The leaders of the European Union were confronted yesterday with a large photo of Tony Blair on the front page of The Times, beneath the headline: “I’m your man”. Mr Blair retired as prime minister of Britain in 2007, but now he is back at the forefront of politics as a potential president of Europe.
Mr Blair has not spoken publicly about whether he would like the job, but that has not stopped a whirlwind of political gossip sweeping the continent from Lisbon to Riga. The newspaper quoted “friends” of Mr Blair as saying he would stand for the five-year post, but only “if the job was big enough”.
No one knows how big the job will be, because it does not yet exist . EU leaders meeting in Brussels this week will not decide who gets the job, even though this is the hottest topic of debate in the corridors of the summit. A formal decision will be taken towards the end of next month after a package of institutional reforms is finally ratified by all member states.
The European Union has struggled for decades to turn itself from a faceless bureaucracy into a diplomatic power led by a recognisable personality. But it is fast becoming clear that there is only one available face with the star power to walk into the White House at will, and it belongs to Mr Blair.
