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Gordon and Tony meet again but it's the same old story for the PM
Independent, The (London), May 2, 2008 by Anne Penketh Diplomatic Editor
It was hardly an invitation he could turn down but the Prime Minister cannot have relished being once again in the shadow of his predecessor Tony Blair when he joined guests at a Mayfair hotel for a conference on investment in the Palestinian territories.
The Tony Blair roadshow was back in town last night, or at least that is the way it must have seemed to Mr Brown. On Mr Blair's coat- tails, as he arrived fresh from an Islamic economic forum in Kuwait, came a bevy of foreign ministers from the Middle East, all on first name terms with the former prime minister.
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Among his numerous other duties, Mr Blair has worked as the envoy of the Quartet for Middle East peace since leaving office. As such, he attended last night's forum promoting economic development in the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza, talking to private sector investors in London along with the Prime Minister, the International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander and the Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.
About 120 project applications were on the stocks at the meeting, seen as preparing the ground for a big investment conference to be attended by 600 people in Bethlehem next month, officials said.
Today, Mr Blair will be back at work with the Quartet, which is likely to urge Israel to take steps to ease the humanitarian suffering in Gaza but will not renounce its principle of refusing to deal with Hamas as long as the militant Islamic movement has not renounced violence and agreed to recognise Israel.
Last night's event was the first that the Prime Minister and Mr Blair have attended together since Mr Blair left Downing Street.
Only last week, Mr Brown was forced to dismiss the "gossip and rumour" in Lord Levy's memoirs suggesting Mr Blair had repeatedly told him his successor could not beat David Cameron in an election.
Yesterday, after being upstaged by Pope Benedict during a recent visit to America, Mr Brown had to suffer further ignominy when Time magazine put Mr Blair on its list of the world's 100 most influential people. The current prime minister was not, although he did make an appearance on the list in 2005 while still Chancellor. Did Mr Blair feel any compassion for his successor whose popularity ratings have slumped in the polls over the 10p tax revolt? If so, he did not show it. For last night, Mr Blair was in his element, revelling in the spotlight on the day that by a cruel twist of fate Mr Brown's political obituary was being written by the commentators, once again, on the day of the local elections.
Gaza food crisis, page 28
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