Blair may take on role of EU president, say allies
Friday February 01 2008
Tony Blair is warming to the idea of becoming president of Europe, according to friends, even though he would have to give up his clutch of lucrative business appointments.
Mr Blair's allies have previously played down the prospect of the former British prime minister taking the new €267,000-a-year post of president of the European Council, created under the new EU treaty now going through parliament.
But friends now describe Mr Blair as open-minded and are hinting he would accept the job if EU leaders asked him to do it. His final decision would also depend on the scope of the job, which has yet to be agreed.
Friends believe he would accept a role as a "Mr Europe" figure but would not want the job if most of his time was to be spent chairing meetings and brokering deals among the EU's 27 member states.
Since leaving Downing Street, Mr Blair has picked up a job with the investment bank JP Morgan reportedly worth €2.7m a year and is advising Zurich Insurance on its climate change initiative for an estimated €668,000 a year.
Committed
He is also said to be earning over €668,000 a month from speaking engagements. But one associate said: "Despite the impression given by recent headlines, in his heart he remains committed to public service."
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is pressing hard for Mr Blair to become a heavyweight president of Europe. Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, may come under domestic pressure to back a rival candidate but is thought likely to rally behind Mr Sarkozy.
Mr Blair enjoys strong support at the European Commission in Brussels. Gordon Brown has said Mr Blair would make an "excellent president" but some Brown allies are worried the appointment would allow the media to revive the "Brown-Blair split" stories that marked Mr Blair's 10 years in power.
- Andrew Grice in London
