London - The Prime Minister, Mr Blair was yesterday facing demands for an inquiry into the "murky" role played by his deputy, Mr John Prescott, and the Northern Ireland peace mediator, former US Senator, Mr George Mitchell, in securing airport rights in Britain for an American delivery firm.
The British air cargo industry reacted with fury when the transport minister, Lord Macdonald, announced on Wednesday that Federal Express had been given so-called "fifth freedom" rights to load freight at Scotland's Prestwick Airport for onward delivery to third countries.
The government is now facing calls for an explanation of how Mr Mitchell, who is a non-executive director of FedEx, was able to engineer a meeting between the firm's chairman, Mr Fred Smith, and Mr Prescott last February.
