Tony Blair rounded off a 24-hour trip to Madrid yesterday with a call for the British and Spanish economies to raise their game.
The Prime Minister spoke following a breakfast meeting with his Spanish counterpart, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, and business leaders from both countries.
"The economies of Spain and Britain have been successful over the years in terms of growth, in terms of jobs, in terms of enterprise and industry," Mr Blair said.
"But we know for the future we need to do more."
Representatives from Barclays, Vodafone, British Petroleum and British Airways were among those to share their concerns with the two premiers.
Mr Blair said they stressed the need for innovation, research and development and "creating the kind of flexible and enterprising economies which enable us to compete with the change happening around us".
He added: "We know that at each stage we need to up our game, become even more competitive, more successful and ensure the job opportunities are there for the people of the future."
After shaking hands with Mr Zapatero outside the Santo Mauro Hotel, near the British Embassy in Madrid, Mr Blair was set to fly back to the UK.
Mr Blair's comments brought to a close what could be his last official trip to the Spanish capital before he leaves office. Apparently mindful of the fact, Mr Zapatero wished him "all the best in his public and private life" at a joint press conference. The pair have presented a united front on terrorism and migration, with the Spanish premier drawing attention to Mr Blair's support for peace talks with Basque separatists Eta.
The two leaders also called for greater efforts to close Europe's borders to illegal immigrants and discussed their countries' recent agreement on quality of life issues for Gibraltar residents.
Asked about sovereignty, Mr Zapatero said dialogue on Gibraltar was "extremely positive" but that "nobody was giving up their original posture".
Yesterday's round-table discussion followed an agreement struck between the two countries the night before to co-operate on research into biotechnology and renewable energy.
