Former British prime minister Tony Blair has resigned as the Middle East peace envoy representing the US, UN, Russia and the European Union in the regional peace talks, a role he undertook after leaving 10 Downing Street in 2007, media reports said .

Blair’s resignation came after he was criticised for his dual role as diplomat and businessman. His clients include PetroSaudi, an oil company with links to the ruling Saudi royal family, JP Morgan and Mubadala, an Abu Dhabi wealth fund, The Telegraph reported.

The former British prime minister plans to remain “active on the issues” concerning the Middle East, the daily quoted a source as saying.

Earlier this year, he was reportedly in talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry and EU’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini over the future of his role, according to media reports.

Blair’s office within the Quartet on Middle East had recently painted a bleak picture for the future of peace talks, according to The Independent.

“Over a year on from the breakdown in talks between Israel and the Palestinians, there is still no tangible political horizon in sight,” the daily quoted his office as saying in the report.