George Bush and Tony Blair at the first meeting, in February 2001

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Blair's heart sank when Bush was elected, Cherie memoir reveals

Blair's 'heart sank' when George Bush was elected US president in 2000, his wife, Cherie claims in her new book

"I think it's fair to say our hearts sank when the result was finally ratified,"

"In fact, Tony felt very strongly that Gore was playing it wrong and that he should have used Bill [Clinton, the then-president] more, not distanced himself from him."

Bush "didn't seem comfortable with foreign affairs"

Bush, she says, has a tendency to "talk Texan", but, while Clinton was also from the south and might "talk southern, he doesn't think southern, whereas Bush thinks Texan."

Her autobiography also details her reaction to Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinksy – "Oh Bill, how could you?" – and the impact she felt it had on his wife, Hillary

"I could see for myself how angry she was with him. Not just for humiliating her, but for jeopardising their joint project