BRITAIN: It was scissors at dawn yesterday after it emerged that the British Labour Party had footed a £7,700 (€11,100) bill for Cherie Blair's hairstylist during last year's general election.
The Tories were quick to remind journalists that the comparable charge for Sandra Howard, wife of former leader Michael, had been a snip at just £65 for one visit to a salon.
Labour MP Peter Kilfoyle complained that Mrs Blair's hair care had cost more than twice what he spent campaigning in his Liverpool constituency, but many colleagues seemed to share the view of a spokeswoman, who said: "Mrs Blair worked fantastically hard and visited more than 50 constituencies during the campaign. She is enormously popular with the party and, don't forget, we won the election."
Downing Street stressed that Mrs Blair herself footed the £275 a day bill when her hairdresser, Andre Suard, travelled with her on official trips, as he often does.
The issue for Labour is not whether it should pay for her coiffure, but whether her taste for the high life - as exemplified by the Blairs' huge house in Connaught Square in central London, and her use of lifestyle gurus - has alienated the electorate.
Private focus groups conducted by Labour have suggested that the willingness of floating voters to trust the prime minister may be more damaged by his wife's reputation than by the war in Iraq. - (Guardian service)