Third Blair ministry
Cabinet of the United Kingdom
2005–2007
Blair in 2007
Date formed	6 May 2005 (2005-05-06)
Date dissolved	27 June 2007 (2007-06-27)
People and organisations
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Prime Minister's history	1997–2007
Deputy Prime Minister	John Prescott
Member party	Labour Party
Status in legislature	Majority
Opposition cabinet	Howard shadow cabinet Cameron shadow cabinet
Opposition party	Conservative Party
Opposition leader	Michael Howard (2005) David Cameron (2005–2007)
History
Election	2005 general election
Legislature term	2005–2010
Budgets	2006 budget 2007 budget
Outgoing formation	2007 leadership election
Predecessor	Second Blair ministry
Successor	Brown ministry

This article is part of a series about Tony Blair
Electoral history MP for Sedgefield Beaconsfield by-election Leader of the Opposition Leadership election Brown Deal Shadow Cabinet Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Premiership Policies New Labour, New Life for Britain Blairism New Labour Third Way Appointments "Tony's Cronies" "Blair Babes" First ministry and term (May 1997 – June 2001) Ministry 1997 election Chancellorship of Gordon Brown 1997 budget 1998 budget 1999 budget 2000 budget 2001 budget Good Friday Agreement peace process Handover of Hong Kong People's princess Kosovo War Military intervention in Sierra Leone Second ministry and term (June 2001 – May 2005) Ministry 2001 re-election 9/11 War on terror War in Afghanistan 2003 invasion of Iraq Iraq and weapons of mass destruction Saddam–al-Qaeda conspiracy theory Bush memo Downing Street memo February Dossier September Dossier Ultimatum to Iraq Iraq War State visit by George W. Bush to the United Kingdom 2002 budget 2003 budget 2004 budget 2005 budget Third ministry and term (May 2005 – June 2007) Ministry 2005 re-election Cabinet reshuffle 2006 budget 2007 budget Cash for Honours London bombings Respect agenda Leadership succession Post–Prime Minister 2007 Sedgefield by-election Quartet on the Middle East A Journey (autobiography) Associates Faith Foundation Iraq Inquiry Sports Foundation Institute for Global Change
v t e

Thethird Blair ministry was thegovernment of the United Kingdom from 2005 to 2007. The2005 general election saw theLabour Party win a historic third successive term in power, though their majority now stood at 66 seats—compared to 167four years earlier—and they failed to gain any new seats. Blair had already declared that the new term in Parliament would be his last.

TheWar in Afghanistan and theIraq War continued during his last ministry, and the7/7 bombings also took place. Blair's government responded by introducing a range ofanti-terror legislation, including the passing of the contentiousIdentity Cards Act 2006 legislation (repealed in 2011).^[1][2] Blair announced in 2006 that he would resign as prime minister and Labour leader within a year. He resigned on 27 June 2007 and was succeeded byGordon Brown, hischancellor since 1997.

• November 2005 –David Blunkett resigns his post asSecretary of State for Work and Pensions. He is replaced byJohn Hutton, leaving the post ofChancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster vacant for six months.
• May 2006 – Following a poor showing in thelocal council elections, Blairreshuffles his cabinet.Charles Clarke,Geoff Hoon andIan McCartney leave the Cabinet.Jack Straw becomesLeader of the House of Commons andLord Keeper of the Privy Seal.Margaret Beckett is promoted toForeign Secretary,John Reid toHome Secretary,David Miliband toSecretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs andDes Browne toSecretary of State for Defence.Ruth Kelly takes a new post ofSecretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which replaces the post held byDavid Miliband and takes a number of responsibilities previously held by theOffice of the Deputy Prime Minister; Kelly will also serve asMinister for Women and Equality.Alan Johnson becomesSecretary of State for Education and Skills.Alistair Darling becomesSecretary of State for Trade and Industry.Hilary Armstrong becomesChancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster,Minister for the Cabinet Office andMinister for Social Exclusion.Douglas Alexander enters the Cabinet asSecretary of State for Transport andSecretary of State for Scotland.Hazel Blears enters the Cabinet asMinister Without Portfolio andParty Chair,Stephen Timms asChief Secretary to the Treasury andJacqui Smith asParliamentary Secretary to the Treasury andChief Whip.
• May 2007 – TheHome Office loses responsibility for criminal justice, prisons & probation and legal affairs which merges into theDepartment for Constitutional Affairs with Falconer becomingSecretary of State for Justice.
• June 2007 – On 27 June,Tony Blair officially tenders his resignation as Prime Minister to QueenElizabeth II, withDeputy Prime Minister andFirst Secretary of State,John Prescott leaving office at the same time.

This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(March 2016)

Members of the Cabinet are inbold face.

General

• Ministers in the Labour Governments: 1997–2010 – Parliamentary Information List, House of Commons Library, 3 July 2012
• D. Butler and G. Butler (ed.),Twentieth Century British Political Facts 1900–2000^{[publisher missing][ISBN missing]}

• "Ministerial Departures since 1997 – Parliamentary Information List"(PDF). House of Commons Library. 24 February 2009.

• British ministries
• History of the Labour Party (UK)
• 2000s in the United Kingdom
• 2005 establishments in the United Kingdom
• 2007 disestablishments in the United Kingdom
• Premiership of Tony Blair
• Ministries of Elizabeth II
• New Labour
• Cabinets established in 2005
• Cabinets disestablished in 2007
• Labour Party (UK) cabinets

• CS1 errors: generic name
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from April 2022
• Articles using an unknown Template:Engvar option
• Pages using infobox government cabinet with government head history
• Articles to be expanded from March 2016
• All articles to be expanded
• Pages with missing ISBNs