Blair's invite to Churchill's driver

Stan Carrick used to be the driver for Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill's wartime driver was invited back to Downing Street after meeting Prime Minister Tony Blair while waiting for a blood test.

Tony Blair was opening a medical centre in his Sedgefield constituency on Thursday, when he met 85-year-old Stan Carrick.

Mr Carrick was a chauffeur for the war time leader between 1940 and 1945.

The intrigued Premier asked Mr Carrick, who is a great grandfather, about his role and was interested to hear that Churchill's Humber 27 cars were also armoured like his own modern day Jaguar.

Mr Carrick said he had been back to 10 Downing Street as an 80th birthday treat but the Prime Minister was not there that day.

Mr Blair replied: "Anytime you want to come down, I'll make sure I'm in."

They then discussed Churchill's war rooms which Mr Blair said he had visited for the first time with the Japanese Prime Minister.

Winston Churchill was driven by Mr Carrick between 1940 and 1945

Mr Blair was officially opening a new medical centre in the village of West Cornforth, County Durham, where Mr Carrick was having a blood test.

The Prime Minister was on a short visit to his constituency and was expected to return to London, before going on holiday at the weekend.

After Mr Blair left, the former driver explained he had got the job with Churchill by chance.

Mr Carrick, a former factory supervisor, enlisted in 1940 with the Royal Army Service Corps and after he impressed his superiors while driving for a general, he was recruited to the team who looked after the Prime Minster.

He said he sometimes took the Premier's wife out for a drive during the day and colleagues referred to him as "Mrs Churchill's blue-eyed boy".

He said he kept his role quiet when he came back to County Durham because many local people were unhappy with Churchill's treatment of the miners.

Mr Carrick also had a word for the present Prime Minister and his critics. He said: "I think Mr Blair has done a good job and they should all lay off him."