Tony Blair was formally confirmed last night as the UK Government's official candidate to be Europe's first president - if he wants the job.
Baroness Kinnock, the ex-Labour MEP and now Gordon Brown's Europe Minister, made official the unofficial line that the Prime Minister's predecessor would get the backing of the government should he throw his hat in the ring.
However, the SNP claimed the Prime Minister would be making a huge mistake in backing a "warmonger" for the role, which the party said needed a unifier. "Putting forward Tony Blair for this job would be divisive and damaging for the EU institutions," claimed Ian Hudghton, the SNP MEP.
The new role of president, expected to carry a pay and perks package of £200,000, is due to be created as part of reforms under the Lisbon Treaty, which has yet to come into force largely due to public resistance in Ireland, where voters face a second referendum on it in October.
The Whitehall line before yesterday was that talking of who would be EU president was premature when the prestigious post had not yet been created.
However, at a briefing in Strasbourg, Lady Kinnock declared: "The UK Government is supporting Tony Blair's candidature for President of the Council."
She insisted Mr Blair, 56, who is currently a Middle East envoy, had the "strength of character" and "status" to take on the job. Asked if the issue had been discussed with the ex-PM, she said: "It is the government's position. I am sure they would not do that without asking him."
She added: "People know who he is and he could step into this new role with a lot of respect and he would be generally welcomed."
Mr Brown's spokesman confirmed Lady Kinnock's statement, saying: "It's the Prime Minister's view that Tony Blair would be a good candidate for any big international job.
"If Tony Blair decides to stand as President of the European Council, once that job has been created, then, of course, we will support him."
William Hague for the Conservatives, who oppose the creation of an EU President, claimed Mr Blair, like any holder of the post, would be "likely to centralise power for themselves in Brussels and dominate national foreign policies.".
He added: "In the hands of an operator as ambitious as Tony Blair, that is a near certainty."
Last night, Mr Blair was keeping his options open. His spokesman said: "There is no campaign. As we have said, time and again on this, there is nothing to be a candidate for since the job doesn't actually exist."
If the post were to be created and if the ex-PM were to seek the post, then he is likely to run up against opposition from some of Britain's EU fellow member states.
His role in the Iraq war is likely to put off some heads of government. Nicolas Sarkozy, the French President, a onetime supporter of Mr Blair's, is now said to favour Felipe Gonzalez, the 67-year-old former Spanish Prime Minister. Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, is also said to have cooled on Mr Blair's potential candidacy, but Italian leader Silvio Berlusconi has described the former premier as the "ideal personality" to be president.
Newsquest (Herald & Times) Limited.
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Future Anti-Christ?
WOW...,
- The post has not been created "yet" but they are campaigning it.
- All parties agree on a EU "President of the Council"
- Tony Blair is strong fore front leader
With his personality and profiles recently done on PBS, History channel and several documentaries, it is almost biblically impossible to make President Obama ever be the anti-christ no matter what he does.
But the shoe size seems to fir Mr Blair very well....
Michael James Stone
