Tony Blair is for the first time letting it be known that he is open to the idea of campaigning to become the European Union's first full-time president, a post that will be appointed by EU member states later this year.

In the seven months since he quit as British prime minister, Mr Blair has never given any indication he would be interested in the role. He has largely left it to France's president, Nicolas Sarkozy, to argue that the former UK premier should be the first holder of the two -and-a-half-year rotating presidency.