Blair used wife's 'pain' for political ends: book

ALL FOR MILEAGE: Cherie Blair wrote in her memoirs she was shocked by her husband's treatment of her miscarriage.

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Keywords: Tony Blair, Speaking For Myself

"Although the idea was daunting to say the least I realised it would be nice for Leo not to be what amounted to an only child." (Euan, Nicky and Kathryn are much older).

Her husband's reaction was very different. He said: "I'm not sure I want to be a father at 50."

"It was the same radiographer as before and she was really excited, going on about how rare it was for someone my age to have a naturally conceived baby," Cherie wrote.

Then as she was moving the sensor across her stomach, the radiographer stopped and told her: "There's no heartbeat, Mrs Blair. I'm afraid the baby's dead."

She claimed that the press announcement was made for political reasons. The Blairs had been planning to go on a holiday to France.

Cherie told her husband on the telephone what had happened. He broke the news to his mother-in-law and children and then told Campbell.

Shortly afterwards the phone rang again and it was both Blair and Campbell on the line. There were problems about not going on holiday, they told her.

There had been talk of troops being sent into Iraq and if the Blairs did not go on holiday it might send out the wrong signals that something was about to happen.

They decided, therefore, that the best thing was to tell the press that she had had a miscarriage.