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enotes.com
By JANE MERRICK; WILLIAM LOWTHER DOWNING Street was under pressure last night to explain how Euan
Blair has secured a Pounds 50,000 scholarship at a leading American
university.
Yale, the Ivy League institution where President George W Bush and
Bill Clinton studied, has offered the Prime Minister's son a two- year
postgraduate place.
Insiders said it was highly unusual for anyone to land a scholarship with fees paid. Students generally pay their own way.
Yale will gain considerable PR value from having Euan among its students because his father is a popular figure in the U.S..
And questions were being asked last night as to whether the Blairs
are taking advantage of the Prime Minister's prestige to secure a
topflight education for their son.
Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker said: 'Tony Blair should clear the decks and make clear what the position is.
'Should the Prime Minister be using his name to ensure his son gets
a top- class education not available to others?' A Downing Street
spokesman insisted it was a private matter but sources at Number 10
confirmed that Euan had secured the Yale scholarship.
The 22 year old who graduated from Bristol University with a 2:1 in
ancient history last year will study for a master's degree in
international relations starting in the autumn.
An MA at Yale costs around Pounds 17,200 a year plus annual living
expenses of Pounds 9,900. That puts the bill for two years of study at
Pounds 54,200.
It is not known on what grounds the scholarship was awarded.
It is highly unlikely that the cost was funded by the U.S. government as it would be a matter of public record.
The money is likely either to have come directly from Yale or from
one of the many private foundations that help students with their fees.
The scholarship will save Mr Blair and his wife Cherie who have
mortgage repayments of Pounds 16,000 a month on their properties from
having to foot the bill.
A British graduate of Yale said: 'This strikes me as really weird. I
don't know anyone who has been given a scholarship for an MA.' The
revelation follows news that Euan has left the office of a Democrat
congresswoman after just two weeks.
Roll Call, an influential Washington political journal, reported
that he was 'a wee bit on the spoiled side' and was 'bored' by an
intern's work which consists mainly of photocopying and opening post.
He spent two and a half months working as an unpaid intern for Republican congressman David Dreier.
He was scheduled to put in the same time with Democrat Jane Harman who
is a critic of U.S. policy in Iraq but quit her office abruptly last
week.
Downing Street claimed he left to spend more time studying ahead of
the MA but insiders said Euan's acceptance letter from Yale was sent to
Number 10 back in March.
He is also believed to be planning a holiday rather than concentrating on his studies.
Euan began his gap year with two months of 'work experience' at a
Paris radio station owned by the Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy chain.
He enjoyed an estimated Pounds 40,000 worth of perks including the
use of a Pounds 2million apartment and a chauffeur-driven Mercedes with
bodyguard.
During his time in Washington, he regularly ventured into the city's Latin quarter where he partied into the early hours.
On one occasion he visited a blues bar named Madam's Organ, famous for the scantily- clad women that dance on its bar.
Euan is likely to fit in at Yale, which has a reputation for
partying. Based in New Haven, Connecticut, two hours north of New York,
it is said to be where George Bush 'graduated in drinking'.
Yale officials refused to discuss the scholarship |
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