Bush honours "moral authority" Blair

George Bush has hailed the "moral authority" of Tony Blair after awarding him the highest honour available to civilians in the United States.

Last night the former UK prime minister was given the presidential medal of freedom by the outgoing US leader.

Former Australian PM John Howard and current Colombian president Alvaro Uribe, also awarded the medal, were along with Mr Blair praised as "extraordinary leaders" by Mr Bush at a White House ceremony.

"They're the sort of guys who look you in the eye, keep their word, and tell the truth," the president said.

Mr Blair, now the envoy for the Middle East quartet, was among Mr Bush's staunchest allies during his war on terror and the invasion of Iraq.

"Our nations have worked proudly together to destroy terrorist havens, liberate millions, and help rising democracies to serve the aspirations of their people," Mr Bush said.

But Mr Blair has faced criticism back home for collecting the award during the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip.

Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman Ed Davey said: "Tony Blair should be spending next week helping to fix the mess in Gaza, not receiving an award for the biggest foreign policy disaster in recent history and his silence over Guantanamo Bay.

"It is not surprising that this announcement has been left until after Tony Blair has left office and when George Bush is packing his bags. It is simply too controversial to be sold to voters. The political capital built up by Blair's work in Northern Ireland was squandered entirely by the needless war in Iraq."