News about Cherie Blair

A senior government source has today said the 'administrative burden' that comes with prosecutions is 'not worth the hassle it creates' and should be scrapped. It has been reported that a change to non-payment enforcement will be part of the negotiations between the government and the BBC, which begin in January. Concerns have been raised about the disproportionate number of women who have been pursued through the legal system for failing to pay their TV licence. They account for around 70 per cent of those fined. Nearly 1,000 people are prosecuted each week for not paying their TV licence fee, which costs £169.50 a year - it is the most common crime in the country apart from motor offences.

Cherie Blair has revealed that she was once pushed down the stairs by an 'entitled' and 'out of control' domestic abuser while she was representing his vulnerable victim, resulting in her having to be 'rescued' by court staff.  In an interview with The Independent, the human rights lawyer and wife of former prime minister Sir Tony Blair, Ms Blair said the incident happened when she was a young barrister, and had just gotten a restraining order against the perpetrator.  'As I came out of court, he followed me and he pulled me down the stairs and I had to be rescued by the court staff because he was so out of control,' she said, adding that the perpetrator 'believed he was entitled to behave that way' and that 'he was perfectly prepared to attack me too.'

The minister was incandescent. 'What are they trying to do to her?' he raged. 'Why did they send her to London Fashion Week in the middle of this storm over her dresses? They've turned her into a cross between Victoria Beckham and Cruella de Vil.'

Lord Alli (above right) discussed ­Starmer's sartorial style - or the lack of it - with his old friend Lord Mandelson (pictured with Sir Keir). Mandelson, the infamous 'Prince of Darkness' of political spin, had long argued that presentation and personal appearance matter hugely in politics. Lord Alli, one of the first openly gay Muslim politicians in the world who arrived in the House of Lords in 1998 wearing a diamond earring, wholeheartedly agreed.

The couple at the centre of the world's most expensive wedding are set to host a two-month after-party at a prestigious country club in Slough and could get the Duke of Sussex to attend. Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant captured gazes around the world with their extraordinarily opulent £250million nuptials in Mumbai earlier this month. The remarkable three-day affair saw the rich and famous - including the likes of Kim Kardashian , Boris and Carrie Johnson , and Tony and Cherie Blair - fly into India for the event. But while the happy day is over it seems the honeymoon has barely begun, with the newly-weds deciding to stay at Stoke Park in Berkshire until September as they celebrate. Sources have claimed that the couple's cosying up with the rich and famous has not finished, with the Johnsons and Blairs both expected to pay visits to them while their ensconced in the seven star hotel. It is even believed that Prince Harry might make an appearance at the venue, which lies less than seven miles from Windsor Castle, which is often used by his father King Charles for audiences.

Angela Rayner's Downing Street outfit choice on her first day as Deputy Prime Minister evokes both Ali Baba and Cherie Blair, Daily Mail columnist Andrew Pierce has told this week's The Reaction. Hosts Sarah Vine and Andrew have been picking through the first few days of Sir Keir Starmer's government. They have spoken about Labour's housing plans, the impact Reform's five MPs will have - and the fashion challenges of being a female politician. 'The trousers didn't fit - they looked like Ali Baba trousers,' Andrew said.

As a new Member of Parliament back in 2005, I was surprised to receive an invitation from Cherie Blair to drop by for tea, a chat and a tour of No 10. It was my first glimpse into what life in Downing Street was like for a Prime Minister's wife and I was astounded. No wonder she'd co-authored a book about it, called The Goldfish Bowl.

It did not take long for Sir Keir Starmer's wife, Victoria, to make crystal clear her intention to 'lead her own life' after moving into No 10. On Saturday, as her husband got his feet under the desk, first holding a cabinet meeting and then a news conference, Lady Starmer took herself off to the races. She watched the Coral-Eclipse, one of the biggest fixtures on the Flat season calendar, at Sandown Park in Esher, where she was spotted with friends studying the form in a chic, green floral Me+EM dress and seemingly oblivious to the political drama she had left behind. Racing is her great passion, inherited from her mother, Barbara, who was born in Doncaster on the edge of the town's famous racecourse.

