Foster contradicts Cherie Blair's story

The convicted conman Peter Foster cast fresh doubt on Cherie Blair's account of her dealings with him yesterday by claiming he had three telephone conversations with her.

In another variation with the Blairs' version of events, he alleged that she gave him her "professional view" of his legal battle against deportation from Britain. But Downing Street refused to be drawn into a new war of words with Mr Foster and was optimistic last night that the storm which has engulfed the Government for two weeks was finally abating.

In a personal statement the Australian businessman apologised to the Blairs for the "mess" he had caused, denied plotting to set them up, claimed he was a victim of character assassination and said the establishment had been out to discredit him. "I know I am a flawed man, but I do not believe in my heart I am a bad man," he said.

A nervous-looking Mr Foster contradicted Mrs Blair's statement last week, in which she insisted she had spoken to Mr Foster only once on the telephone. He said yesterday: "We spoke on the phone three times and corresponded by e-mail."

Although he insisted Mrs Blair did not seek to interfere with the legal process, he added: "Cherie simply passed on to me a professional view of where I stood on the case."

This went further than her statement that she was "simply trying to help my friend Carole [Caplin, Mr Foster's girlfriend] find out the facts."

Mr Foster suggested he was closer to the Blairs than Downing Street had admitted, claiming had turned down "many opportunities" to meet them because he did not want to embarrass them. "The notion I was attempting some elaborate sting on the Blairs is laughable," he said. He did not "seek anything in return" for helping Mrs Blair buy two flats in Bristol.

Although he said he was making his "final statement" on the affair, he plugged the autobiography he is writing, which could include more revelations.

Downing Street said it had "nothing to add or subtract" from its previous statements on the affair.