Watson: "Blair's tenure will be remembered for its contradictions"

2.51.52pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 10th May 2007

Commenting on Tony Blair's announcement that he will stand down as UK Prime Minister on 27 June, European Liberal Democrat Leader Graham Watson MEP said:

"Tony Blair's ten-year tenure at Downing Street will be remembered for its contradictions. Although leaving office at a time of his own choosing, he is yet one more politician exiting the stage under a cloud which overshadows his considerable domestic achievements.

In Brussels he will be remembered for a Hampton Court summit that successfully identified the major challenges we face together as a Union, a budget deal (of sorts) for the coming 7 years and the opening of accession talks with Turkey.

While siding with the US in the invasion of Iraq was his biggest mistake, it was not his biggest failure in European terms. That was undoubtedly his inability to use his three successive terms in government - as well as the UK Presidency of the EU - to explain to the British people the purpose of and the need for the European Union.

Tony Blair is the UK's most pro-European Prime Minister since Edward Heath. Yet his record in the EU is more comparable to that of John Major.

Blair should have made more of his term in office to win the argument for Europe in the UK. "