Cherie Blair has highlighted 'absurd' figures showing that one third of all female criminal convictions in the UK are for not paying the TV licence fee. The human rights lawyer also claimed fewer women should be jailed in general because it causes 'irreparable' harm with a disproportionate effect on families. Ministry of Justice data from 2012 until 2016 showed between 29 and 31 per cent of all convictions for women each year within that period were for licence fee evasion. However, this fell gradually over the following years to 25 per cent by 2019, then slipped further to 18 per cent in 2020 and now stands at 10 per cent for 2023. But one figure that has not changed so much over time is the proportion of women convicted for licence fee offences compared to men - which was 71 per cent women in 2016, and 74 per cent women in 2023. Mrs Blair told the Times Crime and Justice Commission : 'When you think that a third of all female convictions are for not paying their TV licence ... it's absurd. The cost of those women's places in prison, the impact on their children, the fact that they'll probably lose their accommodation. I mean what is the sense in that?'

Queen Camilla revealed King Charles was 'thrilled' to return to royal duties this week and joked that she had been 'trying to hold him back' during his cancer treatment. The Queen (left), 76, spoke about the monarch's dedication to his work' during her reception at Buckingham Palace to relaunch the Wash Bags Project today.  The monarch, 75, returned to public duties yesterday after doctors said they were pleased with his progress following cancer diagnosis in February. On Tuesday, Charles (right), who has been a patron of Macmillan Cancer Support for over 20 years, made a trip to the London treatment centre (inset). Speaking to Teresa Tideman, chairman of In Kind Direct, the Queen said today: 'I think he was really thrilled to be out.'

Queen Camilla was joined by Theresa May, Cherie Blair and Carrie Johnson as she relaunched the Wash Bags Project at Buckingham Palace today (right inset). The royal, 76, first launched the initiative, which provides toiletries to victims of sexual abuse, back in 2013.  For the occasion, the Queen opted for an elegant blue collared dress, black suede heels and her a green Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet. During the reception, Camilla said she was inspired to start the project after speaking with rape and sexual abuse survivors during her visits to the Sexual Assault Referral Centres from 2009 onwards. The bags - which are donated by Boots - are offered at the centres after victims undergo forensic examination, as a small gesture of comfort during a difficult time. The Queen was pictured deep in conversation with Cherie Blair (left), 69, who founded her own foundation to help get women into business in 2008. Meanwhile, Camilla was also pictured seen happily chatting with Theresa May (right), who served as the UK's second female Prime Minister from 2016 to 2019. Earlier in the afternoon, Carrie Johnson (centre) shared a joke about motherhood with Queen Camilla as she was warmly greeted by the royal at a Buckingham Palace reception.

The barrister, who is married to ex-PM Sir Tony Blair , is backing the Children's Poverty Plan, which says the law that means Universal Credit payments cover only two of a family's children 'breaks the link between what children need and the support they receive'. Her intervention could be awkward for Sir Keir, who has said he plans to keep the cap in place if he wins the election, despite unease among Labour politicians including Manchester mayor Andy Burnham . Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning, Lady Blair said there had been a 'massive increase of relative poverty' in recent years.

EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: He was just 41 when he announced his resignation after amassing an estimated £450 million. Since then, the 'Wizard of Oz', as Australian hedge fund whizz-kid Greg Coffey (left) has purchased an £83 million American estate in the Hamptons and the 12,000-acre Ardfin Estate on the Scottish island of Jura. However, Coffey is now at loggerheads with the jeweller, who lives in one of London's grandest squares, where another flat sold for just over £12 million eight months ago. Dorrit Moussaieff (right), 74, has become so flooded by water that she sloshes down from Coffey's apartment that she's shared a snapshot showing where ceiling panels have crashed to the ground, according to a photograph shared on social media. Moussaieff tells me, 'It has impacted me horribly.' Flooding has occurred repeatedly.' Water damage has now been excluded from the building.'

Could sticking small metal beads to your ear really help ease the crushing symptoms of chronic fatigue condition ME? Since an entrepreneur insisted that the products, also known as ear seeds, helped her recover from the disease in just a year, it's been asked this week. Giselle Boxer, 31, from Sheffield, was stunned by all six judges on Dragon's Den for a minority interest in her company Acu Seeds earlier this month. Dragon Steven Bartlett, 31, for 12.5 percent of the company, which sells packets of gold- or silver-plated ear seeds for £30, was ultimately accepted by the mother-of-one. ME, which stands for myalgic encephalomyelitis, is a disabling, complicated disease that affects 250,000 people in the United Kingdom.

