New job in the Blair rich project?
Updated on 25 January 2010
As Tony Blair gets ready to appear at the Iraq inquiry this week, fresh rumours are doing the rounds about the former prime minister's latest business role.
The web is awash with chatter about Mr Blair's latest corporate "job" with speculation rife he is signing up to a lucrative deal with hedge fund Lansdowne Partners.
The Financial Times reports he is set to give four "geo-political" talks which could earn him as much as £100,000 each. The role may then be expanded into a more permanent arrangement.
A spokesman for Mr Blair said: "Mr Blair remains one of the most popular international speakers around. These talks for Lansdowne were organised by the Washington Speakers Bureau in the usual way. Mr Blair has not taken a job with Lansdowne Partners."
Already a veteran of the speech-making circuit, Mr Blair has been accused of cashing in on his near-celebrity status since leaving Downing Street in 2007.
He was forced to defend his money-making activities just before Christmas, describing himself as a "social entrepreneur".
Mr Blair has divided his time between unpaid humanitarian work and professional consultancy as well as advisory roles for banks and governments in the Middle East and Africa.
He has worked with JP Morgan and Zurich Financial Services, helping to substantially contribute to his reputed annual income of £7m.
He set up the Tony Blair Faith Foundation in May 2008 and earns hundreds of thousands of dollars to give speeches on faith and globalisation in the US.
