'He should be in the Middle East, not the UK': Peace envoy Tony Blair blasted for throwing surprise birthday party for wife Cherie's 60th at their £6million mansion - as Gaza death toll passes 1,000

Tony Blair – the Middle East Peace Envoy – threw a lavish birthday party for his wife on Friday night at their country bolthole in Buckinghamshire, while the grim death toll from the Gaza conflict passed the 1,000 mark. 

Mr Blair, whose role is to hammer out a ceasefire in times of conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians, spent most of last week in the UK before hosting the couple’s friends at the party, estimated to have cost about £50,000. 

He held the surprise 60th birthday party for Cherie at their £6million country mansion South Pavilions, inviting 150 of their closest friends, which included former New Labour ministers, as well as wealthy businessmen and TV celebrities.

In the marquee: Tony Blair is flanked by guests Michael Pennisi and Sarina Russo at Friday's party. The snap, later posted on Instagram, was taken as the grim death toll from the Gaza conflict passed the 1,000 mark

Just to make Cherie’s night even more memorable, Mr Blair even hired glamorous dance couple Kristina Rihanoff and Ian Waite from BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, who

danced for them after dinner,  to the Stevie Wonder classic Ma Cherie Amour. 

And comedian Bobby Davro was also hired to entertain, doing an impersonation of Mr Blair, and singing the song, If I Ruled The World.

Mr Blair’s unexpected birthday party – held against a backdrop of death and destruction in Gaza – was criticised last night, with some saying he could have held it later, as Cherie’s actual birthday is not until September 23. 

One source said: ‘He should be in the Middle East, not in the UK.’

Lavish: The birthday party for Cherie Blair, estimated to have cost about £50,000, was held at the couple's country bolthole in Buckinghamshire. Above, South Pavillions, the Blairs' Home Counties retreat

Security: Guests are checked in by armed police officers, with many whisked home in chaffeured cars in the early hours of the morning

Last week Mr Blair, 61, gave a talk on New Labour on Monday at the think-tank Progress in Westminster. He even managed a one-day visit  to China during the week, and made it back to the UK in time for his wife’s celebrations. 

However, other world leaders, such as US Secretary of State John Kerry and the UN’s Ban Ki Moon, flew into Jerusalem to pressure the Israelis and Palestinians to agree  to a long-term ceasefire. 

Mr Blair is normally based in Jerusalem, as his Office of the Peace Envoy for the Quartet – the US, EU, Russia and the United Nations – is at the King David Hotel in the city.

World leaders, led by Mr Kerry, held urgent talks in Paris yesterday to pressure both sides to turn the ceasefire into an extended truce. Mr Blair was not at the talks.

Big fan: Cherie is pictured dancing with Strictly's Anton du Beke at an earlier event. He was not at Friday's party

The former Prime Minister hosted Friday’s birthday bash inside a giant marquee erected in the grounds of the couple’s sprawling estate.

Some of the guests from the world of politics included Labour leader Ed Miliband and his wife Justine Thornton and Blair’s old No10 spin doctor Alastair Campbell and his wife Fiona Millar. The former Labour Europe Minister and now chairman of the Home Affairs Committee, Keith Vaz and his lawyer wife, Maria Fernandes, also attended. 

Labour’s ex-Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell arrived with husband David Mills. Other big Labour names were former Home Secretary John Reid, and the controversial Labour fundraiser, Lord Levy.

Lakshmi Mittal, Britain’s third richest man with a £10.4 billion fortune, attended with his wife Usha, as did West Ham  vice-chairman Karren Brady, who is a business ambassador to David Cameron.

Just to make Cherie's night even more memorable, Mr Blair even hired glamorous dance couple Kristina Rihanoff (left) and Ian Waite from Strictly, while comedian Bobby Davro (right) was also hired to entertain

Some guests posted pictures from the event afterwards on social media sites.

They included entrepreneur Sarina Russo  – director of a recruitment agency of which the Blairs’ eldest son, Euan, 30, is acting CEO – who posted a picture on Instagram of  her and a friend, Michael Pennisi, flanking Mr Blair inside the marquee. Kristina Rihanoff tweeted a picture of herself at the bash, while another guest, Kieran Patel, from Nottingham, posted a picture of himself with Miss Rihanoff and Mr Waite before their performance. 

And Davro tweeted after the event: ‘Wonderful gig at Tony and Cherie Blairs [sic] crib in Aylesbury.’

The guests sat down to a three-course meal, with foie gras or hand-dived scallops for starters, rack of English lamb and a ‘British strawberry celebration’ dessert. Diners washed it all down with champagne, Chardonnay and red wine. Cocktails were also served all night.

