Blair red-faced after ride on gravy train

Tony Blair has been caught fare-dodging. On Monday the former Prime Minister, who will earn in excess of £7m from his various speaking engagements and executive positions, was stopped on the Heathrow Express and asked to present his ticket by an inspector. He couldn’t. His excuse?

A red-faced Blair said that an aide had given him the money for the ticket - £24.50 - the night before, but when he arrived at Paddington he couldn’t find it. Blair, it seems, was "doing a Queen" and not carrying any money or bank cards. According to Blair's spokesman, one of his security guards (travelling with him to the States for a speech engagement) offered to pay on his behalf but the inspector waived the fee, giving TB a free ride.

Heathrow Express said that even former prime ministers - including Blair, who opened the £550m Heathrow Express service in 1998 - must pay for the train service. "Our policy is that everyone pays regardless of who they are."