Gordon Brown has said Tony Blair would make an "excellent" first president of the European Council. Skip related content
Related photos / videos
Speaking in Brussels at the start of a two-day EU summit, the Prime Minister said Mr Blair had the right credentials for the job.
However, he stressed Mr Blair had yet to declare himself as a candidate and the EU leaders had yet to agree whether to establish the presidency under the terms of the Lisbon Treaty.
Mr Brown told a news conference: "We, the British Government, believe that Tony Blair would be an excellent candidate and an excellent person to hold the job of president of the council."
He added: "The European agenda for the next five years will be jobs, growth, climate change and world trade. That is the long-term agenda and Tony Blair is well placed for that."
Tributes have been paid to a schoolgirl who died after slipping in her high heels and falling under a train while waving goodbye to her friends.