Waiting in the wings: Guest Kieran Patel with Kristina Rihanoff and Ian Waite as they prepared to perform

Mr Blair gave a ‘schmaltzy’ speech to his wife, before the dinner started. Guests who attended said he told  the gathering how much he loved his wife, adding that everything good that he has done in life was because of her, and all the mistakes he had made were in spite of her. 

After the dinner, Cherie – a big fan of Strictly – was treated to a performance by Miss Rihanoff and dance partner Mr Waite, performing to Ma Cherie Amour. Bobby Davro then impersonated a blushing Mr Blair, and sang If I Ruled The World, from the musical Pickwick. 

At 11.45pm, the guests sang Happy Birthday to Cherie, as waiters brought a pink-coloured cake into the marquee.

One guest, who asked not to be named, said: ‘It was a really good party and so well organised. Blair made a good speech.’ But he went on: ‘Although he should have been in the Middle East. But you sometimes think, what exactly has he done in the Middle East?’

Conflict: The lavish party was held as the grim death toll from the Gaza conflict passed the 1,000 mark

Destroyed: A Palestinian woman weeps as she walks amid destroyed buildings in Beit Hanoun town, which witnesses said was heavily hit by Israeli shelling and air strikes during an Israeli offensive yesterday

Mr Blair also laid on a disco and a spoof casino for guests, who danced until 1am, before leaving, some in chauffeur-driven Bentleys and Mercedes. Guests had been checked in by armed police officers from Thames Valley Police. The estate was also patrolled by about five armed police.

The Blair household did not disclose how much had been spent on the party but Miss Rihanoff and Mr Waite charge up to £10,000 for one night’s event, and Mr Davro charges up to £4,000. Total costs are estimated at around £50,000.

A spokesman for Mr Blair said: ‘Tony was in China for one day during which he was constantly in touch on the crisis. He also spent ten days in the Middle East earlier and will return as soon as needed. However, as you know, John Kerry is leading the process of negotiation in Paris.’

Death toll in war zone soars to 1,000

By Peter Henn
The death toll in Gaza passed 1,000 last night as the Israeli defence minister warned that he may ‘significantly’ expand the ground offensive.
The grim milestone was reached despite a 12-hour ceasefire yesterday, as bodies were recovered from inaccessible areas.
More than 6,000 Palestinians have also been wounded in the 19 days since Israel launched the attack on the Hamas-ruled territory in an operation aimed at halting Palestinian rocket fire and destroying cross-border tunnels.

Devastating: The death toll in Gaza passed 1,000 last night as the Israeli defence minister warned that he may 'significantly' expand the ground offensive. ABove, An air strike opn Gaza before yesterday's ceasefire began

The Israelis are believed to have found 50 tunnels so far.
Gaza militants have fired close to 2,500 rockets at Israel since July 8 when the offensive began.
Israel, which has lost 40 soldiers and two civilians in the conflict, agreed to extend the ceasefire last night by four hours, according to a government source, but Hamas last night refused the offer to prolong the truce.
There were also reports that Hamas fired mortars at Israel immediately after the 12-hour truce ended. Late last night the Israeli army also reported that rockets were being fired over from Gaza.

Grieving: A weeping Palestinian man is pictured mourning the death of a young relative in Gaza city on Friday

A high-level mediation mission led by US Secretary of State John Kerry and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has so far failed in its attempt to broker a week-long ceasefire.

Warning of an escalation of Israeli’s offensive, Israeli defence minister Moshe Yaalon said: ‘At the end of the operation, Hamas will have to think very hard if it is worth it to taunt us in the future.’
Hamas is demanding reassurance its border blockade will be lifted.

Concern: Labour leader Ed Miliband said the civilian death toll in Gaza could not be justified

The ceasefire revealed the full extent of the destruction wrought by the Israeli offensive for those able to return to their neighbourhoods.
After the temporary truce took effect, the streets of Gaza quickly filled with residents trying to stock up on supplies or inspect their homes.
In the southern town of Khan Younis, relatives mourned the death of 20 members of an extended family, including ten children, killed by tank fire.
At a hospital in the badly hit Beit Hanoun area, six patients spent a terrifying night on Friday huddled in the X-ray department as the building  was shelled.
Yesterday, the remaining patients were evacuated, including 85-year-old Nasra Naim. Her daughter, Naame, said her own home had been destroyed.
‘I don’t know where to go,’ she said. ‘They [Israelis] killed our children, they took our land and now they are still following us.’
The Israeli military said troops would respond to any violations of the ceasefire and continue ‘operational activities to locate and neutralise tunnels in the Gaza Strip’.
Meanwhile, after meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry and foreign ministers from other EU nations, Turkey and Qatar, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said: ‘There is an absolute humanitarian necessity to see the 12-hour ceasefire currently taking place in Gaza extended.’
And Labour leader Ed Miliband said the civilian death toll in Gaza could not be justified.

DM