Cherie Blair hit by new claims over links with conman

Cherie Blair's confidante Carole Caplin leapt to her defence today amid fresh allegations in the flats controversy.

Ms Caplin admitted having legal documents relating to the deportation of her partner Peter Foster faxed to her at the Blairs' home.

But she insisted the Prime Minister's wife did not look at them and had refused to get involved in the case of convicted conman Mr Foster.

"Cherie told me it would not be right for her to read them as it was not her case so I folded them up put them in my bag and took them home," she said.

Hours after Ms Caplin spoke out, Downing Street was forced on the defensive again, claiming her account was "entirely consistent" with its own insistence that Mrs Blair had not received the papers.

The Prime Minister's wife has faced a string of allegations relating to her involvement with Mr Foster since it emerged he had, despite initial Downing Street denials, helped her purchase two flats in Bristol.

Ms Caplin, her friend and lifestyle advisor, had remained silent until today but said she spoke out after being angered by fresh allegations about Mrs Blair's involvement in her partner's deportation case.

"I heard the news this morning on the radio and I am just very angry about what I was hearing," she said.

Downing Street was also clearly exasperated by the re–emergence of the story following Mrs Blair's dramatic statement on Tuesday that had been designed to draw a line under the damaging saga.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "We are not going to continue to dance to the tune of Mr Peter Foster, a convicted conman."

Mrs Blair has denied knowledge of the details of Mr Foster's criminal history or becoming involved in his deportation battle.

An article in today's edition of The Scotsman newspaper claimed she reviewed both the deportation court papers prepared by Mr Foster's lawyers and the official Treasury Solicitor papers demanding extradition.

The official spokesman, Godric Smith, said the report was contradicted by Ms Caplin, Mr Foster's solicitors and a Home Office report.

The "central allegations" have been repeatedly dealt with in detail by No 10 and "they do not stack up", he said.

"What you are seeing this morning are inaccuracies that are just being presented, asserted, as fact," he told journalists.

"If some of the answers that I have given you are inconvenient in terms of standing up the story in the way you want it to be stood up I can't help that."

Mr Smith repeated Downing Street's call for the media focus to move on, saying the public already had.

Mr Smith also insisted Ms Caplin's statement was "entirely consistent with every single thing" Downing Street had said.

Fellow official spokesman Tom Kelly said on Tuesday Mrs Blair had not received any unsolicited papers.

Ms Caplin asking for papers to be faxed to her while she was at the Blairs' home was not the same as the Prime Minister's wife receiving them without asking for them, Mr Smith said.

"These papers were not sent to Mrs Blair as has been made absolutely clear," he said.

Mr Smith said that on Tuesday his colleague knew Ms Caplin had taken papers to Mrs Blair's home but did not know of the faxes.

Even if he had, the answer would have remained the same, Mr Smith said.

"Had he done so, the answer would have been absolutely identical. Different papers, same response," he said.