Tony Blair designs bad medal

New light has been shed on Tony Blair's reluctance to collect the Congressional Gold Medal he was awarded in 2003 for his support of George Bush's war on terror and, more controversially, the invasion of Iraq. It had been thought that he'd become in some way embarrassed by the gong, but another reason has now presented itself.

According to the Independent on Sunday, it is down to the design of the medal (pictured). Tradition allows the recipient to have a say in how it looks, a right Blair is said to have exercised. Unfortunately, the body who oversee this process, the US Commission of Fine Arts, were not overly pleased with the result.

Writing to the US Mint, its secretary, Thomas E Luebke, said: "The commission members expressed dissatisfaction with the design of the medal honouring Mr Blair, and requested that it be revised and resubmitted, commenting that his likeness on the proposed obverse is awkward and does not convey his vitality.

"They emphasised that the direct adaptation of a photograph ­ the method used to generate this design ­ is not appropriate for developing numismatic sculpture... For the reverse, the commission questioned the inclusion of several elements of equal prominence, suggesting that the clasped hands be deleted."

Thankfully, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which Blair is due to receive from Bush in Washington on Tuesday, is an off-the-peg, one-size-fits-all affair.