TONY BLAIR must not be the first “President of Europe”

unless he can prove he had no knowledge of Britain’s involvement in torture, the conference will be told today.

Delegates in Bournemouth will be urged to pass a motion demanding that the Government blackball the former prime minister while the cloud of suspicion remains.

Mr Blair is believed to be interested in the powerful new post that will be created if the Lisbon Treaty is finally approved, although he has declined to confirm it.

In July, Baroness Kinnock, the new Europe Minister, let slip that the Government was supporting Tony Blair’s candidature.

But today’s motion condemns the failure to set up a public inquiry into allegations that, between 2002 and 2005, the Government was guilty of “complicity in torture and illegal abduction”.

And it cites “compelling evidence”

suggesting that Mr Blair was “fully aware of the policy” that apparently saw Britain’s intelligence services use evidence obtained through torture.

The motion, tabled by Lib Dem foreign affairs spokesman Ed Davey, reads: “All those who authorise, practice, or collude in torture should be brought to justice.”

And it calls for: “Tony Blair not to be supported by any British, or EU, government for the post of President of the European Council."