TONY Blair has become a hate figure for many in the Labour party, but the former Prime Minister is still box office when it comes to fundraising.
Alan Massie, a North East based donor, stumped up £10,000 at a gala Scottish dinner last week for the pleasure of having lunch with the one-time premier who took the UK to war in Iraq.
New leader Jeremy Corbyn’s tie was also sold for around £350.
Blair’s unbeaten run in general election – he defeated the Conservatives three times – makes him his party’s most successful leader at the ballot box.
He remains the only Labour frontman to win a general election for his party in 41 years.
However, the Iraq war cast a huge shadow over his legacy and Corbyn’s election was seen as a rejection of Blairism.
Blair made a series of interventions in the leadership contest – such as saying Corbyn supporters needed a heart transplant – but they made little impact.
Even so, Friday’s annual Scottish Labour dinner in Glasgow confirmed that Blair still has an appeal for the party supporters with deep pockets.
Massie, a property tycoon, has donated around £300,000 to the party and gave £30,000 in the run up to the general election.
He briefly funded the Liberal Democrats between 2006 and 2007 but came back to the Labour fold.
A friend, Labour activist Jamie Glackin, successfully bid £10,000 on behalf of Massie for the Blair lunch date, beating off competition from another major donor.
Massie told the Sunday Herald: “I was disappointed that I missed the fundraising dinner event in Glasgow on Friday, as a long standing holiday commitment meant I was unavailable. I am delighted that despite fierce competition from other fundraisers my bid was accepted and I look forward to meeting Tony Blair."
Other prizes included tickets for Celtic Park and Ibrox and a Stark Trek uniform signed by Labour supporter Patrick Stewart.
A Rubix Cube and a bottle of champagne signed by former leader Ed Miliband were also on offer.
“It’s probably flat,” one party member said.
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