British PM lining up pro-European Mandelson as EU commissioner

LONDON, Sept 25 (AFP) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair is to appoint disgraced former government minister and pro-European Peter Mandelson to the post of EU commissioner, a move that would be seen to be placing Britain "at the heart of Europe", a London newspaper reported Thursday.

Mandelson, who has served as trade and industry secretary and minister for Northern Ireland under Blair's Labour government, was forced to resign both posts after becoming embroiled in separate financial scandals.

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Mandelson, who is a close aide of Blair and remains an elected member of parliament, is to take over from former Labour leader Neil Kinnock as one of Britain's two commissioners in Brussels, the Daily Mail said on its front page.

Kinnock, a former Labour Party leader who has risen to vice-president of the European Commission, is retiring next year.

"Mr Mandelson is known to be close to the prime minister and appointing his closest political ally will send an important signal about Mr Blair's determination to put Britain at the heart of Europe," an unnamed European Commission source was quoted by the paper as saying.

Blair remains committed to taking Britain into the eurozone despite the public and press here appearing hostile to any attempt by the government to ditch the pound in favour of the single European currency.

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