Tony Blair 'is godfather to Rupert Murdoch's daughter'

The former British prime minister was reportedly present when Mr Murdoch's two daughters were baptised on the banks of the river Jordan last year.

The link between Rupert Murdoch and Tony Blair was revealed in a Vogue interview with Mr Murdoch's wife, Wendi Deng, the mother of nine-year-old Grace and Chloe, eight.

In the wake of the phone-hacking scandal and inquiries into the relationships between politicians, the media, and the police, the revelation could prove embarrassing for Mr Blair.

Read more on Wendi Deng: just who is the smack-down sister?

'Close friends'

Ms Deng does not mention Mr Blair directly but the article identifies him as Grace's godfather and says he attended the baptism "garbed in white". The piece also describes him as one of Mr Murdoch's "closest friends".

The children were baptised in a ceremony last year, which was covered at the time in celebrity magazines. Hollywood stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman were named publicly as godparents to Grace and Chloe, while Mr Blair did not feature in photographs.

Sources confirmed that Vogue's article was accurate, but Mr Blair's spokesman declined to comment.