The newspaper reported today that Blair is on the verge of winning a consultancy job with Arnault’s luxury goods company Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH), worth a rumoured six figures.

What Tony Blair knows about high fashion is anyone’s guess (although he is sporting rather a nice tie in the picture accompanying the article) and this is his third consulting job on top of speaking engagements, book deals and, of course, being a Middle East peace envoy.

Now politicians are wondering out loud whether it is right and proper that senior ministers should be allowed to forge close relationships with rich and powerful businessmen while still in power.

Some, including Lib Dem front bencher Norman Lamb, argue it should be illegal for politicians to pick up big money jobs with high-rolling friends so soon after leaving office.

He said: “If a minister knows that by maintaining a close friendship while in office they stand to benefit when they leave office, that compromises government.”

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