TONY BLAIR is wooing some of America’s biggest billionaires with a Downing Street reception during his final days in power, including the tycoon who hired Bill Clinton after he left office.
Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild, regarded as one of London’s most influential political hostesses, has arranged the select gathering. At least seven billionaires with a combined worth of more than £25 billion are on the guest list.
Among those invited are Ronald Burkle, the financier and grocery retailer who gave Clinton a multi-million-dollar post as adviser to a private equity fund. The event will offer a key networking opportunity for Blair as he prepares for life after government.
Invitations have been discreetly circulated among the super-rich in New York society in recent weeks. If wealthy benefactors are willing to donate at least $25,000 (£13,000) to the Tate gallery, they are automatically invited to meet Tony and Cherie Blair in Downing Street.
Organisers insist the centrepiece of the fundraising drive is a dinner in New York, which the Blairs will not attend. The trip to Downing Street is the “icing on the cake”. The event is being arranged by American Patrons of Tate, which is chaired by Rothschild and raises money for the Tate.
It is thought to be the first time that the opportunity to meet a serving prime minister in Downing Street has been offered in return for payment to a fund-raising drive, the details of which have been obtained by The Art Newspaper. The date of the event, Saturday June 16, indicates that Blair has no intention of quitting before the summer.
Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrat MP, said: “This might be for a good cause, but selling access is ingrained into this prime minister, as is his obsession with wealth and celebrity. It’s a long way from the Red Flag.”
Carlos Slim Helu, a Mexican whose $30 billion fortune makes him the third richest man in the world, is also on the guest list. Others who have donated enough to attend include Len Blavatnik, the Russian tycoon; Sid Bass, an oil billionaire; and Richard Fuld, the chief executive of the global investment bank Lehman Brothers.
Blair already knows Veronica Hearst, the widow of the publishing heir Randolph Hearst, who is likely to be among the small group at the reception. Blair was entertained by Hearst at her luxurious Palm Beach home during his Christmas break in Florida.
Lady de Rothschild said the Blair reception was intended to help develop Britain’s cultural heritage and it was generous of the prime minister to participate. “Tony Blair doesn’t need this to network,” she said. “It’s about Britain, not about Tony Blair.”
She said the drinks with the Blairs were not being used as a selling point but were the “icing on the cake”. She added: “No one would use this as a way to see the prime minister. It’s much cheaper to go to a public event.”
Rothschild said 20 of the 35 tables for the New York dinner had been sold before Blair agreed to “meet and greet” benefactors. The funds would be used to buy American art that would be shown at Tate Modern, which she described as “the greatest contemporary art museum in Europe”.
Originally from New Jersey, she forged a highly successful business career before marrying into the Rothschild banking dynasty. She has acted as an adviser to Clinton and helped bankroll his election campaigns.
Rothschild’s husband, the banker Sir Evelyn de Rothschild, was revealed by The Sunday Times in 2002 to be bankrolling the Policy Network, the political think tank of which Peter Mandelson is honorary chairman.
American Patrons of Tate has been a big source of revenue for the London gallery, raising an average of £2.93m a year in donations since 1999.
Not all those who have bought tables will be able to visit Downing Street. After the reception with the Blairs, guests will be invited to a dinner at the Rothschilds’ London home.
Those who have bought tables and are also on the Downing Street list are some of the most influential figures in American society, including Calvin Klein, the fashion designer; Leonard and Ronald Lauder, brothers who are worth £2.88 billion and who inherited the Estée Lauder cosmetics empire; and Donald Marron, the investor.
The Blairs have been increasingly keen to court America as they prepare for life after No 10. Last July Blair attended a cocktail party in San Francisco hosted by Charlotte Shultz, whose husband George was secretary of state under Ronald Reagan.
Cherie Blair is represented by the New York-based Harry Walker Agency, which arranges lecture tours for her in the US. There has been speculation the Blairs intend to buy a home in New York after quitting Downing Street, but this has been denied.
However, Toby Young, author of How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, about his failed attempts to break into New York society, warned: “Being a former British prime minister won’t necessarily open every door. Money talks in New York; everything else comes a distant second.” A Downing Street spokesman said: “The Blairs are happy to host this reception to help benefit the Tate gallery. It is one of many receptions hosted by the prime minister to support British arts organisations and will be held at no cost to the taxpayer.”
Additional reporting: Tom Baird
The Manhattan money-makers on the guest list
Carlos Slim Helu Worth: $30bn The third-richest man in the world in 2006, but his fortune has continued to climb. The Mexican businessman amassed his fortune through telecommunications, but like Blair is said to be looking to his legacy. He is channelling an increasing proportion of his wealth to good causes
Len Blavatnik Worth: $7bn Ukraine-born tycoon with holdings in oil, metals, media and telecommunications. He has Amercan citizenship, but also has a £41m home in London’s Kensington Palace Gardens
Veronica Hearst Hearst is the widow of publishing heir Randolph Hearst, the newspaper heir who left an estimated fortune of $1.6bn. Tony Blair was a guest of honour at a dinner given by Hearst at her Palm Beach home during his Christmas break in Florida
Donald Marron Head of Lightyear Capital, a private equity investment fi rm. Married to Catie, one of New York’s socialites Sid Bass Worth $1.4bn Texas oil tycoon who inherited his fortune from his uncle. His wife, Mercedes, is an art lover. Last year the couple gave $25m to the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the largest gift in the Met’s history
Calvin Klein Worth $700m Iconic New York fashion designer who sold his company in 2003. He is one of the most popular celebrity designers, with Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullock among his clients
Leonard and Ronald Lauder Worth: $5.6bn The brothers who inherited the Estée Lauder cosmetics empire. Leonard and Ronald Lauder are worth $5.6bn between them.
Richard Fuld Worth $1bn Chief executive of Lehman Brothers, the global investment bank. Nicknamed “the gorilla” for his aggressive style as a young trader, he is said to have mellowed in older age. He is one of the biggest-spending art collectors in the world
1 comment:
There is something bizarrely self-reflective about this. The guests use money to buy reflected prestige, but the Blairs use everything other than money to buy reflected prestige from the guests. It has already operated at the highest level: Congress gives a medal to Blair; Blair acts as Bush's poodle. It is almost as if real people are not necessary.
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