RICHARD KAY: For years, the woman, who had mistakenly dubbed the 'Angel of Peckham', had been treated with love and admiration that bordered on adulation. Universities had been attempting to give honorary degrees to her feet, but the BBC named her as one of the country's 100'most influential' women. But eight years ago, her reign as Britain's undisputed charity queen came to a halt, as Kids Company, which she founded in order to support homeless children and their families from violent and underprivileged inner-city backgrounds, came to a halt due to allegations of misappropriation of tens of millions of pounds of taxpayer money. With the death of her mother, princes, actors, and the gullible rich who were all seduced by her flamboyant outfits and equally optimistic stories about her charity this week, the mystery remains as to why she captivated prime ministers and princes, celebrities, and the gullible wealthy who were all seduced by her dazzling outfits and similarly dazzling reports about her charity.

The records show that Cherie Blair was 'adamant' that her husband Tony should be hanged in Lincoln's Inn, the inn of court, but it brought him a headache for his aides. A consultant named Fiona Millar wrote to Mr Blair in November 2002, "We have a dilemma here because you haven't got time for the required sittings at this moment." One of us thinks the photo of you posing for your portrait is a particularly good one at the moment, particularly if the war in Iraq escalates.'

The last five episodes of The Crown have finally arrived on Netflix - to mixed reviews. On Thursday, December 14, part two of series six came to an end, bringing the famous show about the British royal family to a close. The episodes explore William and Harry's grief in the aftermath of Diana's death, Prince Margaret's last years, as well as William and Kate's first thrones of romance while attending St Andrews University.

Berlusconi, a titan of Italian politics and culture renowned for balancing work and pleasure, died in June at the age of 86 after a string of health problems culminating in a leukaemia diagnosis, was a titan of Italian politics and culture renowned for mixing work with pleasure, and he had a property portfolio to match. From opulent palazzos, lakeside villas, mansions, and penthouses from Antigua to Antigua, the three-time Prime Minister, who also built a massive media empire whilst fighting a string of court cases ranging from mafia collusion to underage prostitution. Villa Certosa, a mansion nestled on Sardinia's Emerald Coast, where Berlusconi held a lavish welcome reception for Tony and Cherie Blair in August 2004, is just one of the rare houses up for auction, and is expected to sell for €250 million. However, although Berlusconi's five children decided to sell the majority of his real estate, one home will remain in the family, according to Italy's ANSA news service.

When I told my son I was pregnant at the age of 50, he was pretty startled, spluttering: 'Aren't you getting on a bit, mum?' I was born when I was 21 years old and I was planning to meet his brother or sister at the age of 51, rather than beginning a new round of endless nappy swaps and sleepless nights. Having two children with a 30-year age difference allows me to compare pregnancy and motherhood three decades apart, and I can tell you with absolute certainty that having a baby in my 50s is the best thing I've ever done, including having one in my 20s. Alice is now five, I'm 56, and apart from aching joints and menopause (thankfully managed by HRT), I'm loving every single minute of late-life motherhood. In fact, I'd say the whole process has been much less straightforward this time around: I've more hours, patience, self-belief, and I'm sure a much happier mother than I was 30 years ago.

RICHARD LITTLEJOHN: My Saturday essay from America last week may have mistook it for the wrong way of thinking that despite the current state of politics in the United States, the British system remains a relative oasis of sanity and stability. I now know that nothing could be further from the truth and that I should apologise wholeheartedly. British politics have unravelled so brilliantly over the past few days that we can no longer pretend we live in a 'free world.' Or, even a functioning democracy, come to that.

Feeding Creativity is McCartney's third book of vegetarian recipes; she and her fashion designer sister Stella co-created one; Vegetarianism used to be the favored cause of cranks and sandal-wearing lefties, but it has long since gone mainstream, and veggie cookbooks have topped the bestseller list.

The former Prime Minister of Buckinghamshire had applied for permission to extend a guesthouse on account of his Grade I-listed, 18th Century mansion. But the Gardens Trust, which safeguards historically important landscapes, protested, and the local council has rejected it. Sir Tony and his partner Cherie's legal team then submitted hundreds of pages of evidence to support the work at South Pavilion in the village of Wotton Underwood.

My eyes searched the thousands of second-hand clothing on sale before resting on one item - a khaki canvas utility jacket covered in badges. As I immediately recognized it as one of mine, my heart sank. Only that it hadn't come out of my closet. No, it's worse than that. I was the one who created it just six months before.

It's unlikely that any member of the royal family would scrubbing toilets, selling fish and chips from a van, or serving drinks to someone. However, these were not glamorous and not very glamorous careers for a few people who were humble beginnings and married into The Firm. MailOnline reveals the jobs held by members of the royal family before they married into The Company - from working in a yoghurt shop in California to starting a PR firm.