Three words he hates: Freedom of Information

ONE of Tony Blair’s greatest regrets is that his government passed t he Freedom of Information Act. ‘Three harmless words,’ he mused. ‘I look at those words as I write them and feel like shaking my head till it drops off my shoulders.

‘You idiot. You naïve, foolish, irresponsible nincompoop. There is really no description of stupidity, no matter how vivid, that is adequate. I quake at the imbecility of it.’

He resents any possibility that the veil of secrecy with which he surrounds his affairs might ever be lifted. And, at the very least, he is determined to stop the media from delving into his finances. Both his accountants, KPMG, and his lawyers were asked to erect unusual barriers to prevent an accurate assessment of his wealth. Hence, his income is now channelled through a complicated legal structure.

At the top is BDBCO No. 819 Ltd, a company that in turn owns a clutch of other companies called either Windrush or Firerush.

It gets more complicated: Windrush Ventures No. 3 LP, for instance, is part owned by Windrush Ventures No. 2 LP, which in turn controls Windrush Ventures Ltd. Fortuitously, LPs — short for limited partnerships — are not obliged to publish their accounts.

That’s why no one could authoritatively challenge Blair when he said last year he was worth ‘only £10 million’. But some critics have speculated that he’s been channelling income through a number of new, unknown companies.

He tries to surround himself with staff whose loyalty is unquestionable — including Catherine Rimmer, his devoted former special adviser at No 10. All are obliged to sign an onerous confidentiality agreement that lays out severe penalties for any unauthorised disclosures.