Tony Blair is looking to open an office in Abu Dhabi, the increasingly assertive oil-rich emirate, in an apparent bid to expand his role as a behind-the-scenes business and political broker in the Middle East.

The former UK prime minister, whose reputation in the region remains controversial, is said to be very close to the Crown Prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who shares his outspoken anti-Islamist views. “There is chemistry between him and Mohammed bin Zayed,” a Blair friend says.

Mr Blair, who has a business contract to advise Mubadala, one of the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth funds, also backs the anti-Islamist leaders in Egypt where three Al Jazeera journalists accused of backing the Muslim Brotherhood were on Monday sentenced to seven years in prison.