The president of the European Union: not Blair

[Bounty]

Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has dropped out of the race to be European Council President - just as EU leaders meet to decide who to appoint.

The Belgian Prime Minister Herman van Rompuy is widely expected to get the job, with French and German support.

The socialist group of EU leaders is now urging the appointment of EU Trade Commissioner Baroness Catherine Ashton as the new foreign policy supremo.

A UK government spokesman revealed the dramatic twist in the British position.

EU leaders are in Brussels to select their first full-time president and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs - new posts created by the Lisbon Treaty, which will come into force on 1 December.

The heads of the 27 EU member nations are still divided over which candidates to choose, and after-dinner negotiations are expected to last into the night.

Mr Blair had been an early favourite for president and was the highest-profile candidate.

The final decision should be coming in soon.