Blair under fire for holiday at Bee Gee's mansion

LONDON, Dec 29 (Reuters) Tony Blair's office defended his holiday at the US mansion of pop star Robin Gibb, saying the British prime minister had paid for the stay.

Opposition Conservatives and newspapers savaged Blair over his year-end break at the Bee Gees star's luxurious Florida home, demanding to know whether it was costing British taxpayers money or if Mr Blair was enjoying a free holiday.

The Daily Mail printed a front-page story about the visit under the headline ''Shameless'' and asked in an editorial: ''Is any degradation too deep for Tony Blair in his quest for a glitzy family holiday on the cheap?'' Mr Blair's Downing Street office yesterday declined to give any details about the prime minister's holiday but a spokeswoman said: ''There is a private commercial arrangement in place''.

The Daily Mail quoted Gibb's wife Dwina as saying that the couple had neither asked for nor accepted money from Blair, who it said was relaxing at the 5.2 million pound (10.2 million dollar) seafront mansion with wife Cherie and three of their children.

A similar house would cost up to 40,000 pounds a week to rent, reports said.

Newspapers said the visit raised concerns of a possible conflict of interest as Gibb has lobbied ministers to extend copyright laws to allow performers to profit from their hits for longer.

The controversy over his holiday comes as Mr Blair is embroiled in a party funding scandal. British police questioned Blair this month in an investigation into allegations that state honours were handed out in return for loans to his party.

Mr Blair has been in office for more than nine years but he has said he will step down next year as his popularity slumped over his support for the Iraq war and government scandals.

RICH AND FAMOUS It is not the first time Blair has drawn fire over his holidays with the rich and famous.

He has stayed several times at singer Cliff Richard's Barbados mansion and has visited the Sardinian villa of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Mr Blair has in the past made donations to charity to cover the cost of hospitality he has received.

Conservative legislator Chris Grayling told The Daily Telegraph that Mr Blair's holiday raised questions about how Blair conducted himself. ''We need very clear details on who is paying for this holiday or whether it is a 'freebie','' he said.

Mr Blair's Florida visit only came to light because of a safety scare at Miami airport. The Boeing 747 carrying Blair and his family missed a runway exit on arrival from London on Tuesday, prompting emergency vehicles to rush to the scene.

The Sun newspaper ran the story on its front page under the headline ''Stayin' Alive'', echoing the title of the 1970s hit from the Bee Gees.

Reuters SB GC0908