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Tony Blair landed a lucrative advisory job in a secret deal with an oil firm operating in Iraq.

The former Prime Minister took the contract with UI Energy two years ago - just 14 months after leaving No10.

But Whitehall's Advisory Committee on Business Appointments let Mr Blair keep it secret because of "market sensitivities".

The exact deal is unknown but South Korea-based UI Energy is one of the biggest investors in Iraq's oil-rich Kurdistan.

Mr Blair's fee has not been disclosed but is likely to have run into hundreds of thousands of pounds.

He successfully persuaded the watchdog committee the work was "market sensitive" and could not be made public.

But they published the details this week and also revealed a separate deal Blair had with the Kuwaiti government. This second arrangement had been kept secret at the request of the country's leaders.

Last night critics accused Mr Blair of getting rich off the contacts he made during the Iraq war.

Lib Dem MP Norman Baker said: "These revelations show that our former Prime Minister is for sale - he is driven by making as much money as possible. I think many people will find it deeply insensitive that he is apparently cashing in on his contacts from the Iraq war to make money for himself."

The decision to keep the deals secret will fuel concerns about the effectiveness of the committee, which has been repeatedly criticised for failing to stop the revolving door between politics and industry.

It is supposed to ease concerns about former public servants using their contacts for gain. Ministers must have all jobs vetted for two years after leaving office.

But the committee is packed with former politicians and Whitehall grandees and is thought never to have banned a former minister or senior civil servant from a lucrative job in the private sector.

A spokesman for Mr Blair said: "Mr Blair gave a one-off piece of advice in respect of a project for UI Energy in August 2008.

"He received approval from the Committee on Business Appointments. It was UI Energy who requested of the committee they delay public announcement, for reasons of market sensitivity."

It was also revealed yesterday how Mr Blair had told US President George Bush he would back him in Iraq.

A note between the two in July 2002 was mentioned at the Chilcot Inquiry into the war but not released. But political author Andrew Rawnsley claimed it said: "You know, George, whatever you decide to do, I'm with you."

THE PRIME MILLIONAIRE

Tony Blair is estimated to have made £20MILLION since he left office in June 2007 including: £9MILLION from speeches. He received a £600,000 signing-on fee from Washington Speakers Bureau and charges up to £200,000 per speech.

£6MILLION from consultancies. He is employed as a consultant by JP Morgan bank and Zurich Financial Services.

£5MILLION for forthcoming autobiography The Journey.

£500,000 from public funds as he is entitled to a £63,468 pension and office allowance of £84,000 a year.