Tony Blair has received £500,000 from the taxpayer since stepping down as prime minister.
Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude today published figures showing Mr Blair received £230,000 in 2011 to 2013 in public duty cost allowance and £270,000 previously.
The figures were issued as it emerged that Mr Blair is due to make a sizeable donation to the Labour party. Multi-millionaire Mr Blair has taken on a string of lucrative jobs since quitting as PM in 2007.
Senior Conservative MP Bob Neill said: “A lot of people will be surprised that Tony Blair still gets that allowance.” The allowance is to allow ex-PMs to meet the cost of continuing to fulfil public duties. There is no suggestion that Mr Blair is using it for party political purposes. Gordon Brown, Sir John Major and Baroness Thatcher all got it.
A spokesman for Tony Blair said: “The PDCA is paid to all former Prime Ministers in respect of office and secretarial expenses that they incur in connection with their public duties. It is of course nonsense for anyone to suggest that any of this goes to the Labour Party or anywhere else.”
