Tony Blair demanded MOD briefing on UFOs after member of the public suggested a cover-up over information on alien life-forms

Former prime minister Tony Blair received a briefing about UFOs from the Ministry of Defence because of his concerns over the disclosure of classified information on alien life-forms.

Downing Street requested the advice for the PM in 1998 as the Freedom of Information Act was being introduced, which allowed the public to obtain information on alien mysteries.

Mr Blair’s concerns were raised after he received a letter from a member of the public referring to a ‘cover-up’ and asking him to make UFO reports and other information available.

According to The Daily Telegraph, Mr Blair sought advice from the MOD for their policy on the issue.

He was told by staff at the ministry that it has ‘only a limited interest in UFO matters’ but that they ‘ remained open-minded’ about ‘extraterrestrial life forms’.

Details of the briefing emerged yesterday ahead of today’s release of files by the Government of more than 6,700 pages detailing seemingly close encounters with UFOs over the last 30 years.

Among a series of UFO sightings in the files is a  policeman’s report of a mystery cluster of lights darting across the sky during an FA Cup replay between Chelsea and Manchester United.

The mounted officer’s claims to have seen the bright object hovering over Stamford Bridge in March 1999 for almost 15 seconds, slowly changing shape, were corroborated by a colleague.

The ‘credible witness report’ is one of a series investigated by the Ministry of Defence, whose top-secret files are being released in sections by the National Archives following the closure of the ministry’s UFO desk in 2009