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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Blow to Blair's hopes of EU job | Blow to Blair's hopes of EU job |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Tony Blair's hopes of becoming president of the European Council are fading after his supporters failed to secure the backing of EU leaders. | Tony Blair's hopes of becoming president of the European Council are fading after his supporters failed to secure the backing of EU leaders. |
| Earlier Gordon Brown said Mr Blair would be an "excellent candidate" but Downing Street is now less optimistic. | Earlier Gordon Brown said Mr Blair would be an "excellent candidate" but Downing Street is now less optimistic. |
| The BBC has learned No 10 has signalled that a defeat for Mr Blair's candidacy is now "a clear possibility". | The BBC has learned No 10 has signalled that a defeat for Mr Blair's candidacy is now "a clear possibility". |
| Ratification of the Lisbon treaty moved closer after EU leaders in Brussels struck a deal with the Czech president. | |
| The BBC's Jonny Dymond in Brussels said Mr Blair's chances of becoming the first president of the European Council - a post created by the treaty - seemed "slimmer today than before". | |
| Our correspondent said a lack of support from European socialist leaders has served to undermined Mr Blair's chances. | |
| Earlier Mr Brown had told socialist leaders meeting at the EU summit that they should "get real" and grasp a unique opportunity to get a "strong progressive politician" like Mr Blair as president. | |
| Gordon Brown: "I believe his credentials are well proven" | |
| However the leaders failed to back any prospective candidate and have now set up a three-man team to decide on their position. | |
| Austrian Chancellor Werner Fayman, who will be one of the three on the panel, expressed doubts about Mr Blair's prospects. | |
| Mr Fayman said: "My personal opinion is that the candidate ... should have an especially good relationship with (President Barack) Obama and not stand for a good working relationship with Bush." | |
| Spain's Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero also failed to endorse Mr Blair. Mr Zapatero said: "We have all heard names. But the work to achieve a larger consensus, that is going to take some time." | |
| Mr Zapatero also raised the prospect that the socialists might instead decide to seek the post of high representative for foreign affairs. This would leave the presidency open to a centre-right candidate, thereby ruling Mr Blair out. | |
| A spokesman for Mr Blair said since the job doesn't yet exist, "there is no campaign and Mr Blair is fully focused on his existing projects." |