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Blairs deny conman helped them buy flats

Ben Russell
Sunday 01 December 2002 20:00 EST
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Downing Street denied claims yesterday that a convicted conman had helped Tony and Cherie Blair secure a discount on two luxury flats.

They said Peter Foster had not acted as an adviser to the Blairs to help them buy properties in Bristol, where their son Euan is at university.

A Downing Street spokesman refused to comment on allegations that the Prime Minister and his wife had invested in two flats in the Clifton area of the city, near Bristol University, saying: "Where Euan Blair lives in Bristol is entirely a matter for him."

The Mail on Sunday said Mr Foster had helped the Blairs secure a £40,000 discount on the two £270,000 flats. The newspaper said Foster, a former boyfriend of the model Samantha Fox, claimed he had been introduced to the Blairs after starting a relationship with Mrs Blair's fashion adviser Carole Caplin. It said Foster, who has several convictions for fraud, had helped negotiate the reduction after telling estate agents that the Prime Minister's name would help sales.

The spokesman said: "The Prime Minister has never met Mr Foster. Mr Foster has never been to Downing Street or Chequers. It is not true that Mr Foster was or is financial adviser to the family."

Privately, sources expanded the denial, insisting that he "never represented them or negotiated on their behalf in any financial decision".

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