Pepsi Boss Indra Nooyi was among a host of minority celebrities invited by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to visit and dine at Chequers, his official country retreat, using British tax payers money, reports the Daily Mail.
London, July 26 : Pepsi Boss Indra Nooyi was among a host of minority celebrities invited by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to visit and dine at Chequers, his official country retreat, using British tax payers money, reports the Daily Mail.
Chequers, historically used to receive foreign dignitaries, diplomats and ministers, but duirng the last one-and-a-half years of Blair's Prime Ministership, it played host to the likes of Charlotte Church and her rugby player partner Gavin Henson, husband-and-wife TV hosts Vernon Kay and Tess Daly, and GMTV presenters Fiona Phillips and Lorraine Kelly.
At taxpayer's expense, Blair and his wife Cherie also wined and dined Richard Madeley and his daughter, Chloe.
Opposition MPs were quoted by the paper as saying that the revelations were final proof of Blair using Chequers as a "personal fiefdom" for his "celebrity obsession".
Others visiting Chequers included newsreader Kirsty Young, TV presenter Adrian Chiles and his wife Jane Garvey, a broadcaster on BBC Radio 5 Live, Ginny Buckley, former host of the BBC's Holiday programme, and fanatically Blairite newspaper columnist David Aaronovitch.
Sporting names on the list included England football manager Steve McClaren and former 10,000-metre runner Brendan Foster. Businessmen on the list included vacuum cleaner tycoon James Dyson.Blair is said to have splashed out on 84 gifts for guests.
Only a handful of politicians were fortunate to be invited by the Blairs. They included his former deputy John Prescott and his wife Pauline, former Home Secretary David Blunkett, and the new Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.
It was also revealed that Blair's overseas trips during his final full year in Downing Street topped 1.6 million pound mark. The total was, however, less than the two million pounds spent in fiscal 2005-06.
ANI