TONY BLAIR:HIGHEST PAID PUBLIC SPEAKERS IN THE WORLD

A year after leaving office, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has emerged as one of the highest-paid public speakers in the world.
According to a report in British daily 'The Times', Blair's earnings have topped 12 million pounds since vacating 10 Downing Street last year, which is more than six times his previous lifetime income.

In fact, the former PM is said to have earned more from speeches than Former US President Bill Clinton did in his first year after leaving the White House. Blair commands up to 157,000 pounds for a 90-minute speech.

He has made 4.6 million pounds from his memoirs, around 2 million pounds from his role with investment bank JP Morgan, 500,000 pounds from Zurich Financial Services as well as 84,000 pounds of taxpayers money to run a private office and an annual pension of 63,468 pounds, the report said.

"He is one of the biggest stars in the world. Who else is there?" Max Markson, the Public Relations Organiser who has taken Clinton, Cherie Blair and Nelson Mandela to Australia, was quoted as saying.

However, the newspaper has said there is fear at the United Nations that Blair's focus on commercial interests is jeopardising his unpaid role as Middle East envoy.

But the former PM's office responded by saying, "Tony Blair's current role in the Middle East takes up the largest proportion of his time.