Only 1 in 3 Brits want Blair to become EU president
30 Oct 2009, 1504 Hrs

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London, Oct. 30 Only one in three Brits want former Prime Minister Tony Blair to be appointed as the president of the European Union, a new poll has found.

According to a Daily Telegraph/YouGov poll, just 31 per cent of voters want to see him become president of the European Council, while another 31 per cent are opposed.

Thirty-eight per cent remained undecided.

The lack of overwhelming domestic support for Blair is set to fuel European doubts about him.

At a EU summit in Brussels, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who is now publicly campaigning for his predecessor, accepted that Blair may lose out.

"It may not happen," Brown was quoted, as saying.

Brown's remark came in the wake of more countries openly opposing Blair's candidacy.

The group of countries, which includes Ireland, Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Sweden, used a dinner discussion over "rules of procedure".

Ireland abandoned its previous support for Blair after John Bruton, a former Irish prime minister, put himself forward for the job.

The socialists, who include Prime Minister Jose Zapatero of Spain, put Miliband's name on a list of names for that post, although he insisted he is not interested.

Blair was first backed for the presidency by Nicolas Sarkozy, France's right-wing president.

However, senior EU sources said that both Sarkozy and Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, have now cooled on Blair's candidacy. (ANI)

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