‘Tony Blair's Christmas holiday sparked controversy yesterday after it emerged that the Prime Minister was staying in the Florida mansion of rock star Robin Gibb, who just weeks ago lobbied the government to beef up musicians' rights.

It emerged that Mr Blair would be staying at the £5.8 million home of Gibb, a singer with the band the Bee Gee's and a leading voice of the British Academy of Composers and Song Writers.

The industry body has urged the government to tighten protection for artists and, according to the organisation's website, which features pictures of Gibb, its duties involve "regularly talking to UK and EU politicians... and campaigning to protect the value of copyright".

The disclosure threatens to spark fresh accusations of a conflict of interest, as Gibb visited Westminster at the end of October to lobby MPs and ministers to extend copyright laws from 50 years to 100 years. He also attended a rally in the north of England for Mr Blair ahead of the last election.

Mr Blair's use of Sir Cliff Richard's £3m villa in Barbados for three holidays created a similar row over the summer, when it was revealed the Labour leader had urged the party to make copyright laws one of its priorities. Downing Street yesterday insisted that no impropriety had been committed.

Holidays are meant to be about "getting away from it all", but trouble seems to follow the Blair family, especially when the Prime Minister is off-duty.

His propensity for accepting the hospitality of fellow politicians, rock stars, royals and businessmen has given Tony Blair more stress than relaxation.

At Christmas 2004, he was criticised for not cutting short his Egyptian holiday in the aftermath of the Asian Boxing Day tsunami.

It later emerged that he had used the Royal Flight to ferry his family to their sunshine destination, costing taxpayers £31,000.

Mr Blair has also raised eyebrows by holidaying with Silvio Berlusconi, the former Italian prime minister, and in 2002 he spent his summer break with Alain Dominique Perrin, a businessman who held shares in British American Tobacco, the subject of a government smuggling investigation at the time.’

Controversy Over PM's Holiday Link With Bee Gee Campaigner