Blair's reputation hit by links with Bush, says Alastair Campbell

1.00pm - By ANDREW GRICE


Tony Blair's personal reputation has taken a "big hit" because of his close links with President George Bush, Alastair Campbell, the former Downing Street director of communications, said yesterday.

In the frankest admission by a close Blair ally of the damage caused to the Prime Minister by the Iraq war, Mr Campbell told BBC Radio 4: "The reality is - there is no point in denying this - that Tony has taken a big political hit as a result of what is perceived to be a strong relationship with President Bush. That is just something he is prepared to take because he thinks the benefits to the country outweigh the political damage that might be done to him."

Mr Campbell, who left Downing Street last autumn but remains close to Mr Blair, predicted the Prime Minister would not suffer any further damage over Iraq if President Bush is re-elected.

"Iraq has been such an intense, divisive issue over such a long period that in a sense the political damage and the political benefit on that, whatever that may be assessed as, is well established," he said.

But Mr Campbell insisted that Mr Blair would quickly form a strong relationship with John Kerry if he wins the race for the White House.

"The reality is that if you are the British Prime Minister, you have got to get on and have a meaningful and strong relationship with the President of the United States, whoever that may be, whatever their politics may be," he said.

The close race in America has caused a last-minute wobble in Downing Street as Mr Blair's advisers suddenly feared that had not forged close enough links with the Kerry camp.

Jonathan Powell, the Prime Minister's chief of staff, started hitting the phones of leading US Democrats at the end of last week in an attempt to ensure a smooth transition in the event of regime change in Washington.

Although the opinion polls in America have been close for some time, Mr Blair has always instinctively felt that President Bush would win.

Number 10 did have a Plan B but was happy to leave contingency plans for a Kerry victory to others -- including Sir David Manning, the British Ambassador in Washington and Mr Blair's former foreign affairs adviser; Philip Gould, Mr Blair's personal pollster and Peter Hain, the Leader of the Commons, who have both visited the Kerry campaign team.

Officially, Mr Blair has remained studiously neutral - so as not to offend either President Bush or his Democratic challenger. But the Prime Minister has upset the Democrats by being in denial - in public, at least - about the strong links between New Labour and their forerunners in the New Democrats launched by Bill Clinton.

Agreeing to America's request to redeploy British troops in Iraq in the run-up to the election reinforced the impression amongst Labour MPs that Mr Blair was backing President Bush.

"If Kerry wins, we will have a lot of bridges to build," one Labour Party source admitted yesterday.

British ministers fear that Senator Kerry would spurn Mr Blair's invitations to visit London on his first overseas trip and make a symbolic visit to Brussels, where he would meet the Prime Minister alongside other EU leaders in an attempt to heal the wounds left by the Iraq war.

But Mr Blair would undoubtedly get a plane to Washington as soon as an incoming Kerry administration gave it permission to land.

Cabinet colleagues believe Mr Blair privately wants a Kerry win, which would offer him a chance to draw a line under the Iraq war and make peace with his growing band of Labour critics.

The Prime Minister would be delighted to join Senator Kerry in a new, multilateral approach to the world's problems based on the primacy of the United Nations - and a new push on the Middle East peace process, over which President Bush has frustrated Downing Street.

Aides admit that Mr Blair would take a "short term hit" from a Kerry victory, since the Prime Minister would be portrayed as the "last man standing" who led his country to war in Iraq.

But they hope that would prove a "one-day wonder" and point out that John Howard, who backed the war, has just won a fourth successive election in Australia.

- INDEPENDENT