Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Blair’s letter to the Kelly family
A COMPLAINT about dog poo in Fife made its way to Tony Blair’s desk in Downing Street after TV presenter Lorraine Kelly’s daughter wrote to him about the issue.
Dirt left by irresponsible dog owners can be a huge issue for communities, but rarely are complaints likely to make it all the way to the prime minister.
Not so for Lorraine’s daughter Rosie, who received a reply from then PM Tony Blair when she complained about dog fouling in Tayport, where she lived at the time.
Not only were the 10-yearold’s concerns noted in Downing Street, Mr Blair even took time to reply and sympathise with Rosie’s complaint.
Despite decades in the public eye, Lorraine says the “treasured letter” from April 2005 was the most exciting the family has received.
“Rosie wrote to Tony Blair and said she was very upset about all the dog poo in the streets in Tayport in Scotland,” Lorraine said, as she took part in MP Jess Phillips’ Yours Sincerely podcast.
Lorraine says the letter now hangs proudly on her wall at home.
Responding to Rosie’s complaint, Mr Blair wrote: “Thank you for your lovely letter.
“I don’t think what you said is ridiculous. It’s really is up to local councils to provide bins where dog owners like you who care about the environment can put their dog mess.”
Labour MP Jess Phillips said she would text Mr Blair to remind him of the letter.
Lorraine, 62, sold her £850,000 home in Broughty Ferry and moved to England in 2018 with Rosie and her TV producer husband Steve Smith.
Born in Glasgow, Lorraine has previously described herself as an “adopted Dundonian” and has been a regular on the terraces at Tannadice to watch her beloved Dundee United over the years.
The family moved south so they could spend more time together, with the TV presenter previously making the commute between Dundee and London for work.