We need US, even if Bush is not trusted, declares Mandelson

Peter Mandelson admitted yesterday that George Bush was not Tony Blair's "greatest asset" in his attempts to persuade the British people to back a war on Iraq.

The former Northern Ireland secretary, who is still close to the Prime Minister, conceded that the public was extremely sceptical towards America's motives for military action. But Mr Mandelson, who is giving a lecture at the University of Kent today on relations between America and Europe, said both sides needed each other despite all the "tensions and difficulties".

Opinion polls regularly show that President Bush has an extremely negative image in Britain, a factor tarnishing support for any war against Saddam Hussein.

Mr Mandelson, speaking on BBC Radio 4's Start the Week, made it clear that Mr Blair was well aware of the British public's sceptical view of the Bush administration. "The problem we have is that whereas people are on balance prepared to give Tony Blair the benefit of the doubt, people in Britain and Europe unfortunately are less prepared to do that in the case of George Bush. I think that's quite an issue. I wouldn't say he's [Mr Blair's] greatest asset.

"I think Tony Blair does find himself straddling rather uncomfortably the division that has emerged between Europe and America on this issue."

Mr Mandelson said America's co-operation was vital for issues such as global pollution, the Middle East peace process and the regeneration of Africa. He insisted that the European Union was in danger of becoming "progressively irrelevant" in international affairs because of a lack of will and unity.

A further indication of the irritation among Mr Blair's senior advisers with hardline elements of the Bush administration came yesterday from Sir Christopher Meyer, the outgoing British ambassador in Washington. Referring to remarks about "old Europe" by Donald Rumsfeld, the US Defence Secretary, Sir Christopher said: "Things have been said which have made the situation worse and not better and we can do without this.

"Rumsfeld has said some things that were unnecessarily abrasive for a European audience ... We can do without Europeans being slapped down as if they ought to know their place and keep quiet. It doesn't help anybody."Sir Christopher's comments echoed those of Jose Maria Aznar, the Spanish Prime Minister, who urged Mr Bush to "muzzle" Mr Rumsfeld.