Tony Blair gives staff £30,000 pay rise

A company set up by Tony Blair to manage his business interests has tripled its profits from last year, according to the Telegraph.

As a reward, Blair has given every member of staff an average pay increase of £30,000, according to accounts published earlier this week. Windrush Ventures is one of the firms that coordinates Blair’s affairs, and has so far enjoyed their most successful year to date. Turnover has reached £19.4million, with profits increasing to £2.6million. The means the average salary at Blair's company is now £103,791.

The highest paid Director at Windrush received a £100,000 pay rise, taking their total salary to £403,000. This employee is thought to be David Lyon, a former Barclays banker, or Catherine Rimmer, Blair’s Chief of Staff, according to the Telegraph.

One London accountant spoke to the Telegraph, explaining what these figures meant for the former Prime Minister’s fortunes. He said: “The growth in turnover suggests the business has grown by almost 40%. Mr Blair has had a brilliant year - he has done far, far better than the FTSE index.”