BLAD AL_ARAB AUTANI: Blair's bizarre deal to sell 'deliverology' to Colombia, paid for by the United Arab Emirates... and Cherie can come along too

Sunday, 19 April 2015

Blair's bizarre deal to sell 'deliverology' to Colombia, paid for by the United Arab Emirates... and Cherie can come along too

Former Prime Minister struck deal in 2013 to advise on mining industry
Contracts boasts about his 'on-the-job experience and politician instincts'
Critics question whether ex-Premiers should work for other nations
Blair's office deny any conflict of interest involved in his business dealings

By MATT CHORLEY, POLITICAL EDITOR FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 11:44 GMT, 19 April 2015

Questions have again been raised about Tony Blair's money-making since leaving Downing Street in 2007

Tony Blair's global money-making projects face fresh scrutiny today after publication of a bizarre deal to sell the theory of 'deliverology' to Colombia.

Questions have also been raised about why the fees for the former Labour Prime Minister – who last week denied being in the 'league of the super-rich - are being paid by the United Arab Emirates, and not the Colombian government.

The contract sets out in great detail Mr Blair's demands for confidentiality, and includes a requirement that his wife Cherie join him on trips to South America.

Mr Blair last week defended earning money since leaving Downing Street, claiming it pays for the 'infrastructure' around him.

But critics have questioned the role of a former Prime Minister working for other sovereign states, and claimed there could be a conflict of interest between his role as the Middle East envoy and earning money from governments in the region.

Today the Sunday Telegraph revealed details of a contract signed between Mr Blair and the Colombian government in 2013.

Fees paid to Tony Blair Associates for the work advising Colombia on its mining industry, which brings in £2billion-a-year in royalties.

The 34page contract for a year was signed between Columbia's department of national planning, and Windrush No 3 LP, an arm of Mr Blair's business network.

It included carrying out a 'stocktake' of mining deals and contains at least 10 clauses on confidentiality.

It also boasts that Tony Blair Associates outperforms rival consultancy firms because it works with 'founders of deliverology' – jargon for the way governments can get things done.

'All our team members will have expertise in ... deliverology or mining induced growth strategies,' it says.

The business proposal states: 'Mr Blair, with his extensive on-the-job experience and politician instincts, will personally lead this project.

'Typically his contribution will go beyond the narrow focus of the specific project, and our growing understanding of the situation on the ground will allow Mr Blair to serve as an adviser to the government in several other areas, be it in domestic matters or questions of international politics.'

Tory MP Andrew Bridgen today called for curbs on former Prime Minister's working for other governments.

He told MailOnline: 'Anyone who has been Prime Minister and privy to the secrets of this nation should hold should never work for another sovereign government.'

Mr Bridgen says ex-PMs should be bound for life by the seven principles of public life, known as the Nolan principles, which include accountability and openness.'

He added: 'People have got the right to earn money but it is how it is done. At the end of the day I think a lot of the disillusion with politics began in the Blair years. The fall of politicians' standing seriously began in the Blair years when people felt they had been deceived.'

Mr Blair defended his money making, telling Newsweek last week said: 'I could not do what I do unless I was also able to generate income'.

He added: 'Am I better off than most people? Yeah, I'm very lucky. Am I in the league of the super-rich? Absolutely not, though you will have to make up your own mind about that.'

The Colombia contract includes a clause stating that Mr Blair would make two trips a year to Colombia, and he gets to choose who joins him. It specifically includes a statement that this could be his wife Cherie.

The Colombia contract also includes a clause stating that Mr Blair would make two trips a year to Colombia, and he gets to choose who joins him.

It specifically includes a statement that this could be his wife Cherie.

The Columbian government announced at the time that that 'the United Arab Emirates through the Office of Tony Blair [Windrush Ventures No 3 LP] domiciled in the UK' had signed an agreement 'to support the implementation' of the new laws on spending money raised from mining deals.

Another deal was signed in 2014, for offering advice on project management, according to the newspaper.

Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding, told the Telegraph: 'This raises serious questions of a conflict of interest over Mr Blair's roles as businessman and Middle East envoy.

'The UAE is supposed to be a leading donor government on the issue of Gaza and the West Bank, so what does Tony Blair put first, his role as Quartet envoy or his role as a businessman when dealing with them? What is the nature of all these contracts? There is still a lack of transparency about it.'

Mr Blair is working with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, for whom he once a foreword for a political book on The Third Way

But Mr Blair's office rejected the claims, and insisted the details of the work had been released in a press statement in 2013.

'There is absolutely nothing improper in this project being funded by UAE… on the contrary the sole objective is to support the Colombian Government's reform programme which aims to modernise public services and increase prosperity for its people.

'The TBA team works exclusively in the interest of and for the benefit of the Government of Colombia. As with any project, we maintain the strict confidentiality requirements of our contract.

'TBA has also been helping establishing a Delivery Unit, so that the government can better deliver services which will increase jobs, reduce poverty and transform the lives of people in Colombia. The work being undertaken is solely for the benefit of Colombia and is at no cost to the government and provided close to cost.

'We have no knowledge let alone involvement in the mining deal you refer to and any suggestion that we have been involved is false, neither were TBA involved in any laws relating to mining fees or royalties.

'And as we have repeatedly made clear, there are no conflicts of interests with any of Mr Blair's work, including his role with the OQR.'