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Blair slept on park bench in London, wife reveals

British Prime Minister Tony Blair grimaces in this file photo. Downing Street confirmed a newspaper report that the prime minister once slept rough in London. PHOTO: AP

British Prime Minister Tony Blair slept rough on a park bench when he first came to London as a teenager, his Downing Street office said on Saturday.

The previously unknown episode in the life of the prime minister was confirmed by his spokesman in response to a newspaper story which said the young and impoverished Blair was forced to sleep outside when he arrived in the capital to chase his dream of becoming a rock star.

"After he left school the prime minister came down to London. He spent a night on a park bench before he sorted out somewhere to stay," the Downing Street spokesman said.

The episode was revealed by Blair's wife Cherie to guests at a Downing Street reception for homeless charity Centrepoint this week, according to the Sunday Mirror.

One guest told the tabloid that Cherie was describing the work of the charity when she appeared to break away from her prepared text to outline her husband's experience when he came to London before going on to study at Britain's prestigious Oxford University.

Cherie "said the charity was very close to Tony's heart because he was forced to sleep rough on a park bench when he first came to London," the guest said.

"We just couldn't believe what we were hearing. Can you imagine that the prime minister used to sleep rough on a bench? I don't think anyone in that room at Downing Street could."

Blair's encounter with the park bench took place near London's Euston rail station in 1971 during his gap-year between school and university, the Sunday Mirror said.

Blair, now 50, went on to study labour law at Oxford, where he sported long hair and baggy Indian shirts and played in his own rock band called The Ugly Rumours, before launching into a career as a courtroom lawyer.

The revelations about his youthful adventure came after 15 people were arrested on the first night of a controversial drive to clear beggars off the streets of London's West End district, famous for its entertainment and nightlife.

They were picked up as part of a 48-hour blitz by the local authority, Westminster Council, designed to disrupt and deter begging in the area.

Meanwhile, the opposition Conservative party poured ridicule on the prime minister.

A Tory spokesman said: "Few homeless people will feel they have much in common with Tony Blair.

"Rather than pretending to be all things to all people, the prime minister should be more genuine and focus on coming up with solutions to the problem of homelessness."

Blair first won election to the House of Commons at the age of 30 and quickly moved up the Labour party's ranks, becoming its leader in 1994.

He brought Labour to power in a landslide general election victory in 1997, when he was 43 years old.
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