Tony Blair on Thursday joined George W. Bush for his final White House appearance as British prime minister, in an exercise that outbid its many predecessors in the intensity of praise the two embattled leaders showered upon each other.

Facing a string of hostile questions on the heavy price Mr Blair has paid for supporting Mr Bush’s Iraq invasion, the US president said: “You’re [the British media] trying to tap dance on his political grave, aren’t you? . . .  Let me tell you that people admire him around the world because he’s the kind of person who follows through . . . I have enjoyed working with Tony Blair more than I could possibly have imagined. You bet I will miss working with him.”