Euan Blair

Washington, June 26: Euan Blair, Prime Minister Tony Blair’s eldest son, has landed a post working on Capitol Hill for a leading conservative Republican in the House of Representatives, The Sunday Telegraph has learnt.

Euan, 21, who is about to graduate from Bristol University with a degree in ancient history, will spend three months as an unpaid intern with the Republican majority staff on the powerful Rules Committee. He will be mentored by the chairman of the committee, David Dreier, a Californian representative who is a close ally of the ruling party’s leadership in the House, the lower chamber of Congress.

Committee officials say the decision to offer the sought-after position to Blair’s son was taken at a senior level ? not by staff ordinarily responsible for sifting internship applications. British diplomats in Washington also played a part in the process. A Downing Street spokesman said: “Given the obvious sensitivities, the Prime Minister asked the British embassy to get involved in the process.”

No. 10 sources made it clear that there was no suggestion that Euan’s application had been “fast-tracked”.

Despite his father’s close relationship with President George W. Bush, news that Euan is to work for the Republican-led committee has stunned Democrats. Eric Burns, the communications director for Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, the leading Democrat on the committee, said: “Working on the Rules Committee will be quite a learning process as it has always been one of the most partisan in the House. It is extremely surprising that the son of a Labour Prime Minister would intern with the Republican majority staff on the committee.”