Guido’s Hong Kong co-conspirator, David Chappell, tells him that Blair’s visit to talk to the the HK General Chamber of Commerce yesterday was not the only event from which he was banking an honarium. The topic of his keynote address being “global sustainable development and regional co-operation between business and government” or “how to pay the mortgage”.

According to the Chinese website soufun.com, the powerful China Everbright Group also paid Tony $500,000 to take a VIP tour of its property site at Songshanhu. Tony, ever able to charm, thrilled his hosts by boasting that his sister-in-law is Chinese and his seven-year Leo is learning Putonghua. No doubt he tells them in Jerusalem the boy is learning Hebrew…

A China Everbright staffer was reported as saying that Mr Blair will be given a Dongguan villa worth as much as 38 million yuan. Local financial gossip Lai See wonders what this might augur for the red-hot real estate market, “given Mr Blair’s notorious track record of buying at the peak and just before the fall.” How very dare they say that of our illustrious ex-PM…