Conman tried to sell story of his involvement with Cherie Blair

AUSTRALIAN conman Peter Foster tried to sell the story of his involvement with Cherie Blair for tens of thousands of pounds according to what are claimed to be transcripts of his private telephone calls published yesterday.

The Sun newspaper said it had listened to a series of seven taped calls Mr Foster had with his mother Louise Pelloti and his brother Paul.

According to the newspaper, Mr Foster tried to strike a deal with a number of media organisations and was hoping to make around £100,000 (€155,000).

One of the alleged transcripts appears to show Mr Foster saying: “I should try and get some money out of this shouldn’t I? I’ll do a story but I’ll do it only for the money. I’m wanting to get paid. I’m going to hold out for money for another 24 hours. I’m just going to get back strong and say that.”

The latest dramatic twist in the saga over the assistance Mr Foster provided to Mrs Blair over the purchase of two flats in Bristol may ease some of the pressure on Downing Street.

It ties in with the line taken by the Prime Minister’s official spokesmen that Mr Foster is a convicted criminal who has been seeking to manipulate the media coverage for his own ends.