Cherie under fire over huge charity tour fee

"The girl's got to earn a dollar - what's wrong with that?" With that dubious endorsement - and a photocall with two sick babies - Cherie Blair today began her controversial Down Under charity tour.

The Prime Minister's wife has come under a salvo of criticism for accepting a fee said to be more than £100,000 for the speaking tour of Australasia.

As Mrs Blair kicked off the six-date tour with a speech to more than 800 diners - each paying between £80 and £380 a head - most guests and fellow performers were too polite to offer any criticism.

Local television personality Mary Lambie said: "Cherie Blair is the drawcard, so pay her - fantastic.

"These speakers have earned their reputations, and why not make hay while the sun shines? The girl's got to earn a dollar. What is wrong with that?"

But others were unable to hide their distaste at the suggestion that Mrs Blair may receive more than the charity. A leaked "draft budget" lists her fee as £102,600 while the Australian beneficiary, the Children's Cancer Institute, is guaranteed only £99,800 - about a fifth of the overall budget.

Hinewehi Mohi, one of New Zealand's foremost Maori singers, said she would never charge for a charity event. She said: "It sort of seems a contradiction in terms but as I understand it, Volkswagen are paying the costs of her coming out so that the charity makes some money out of it.

"Maybe it's a win-win situation but certainly I would be expecting to have my socks knocked off by her speech."

In the UK Mrs Blair has come under blistering criticism. Conservative party co-chairman Liam Fox said: "She is Cherie Booth in her professional life, but it is Cherie Blair whenever there's cash to be made."

He added: "The hallmark of the Blair years in No10 is one of vanity and conspicuous consumption.

"The Prime Minister's wife is entitled to speak wherever she likes, but increasingly she is using her name to be part of that lifestyle. Maybe she is cashing in now because she knows her name is a rapidly declining asset."

Billed on invitations as "Britain's most powerful woman" and promoted by TV commercials trumpeting her to the music of Handel's Arrival Of The Queen Of Sheba, Mrs Blair was expected to tell today's audience - which included New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark - about the demands of juggling her family and professional life.

Mrs Blair's appearance at the SkyCity Convention Centre in Auckland was in aid of the Starship Foundation, the fundraising arm of the city's children's hospital.

Andrew Young, chief executive of the foundation, said he had taken no part in organising the event, which was masterminded by Sydney PR consultant Max Markson. Mr Young said: "I wasn't aware that there was a fee. We desperately want the net proceeds so we can help sick children here ... We are very grateful."

At the Starship Hospital, Mrs Blair held two six-month old babies, one the survivor of a car crash in which her aunt was killed and the other suffering from spina bifida.