Tony Blair rejects Trump peace envoy claims
A spokesman for the former prime minister says "no discussions" had taken place about taking any role for the President.
Sunday 5 March 2017 09:36, UK
Tony Blair has rejected claims he tried to secure a job with Donald Trump's administration as a Middle East peace envoy.
The denial comes in response to a report in The Mail on Sunday that Mr Blair met the US President's son-in-law and key adviser Jared Kushner at the White House last week to discuss working for the American leader.
The newspaper went on to claim Mr Blair had met Mr Kushner three times since September.
But a spokesman for Mr Blair dismissed the report, although she did not deny he had met with members of Mr Trump's team.
In a statement she said: "The story in the Mail on Sunday is an invention. Mr Blair has made no such 'pitch' to be the President's Middle East envoy.
"Neither has he had any discussions about taking such a role or any role working for the new President. He has been working on the peace process for 10 years.
"He continues to do so. He does so in a private capacity. He will continue to do it in that way. Period."
While in Downing Street, Mr Blair shared a close relationship with President George W Bush.
Despite winning three general elections, Mr Blair's role in leading Britain into the war in Iraq alongside Mr Bush badly damaged his legacy.
After leaving office in 2007, he took the role of Middle East envoy for the Quartet Group comprising the EU, US, Russia and UN until 2015.
He has made more interventions in UK politics since leaving his Middle East role.
Last month in a speech, and persuade Brexit voters to change their mind about leaving the EU.