Government Supports Tony Blair for EU Presidency

Tony Blair will have the full support of the British government for competing as the first EU President, Glenys Kinnock, European Minister told the Guardian on 16 July.

Though many people in Europe have never forgave him to back Bush over Brussels and went war in Iraq, Lady Kinnock, confirmed in Strasbourg for the parliament's opening session, it was “certainly” the former Prime Minister will gain full support from the government.

Kinnock said in an interview with the BBC: “The UK government is supporting Tony Blair's candidature for president of the Council.”

However, the Blair camp, in Jerusalem as he continues his current job as a Middle East envoy, was caught off-guard.

Blair's spokesman told the Guardian: “Nothing has changed. The job doesn't exist, so there is nothing to be candidate for.”

Some of the British diplomats were also caught off-guard and cautioned that Kinnock's remarks remained speculation.

According to the BBC, the post will be created under the Lisbon treaty, which needs to be ratified by the 27 member states.

Ireland is the only country to hold the referendum in early October, if the Irish vote yes on 2 October, EU leaders are expected to decide who will be the political figure to get the top job at a summit at the end of October.

Downing street said if Mr Blair wants to stand for the job, the government would back him, if he wanted to put his name futher, but the Prime Minister's spokesmen declined to say whether Mr Brown had discussed the post with Tony Blair or had encouraged him to stand for the post.

French president Nicolas Sarkozy, who was previously a key backer of Mr Blair, said he “had changed” his mind about Mr Blair's suitability for the post, the Daily Telegraph has learnt.

He have altered his stance, partly because of Mr Blair's perceived "failure" to achieve any change in the Middle East.

The Conservatives told the BBC the British people had not been given a say on whether Europe should have a new president, as the party was previously in an attempt to get a UK referendum on the Lisbon treaty, which were defeated in the Commons.

Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague told the BBC the new role could be “enormously damaging”.

He went on to say “any holder is likely to try to centralise power for themselves in Brussels and dominate national foreign policies”

“In the hands of an operator as ambitious as Tony Blair, that is a near certainty. He should be let nowhere near the job.”