Blair hires Clinton's man for multi-million pound memoirs deal

Sources close to the former prime minister have confirmed that Robert Barnett will be contacting publishers on his behalf, although they stressed the process was at a very early stage.

Mr Barnett was responsible for securing a reported 12 million dollars for ex-US President Bill Clinton's autobiography My Life, and industry insiders estimate Mr Blair's book could fetch a similar figure.

Random House was widely thought to have struck an informal agreement with Mr Blair for his memoirs last year.

The publisher also handled Mr Clinton's book and the recent diaries by Mr Blair's high-profile spin doctor Alastair Campbell.

However, the former PM's camp insists that no deal has yet been made. The fact that a US lawyer has been drafted in will heighten speculation that Mr Blair may choose to go with Harper Collins, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation and has more of a transatlantic presence.

Mr Blair's perceived popularity in America is likely to inflate the sum he will receive for an account of his life and time in Downing Street. He will have to juggle writing the book with his current role as the envoy of the Quartet powers in the Middle East.

News that he is actively seeking a publisher may also be a cause for concern for the current incumbent of Number 10.

As Chancellor, Gordon Brown had a famously turbulent relationship with Mr Blair, and was accused by many of attempting to speed his departure from power.

Mr Campbell voluntarily removed details that could have embarrassed the current Premier from his book, saying he would not reveal anything to harm the Labour Party.

Mr Blair could take a similar attitude, having repeatedly insisted that his top priority is securing a fourth term in Government for Labour.

Previous Prime Ministers have enjoyed mixed success with their memoirs.

Baroness Thatcher is believed to have pocketed several million pounds for The Downing Street Years and The Path to Power.

The first volume, which described the Cabinet rebellion that saw her leave Number 10, sold some 500,000 copies in hardback, but the second failed to follow suit.

Sir John Major received up to £1 million for his autobiography, which sold around 200,000 in hardback.

However, the efforts of Sir Edward Heath - Baroness Thatcher's predecessor at the helm of the Tories - are considered to have been a flop, largely because they were not published until three decades after he left office.

Last year's report by the Public Administration Select Committee into Government memoirs quoted an anecdote from former Times editor Sir Simon Jenkins, concerning an unnamed former Chancellor who asked what his book might be worth.

"The answer was: 'A quarter of a million tomorrow, £100,000 next week, £10,000 two months from now. How fast can you write them?'"

Some of Mr Blair's closest allies have moved in ahead of him to cash in on their experiences in politics.

Apart from Mr Campbell, who has reputedly earned more than £1 million from his well-received diaries, former Home Secretary David Blunkett is believed to have been paid £385,000.

Earlier this week it emerged that ex-Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott was in negotiations to sell his life story, for an estimated £500,000.