| Downing Street 'mystified' by Bill Clinton claim |
Downing Street says it is "mystified" by reports that Tony Blair discussed his health problems several years ago with Bill Clinton.
Mr Blair's spokesman insisted that his irregular heart beat, which caused him to be hospitalised briefly last week, had never happened before.
But ex-US President Clinton was quoted in the Sunday Mirror as saying: "I've known about this for a long time. He told me about it quite a few years ago.
"As soon as I heard what happened, I called to check he was OK. We had a talk and he sounded in good shape."
Mr Blair's spokesman said: "What we have said has been based on the opinion of those who have been responsible for the Prime Minister's medical care. We are slightly mystified by this story as this is the first time this has happened.
"The Prime Minister does not have, and has never had, a heart condition and he has never had this complaint before. It would have needed treatment.
"What we have said has been based on the clinical advice of doctors. This has never happened before and there is no reason why this should re-occur.
"Were the Prime Minister to have had anything like this before, it would have required treatment. All we can go on is what the clinicians told us and, as they have said, this has not happened before and there is no reason why it should recur."
Asked if the Prime Minister had had the conversations with President Clinton, the spokesman replied: "I have not been present at every single conversation the Prime Minister has had with President Clinton," he said.
Story filed: 12:25 Monday 27th October 2003
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