Austrian far-right leader Joerg Haider has angered Downing Street after comparing himself to Tony Blair as a political reformer.

Mr Haider had said that if his party was ever the strongest in Austria, he would take ideas from Mr Blair.

The Freedom Party leader formed a coalition government last week with the conservative People's Party despite widespread objections at home and abroad.

The other 14 European Union member states have pledged to reduce political ties with Austria because of the new coalition.

Mr Haider, who does not hold a cabinet portfolio in the new government, said: "Perhaps the next election gives us the chance to be the strongest party, and under this condition I'm sure the president has to give me the mandate to form a government.

'Values and ideas'

"I will be well prepared to lead a government of reform under the Freedom Party and we will take ideas from the programme of Tony Blair, for instance."

He added: "If you compare our programme with the programme of Tony Blair you will find there are a lot of similarities.

"We have stood for a long time for all the values and ideas Tony Blair stands for, too. It's difficult in the new Europe to make the distinction between right and left politics.

"The distinction must be between reform and not reform politicians."

But a Downing Street spokesman rejected Mr Haider's comparison of himself with Mr Blair.

He said: "We would utterly reject any comparison between the Freedom Party's approach and the British government's."