a portfolio of properties, as Mr Blair has, then I think he should be funding the cost of security for second and third properties.”
Mr Field will this week table a question in the House of Commons seeking disclosure of the costs to the taxpayer of Mr Blair’s security.
He is also writing to the Public Accounts Committee suggesting they begin an investigation into the costs of protecting so many properties and how much the bill will come to over Mr Blair’s lifetime.
Mr Blair recently bought a home for one of his four children and Mr Field will attempt to discover if the taxpayer has to foot the bill for security there.
“I accept the need for some security,” he said. “He has chosen to have a portfolio of homes. I think it’s fair the state pays for one and he should pay for the others.”
Mr Blair is expected to make several million pounds from his memoir A Journey, which is due to published in September. It is believed he has earned £20million since quitting 10 Downing Street, largely through £100,000-a-time speaking engagements.
He took up the job as peace envoy shortly after leaving office in 2007 after ten years at Number 10. The Palestinian movement Hamas views him with hostility because of his links with the US and Israel.
Additional research: Pete Maclaine
