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Should Cherie Blair profit from her husband’s job?

After criticism about her £30,000 Washington book promotion, Cherie Blair has cancelled a controversial appearance at the opening of a new shopping mall in Malaysia. She will also be donating her fee from a TV show to charity. Where should the line be drawn over personal profit from political connections? E-mail your view, using the form below

I don’t mind Cherie Blair making money out of being the Prime Minister’s wife, but I do object to her being billed as the UK’s First Lady. We aren’t a republic yet and the Queen still holds that position. Angela Barratt, London

It seems to me that where Cherie obtains and bills her engagements as Cherie Booth, successful QC, then that is entirely her business. However, if the billing is as Cherie Blair, Prime Minister’s wife, then that’s a different matter and different standards apply. Kevin Miller, Penshurst, Kent

How long ago was Cherie in tears complaining that she was having trouble juggling all the balls in the air? So why does she keep upping the ante? How are we to have respect for anybody who is so exploitative and manipulative? Iain Pearson, Tokyo

In the same manner as the Clintons, the Blairs think that they are entitled to easy money. Their greed indicates how little respect they have for their positions. Mrs Blair’s actions prove that their only desire is to acquire wealth and the false status attributed to it. Deborah Luyster, Jacksonville, Florida

Cherie Blair’s position is one of privilege, attained by the country’s trust in her husband. Even a constitutionally created role like that of America’s First Lady is not exploited to the extent that Cherie exploits hers. I believe the spouse of a political leader should be invisible. You either make it an official role by law or you don’t. Cherie is a successful QC who loves her work. So why doesn’t she stick to it? If she wasn’t Cherie Blair nobody would pay a red cent to hear anything she had to say. Kylie Little, Sydney, New South Wales

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The wife of the PM has to undertake a large number of appointments due to her husband’s position, which must inevitably damage her earnings as a QC. Therefore she is only making up a small proportion back of the lost income. Given the PM gets paid only about the same amount as a moderately successful City employee and far less than every FTSE 100 CEO, it seems that unless we either pay every PM’s spouse an expense allowance to cover her lost income, then we have to allow her to gain some recompense from her unpaid, and it seems at times, thankless job. Nick Wilson, London



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