Cherie Blair and the convicted con man

The Blairs are coming under increasing pressure

The Shadow Home Secretary, Oliver Letwin, is calling for an inquiry into whether ministers became involved in efforts to deport the conman Peter Foster. He's the man who helped Cherie Blair buy two flats.

Breakfast talked to Stephen Pound, loyal Labour MP, and Martin Bell, former Independent MP for Tatton and anti-sleaze campaigner.

Their discussion focussed on the trust factor, and the media's seemingly insatiable hunger for more on this story and how they view Cherie, who is a strong woman with a private life.

Click here to watch the above discussion.

Breakfast also heard from Michael Ancram, Conservative Deputy leader. He said we really do need an official inquiry. He also questioned the integrity of Downing Street.

Click here to watch our interview with Michael Ancram

click here to e-mail us with your views

Prime Minister Tony Blair has insisted his wife Cherie did not meddle in moves to deport the conman who helped her buy two flats.

He defended her after solicitors representing convicted fraudster Peter Foster, confirmed Mrs Blair had telephoned them to inquire about the case.

All she did was speak to the lawyers on the phone to check if the case was being handled properly

Clare Short

Mr Blair said the case had been handled "entirely properly", insisting there was "no political interference".

Downing Street had earlier said Mrs Blair - a friend of Mr Foster's girlfriend Carole Caplin - did not "assist" the Australian in his legal battle against deportation from the UK.

In an interview with Tuesday's Financial Times - given before the news of the phone call broke - Mr Blair played down the importance of the row.

He said: "This is just part of what comes with the territory nowadays. This type of media frenzy will come and it will go."

The row at a glance
Click here for full story

Mr Foster's solicitors said Mrs Blair took part in a conference call on 22 November, but this was only "to reassure" Ms Caplin about the progress of immigration proceedings.

The solicitor's statement stressed Mrs Blair "did not intrude into our conduct of the proceedings and for the avoidance of doubt, had no say whatsoever in our choice of representation".

Peter Foster faces deportation proceedings

The row began last week when it was reported that Mr Foster had boasted that Mrs Blair had asked him to negotiate the purchase of two luxury flats in Bristol.

Mrs Blair said she had not known of Mr Foster's criminal past when she first accepted his offers of help for the flat sale.

But commentators said it "stretched credulity" that she could get involved with his deportation case without knowing his background.

Downing Street said she stood by her statement that she would have been more "circumspect" had she known of Mr Foster's past.

'Out of control'

"At no point did she interfere in the immigration case proceedings. Nor would she," it said on Monday.

The call to Mr Foster's solicitors had been "short" and aimed at helping Ms Caplin, it said.

All she did was speak to the lawyers on the phone to check if the case was being handled properly

International Development Secretary Clare Short

International Development Secretary Clare Short told BBC2's Newsnight programme Mrs Blair had done nothing wrong.

She said: "The whole thing is out of control and it is ridiculous.

"All she did was speak to the lawyers on the phone to check if the case was being handled properly."

BBC political editor Andrew Marr agreed Mrs Blair had done nothing legally wrong, but said her actions showed a worrying "lack of judgement" for a prime minister's spouse.

"The government's reputation is a bit tarnished, the Blairs' reputation is a bit tarnished, and they've learned some very, very hard lessons," he said.

Downing Street also insisted no rules were broken in the purchase of two flats in Bristol, as the Tory party had suggested there could be.

This was because the Blairs' blind trust - trusts set up so ministers do not know how their money is being invested so cannot be accused of impropriety - was used to buy the flats.

Downing Street said the relevant code of conduct covered share dealings and other areas where the government could be thought to influence the situation, not flats.

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