Hurlingham Club members cry foul over an evening with Cherie Blair

The Hurlingham Club in Fulham has sparked an angry backlash among its members after inviting Cherie Blair to give a speech.

The private club, famous for its croquet, polo and tennis history as well as its clubhouse and grounds, has booked Mrs Blair to appear next month.

But the invitation has prompted a flurry of complaints from members objecting to the £1,500 speaker's fee and the fact that the former prime minister's wife will be speaking in the run-up to a general election.

The club is selling £30 tickets for "a night of conversation and superior Hurlingham cuisine with Cherie Blair".

Mrs Blair is donating her fee to the Foundation For Women charity.

Emails obtained by the Evening Standard reveal concern about the "foolish timing" of the event.

One member emailed caustically that "Mrs Blair is as welcome as any other speaker who members may enjoy discussing contraception at Balmoral, shopping in Sydney, how her son got into Yale and other varied aspects of life at the top".

The club's executive director Niall Kilgour admitted: "We have received several comments in the same vein by other members, covering timing, politics and the level of fee."

Greg Hands, the local Tory MP for Hammersmith and Fulham, said: "I can understand the unease of some, but I am relaxed about Cherie Blair coming to Fulham. Maybe she should bring John Prescott for a quick round of croquet."