TONY Blair's chances of becoming the EU president were dealt a blow on Tuesday when Nick Clegg, the leader of the UK's Liberal Democrat party, rejected his candidacy.

Evidence also emerged that Germany has been spooked by the scale of the hostility from the leader of the UK's Opposition Conservative party (and probably next UK premier) David Cameron.

Blair did however win the explicit backing of the French foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, as the UK's foreign secretary David Miliband lobbied his EU counterparts for the Blair candidacy.

Further delays in Czech agreement to sign up to the Lisbon treaty, which establishes the new post, means the presidency is unlikely to be discussed at the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday. The UK prime minister's office in Downing Street, London, said the issue is likely to be settled at a special summit in November.

Cameron and the Conservatives' foreign affairs spokesman, William Hague, have been voicing their opposition to Blair's candidacy for three weeks. On Tuesday, Clegg joined the ranks opposing Blair, saying he had the wrong political skills. “Government by directive, or in his case by sofa, just does not work in the EU,” he said.

Clegg's views carry weight because there are seven Liberal prime ministers in the EU and he leads the largest Liberal party in Europe. The Lib Dem leader, who worked in the European commission and was an MEP, said “Blair really is the wrong person for this job. He won't be very good at it and he will not enjoy it. This job is about giving the EU strength that is the sum of its parts, and it is not importing Hollywood stardust in the hope that a political globetrotting superstar will transform the fortunes of the EU.”

The Lib Dem leader said he was depressed by the differing approaches of Miliband and Hague. He mocked Miliband “vowing to get Blair in there because he will stop the traffic around the world and William Hague charging around as if he a two-bit actor in the episode of the Sopranos saying if you do that I will threaten you, I will knee-cap you”.

Britain should instead expend its diplomatic capital on winning the post of EU high representative for foreign affairs.

The intervention by Clegg follows signs that a Conservative campaign against Blair is “spooking” EU leaders who are nervous about upsetting Cameron months before the general election.

It is understood that Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, is taking careful note of Cameron's opposition. A source familiar with the thinking in Berlin said “Angela Merkel thinks Tony Blair is probably the best man to be president. But lots of EU governments have been spooked by the strength of the Conservative opposition which is now tilting the balance against Tony Blair.”

Cameron mocked Blair as “Il Presidente” and called for a “chairmanic” figure.

— The Guardian, London