President Bush was wistful but Tony Blair was in denial as the partnership that has dominated international events since 2001 had its last public outing yesterday.

While the President admitted to a trace of nostalgia as he and Mr Blair had their farewell one-on-one encounter in a meeting room in the Kem-pinski Grand Hotel, the Prime Minister, who will be out of office in less than three weeks, said he was too busy to think about it. That has been Mr Blair’s way since he set out his departure timetable at the beginning of last month.

Although Whitehall may have ground to a halt waiting for the orders of Gordon Brown, Mr Blair has stepped up his personal pace, racing from continent to continent, trying to complete his legacy.

For the homespun Mr Bush this was a moment that could not be allowed to pass without comment.

He recalled that the two leaders had a press conference in the White House rose garden recently, the last time the two would speak on US soil. He added: “This is the last meeting I will have with him as Prime Minister. It’s a nostalgic moment for me, I’m sorry it’s come to be but that’s what happens in life. We’ll move on.”

But if Mr Blair was feeling slightly tearful he was not prepared to show it. Asked if he felt nostalgic like Mr Bush, the Prime Minister spread his arms, looked at the skies and told reporters: “To be absolutely frank I’m so in to the difference between various linking systems of emissions trading that I haven’t the time to feel nostalgic or anything else.”

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