Tony Blair yesterday faced accusations of ‘ megalomania ’ over an interview in which he vowed to set up his own ‘ leaders club ’ of ex-statesmen – and appeared to dismiss the need for democracy . The ex-PM said he wanted to create a ‘ cadre ’ of former leaders to advise governments , saying : ‘ You can get some of these guys who are fantastic executors . Why not use their talents and their experience ? ’ He added : ‘ Why not come and help the president of this country or the prime minister of that country ? ’ Scroll down for video . Tony Blair on the cover of Newsweek . The former Prime Minister said his ideas of leadership were ‘ close to a benevolent dictatorship ’ In the profile in the American magazine Newsweek , Mr Blair also praised the authoritarian military regime in Egypt , which has been accused of human rights abuses , saying : ‘ Yes , democracy is important , but democracy is not on its own sufficient . You need effective government taking effective decisions. ’ The article – which described Mr Blair ’ s ideas of leadership as ‘ close to a benevolent dictatorship ’ – added that Mr Blair had concluded from the foot-and-mouth crisis of 2001 , when the army slaughtered ten million sheep and cattle , that soldiers were better at emergencies than governments . When asked about his future work plans , he grandly announced : ‘ I ’ ve done British . I suppose where I think I can make most difference is on a global level , working on things that had interested me as Prime Minister but that I was not able to devote myself to. ’ Mr Blair , who made his first intervention in the Election campaign last week with a speech backing Ed Miliband and warning about the risks of leaving the European Union , said that he hoped to stay active in both politics and business well into his 90s . Blair in his old constituency giving a talk at the Xcel centre in County Durham in support of Ed Miliband . He said he hoped to stay active in both politics and business well into his 90s . Explaining why he had no plans to retire , Mr Blair said : ‘ I ’ ve got decades . I want to be seeing someone when I ’ m 91 after having had medical tests which show I ’ m getting younger . The thought of actually retiring is not ... look , you have got to have some self-awareness of these things . Tory MP Andrew Bridgen has branded Blair a 'megalomaniac ' for his Newsweek remarks . ‘ And I just know that if I do that , it would literally take me about three days before I was bored out of my mind . Took to drink or something. ’ The 61-year-old has been working as a Middle East peace envoy while picking up international consultancy work that earns him millions of pounds a year . Talking about the group of ex-leaders he hoped to deploy in his business , Mr Blair suggested that only those who had risen to the top of their countries could properly relate to each other . He said : ‘ The moment I ’ m talking to a new leader and I ’ m describing what I felt and what the challenges were , there ’ s a total and instant empathy , an immediate locking on to each other ... and I know what it ’ s like because I ’ ve sat in the decision-making seat. ’ Last night , Tory MP Andrew Bridgen claimed that Mr Blair ’ s words suggested he has ‘ completely lost the plot ’ . Mr Bridgen added : ‘ David Cameron recently announced that he would not serve a third term , on the grounds that all prime ministers go a bit mad after ten years . ‘ It is becoming increasingly clear that Mr Blair ’ s decade in Downing Street has indeed left its mark , and he is now displaying the distinct signs of megalomania . ’
Vowed to set up exclusive club of ex-statesman in Newsweek interview . The former president said he would be willing to sell his stake in the company if it was sold for less than $1 billion. Tory MP Andrew Bridgen claimed Mr Blair came across a 'megalomaniac '