Blair won a third termafter Labour won a third election victory in 2005, in part thanks to the UK's strong economic performance, but with a substantially reduced majority, due to the UK's involvement in the Iraq War. Duringhis third term, Blair pushed for more systemic public sector reform and brokereda settlement to restore powersharing to Northern Ireland. He had a surge in popularity at the time ofterrorist bombings of London of July 2005, but by the Spring of 2006 faced significant difficulties, most notably with scandals over failures by theHome Office to deport illegal immigrants. Amid theCash-for-Honours scandal, Blair was interviewed three times as prime minister, though only as a witness and notunder caution. The Afghanistan and Iraq wars continued, and in 2006, Blair announced he would resign within a year. He resigned the party leadership on 24 June 2007 and as prime minister on 27 June, andwas succeeded byGordon Brown, hischancellor.
After leaving office, Blairgave up his seat and was appointedspecial envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East, a diplomatic post he held until 2015. He has been the executive chairman of theTony Blair Institute for Global Change since 2016 and has made occasional political interventions, and has been a key influence onKeir Starmer. In 2009, Blair was awarded thePresidential Medal of Freedom byGeorge W. Bush. He was made aKnight Companion of the Garter byQueen Elizabeth II in 2022. At various points in his premiership, Blair was among both the most popular and most unpopular politicians in British history. As prime minister, he achieved the highest recorded approval ratings during his first few years in office but also one of the lowest ratings during and after the Iraq War.[1][2][3][4] Blair is usually rated as above average inhistorical rankings and public opinion of British prime ministers.
Early years
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair was born on 6 May 1953 at Queen Mary Maternity Home inLauriston,Edinburgh, Scotland.[5][6][7][8] He was the second son ofLeo and Hazel (née Corscadden) Blair.[9] Leo Blair was the illegitimate son of two entertainers and was adopted as a baby by the Glasgow shipyard worker James Blair and his wife, Mary.[10] Hazel Corscadden was the daughter of George Corscadden, a butcher andOrangeman who moved to Glasgow in 1916. In 1923, he returned to (and later died in)Ballyshannon, County Donegal, inIreland. In Ballyshannon, Corscadden's wife, Sarah Margaret (née Lipsett), gave birth above the family's grocery shop to Blair's mother, Hazel.[11][12]
Blair has an elder brother,William, and a younger sister, Sarah. Blair's first home was with his family at Paisley Terrace in the Willowbrae area of Edinburgh. During this period, his father worked as a junior tax inspector whilst studying for a law degree from theUniversity of Edinburgh.[5]
Blair's first relocation was when he was nineteen months old. At the end of 1954, Blair's parents and their two sons moved from Paisley Terrace toAdelaide, South Australia.[13] His father lectured in law at theUniversity of Adelaide.[14] In Australia, Blair's sister, Sarah, was born. The Blairs lived in the suburb ofDulwich close to the university. The family returned to the United Kingdom in mid-1958. They lived for a time with Hazel's mother and stepfather (William McClay) at their home inStepps on the outskirts of north-east Glasgow. Blair's father accepted a job as a lecturer atDurham University, and moved the family toDurham when Blair was five. It was the beginning of a long association Blair was to have with Durham.[13]
With his parents basing their family in Durham, Blair attended theChorister School from 1961 to 1966.[18] Aged 13, he was sent to boarding atFettes College in Edinburgh from 1966 to 1971.[19] According to Blair, he hated his time at Fettes.[20] His teachers were unimpressed with him; his biographer,John Rentoul, reported that "[a]ll the teachers I spoke to when researching the book said he was a complete pain in the backside and they were very glad to see the back of him."[19] Blair reportedly modelled himself onMick Jagger, lead singer ofthe Rolling Stones.[21] Leaving Fettes College at the age of 18, Blair next spent a gap year in London working as a rock music promoter.[22]
In 1972, at the age of 19, Blair matriculated atSt John's College, Oxford, readingjurisprudence for three years.[23] As a student, he played guitar and sang in a rock band called Ugly Rumours,[24][25] and performedstand-up comedy.[26] He was influenced by fellow student andAnglican priestPeter Thomson, who awakened his religious faith and left-wing politics. While at Oxford, Blair has stated that he was briefly aTrotskyist, after reading the first volume ofIsaac Deutscher's biography ofLeon Trotsky, which was "like a light going on".[27][28] He graduated from Oxford at the age of 22 in 1975 with asecond-class Honours B.A. in jurisprudence.[29][30]
Blair joined theLabour Party shortly after graduating from Oxford in 1975. In the early 1980s, he was involved in Labour politics inHackney South and Shoreditch, where he aligned himself with the "soft left" of the party. He stood as a candidate for theHackney council elections of 1982 in Queensbridge ward, a safe Labour area, but was not selected.[35]
In 1982, Blair was selected as the Labour Party candidate for the safe Conservative seat ofBeaconsfield, where there was a forthcoming by-election.[36] Although Blair lost theBeaconsfield by-election and Labour's share of the vote fell by ten percentage points, he acquired a profile within the party.[citation needed] Despite his defeat, William Russell, political correspondent forThe Glasgow Herald, described Blair as "a very good candidate", while acknowledging that the result was "a disaster" for the Labour Party.[37] In contrast to his latercentrism, Blair made it clear in a letter he wrote to Labour leaderMichael Foot in July 1982 (published in 2006) that he had "come toSocialism throughMarxism" and considered himself on the left.[38] LikeTony Benn, Blair believed that the "Labour right" was bankrupt,[39] saying "[s]ocialism ultimately must appeal to the better minds of the people. You cannot do that if you are tainted overmuch with a pragmatic period in power."[38][39] Yet, he saw thehard left as no better, saying:
There is an arrogance and self-righteousness about many of the groups on the far left which is deeply unattractive to the ordinary would-be member ... There's too much mixing only with people [with] whom they agree.[38]
With a general election due, Blair had not been selected as a candidate anywhere. He was invited to stand again in Beaconsfield, and was initially inclined to agree but was advised by his head of chambers Derry Irvine to find somewhere else which might be winnable.[40] The situation was complicated by the fact that Labour was fighting a legal action against planned boundary changes, and had selected candidates on the basis of previous boundaries. When the legal challenge failed, the party had to rerun all selections on the new boundaries; most were based on existing seats, but unusually in County Durham a newSedgefield constituency had been created out of Labour-voting areas which had no obvious predecessor seat.[41]
The selection for Sedgefield did not begin until after the1983 general election was called. Blair's initial inquiries discovered that the left was trying to arrange the selection forLes Huckfield, sitting MP for Nuneaton, who was trying elsewhere; several sitting MPs displaced by boundary changes were also interested in it. When he discovered theTrimdon branch had not yet made a nomination, Blair visited them and won the support of the branch secretaryJohn Burton, and with Burton's help was nominated by the branch. At the last minute, he was added to the shortlist and won the selection over Huckfield. It was the last candidate selection made by Labour before the election, and was made after the Labour Party had issued biographies of all its candidates ("Labour's Election Who's Who").[42]
In hismaiden speech in theHouse of Commons on 6 July 1983, Blair stated, "I am a socialist not through reading a textbook that has caught my intellectual fancy, nor through unthinking tradition, but because I believe that, at its best, socialism corresponds most closely to an existence that is both rational and moral. It stands for cooperation, not confrontation; for fellowship, not fear. It stands for equality."[49]
Blair demanded an inquiry into theBank of England's decision to rescue the collapsedJohnson Matthey bank in October 1985. By this time, Blair was aligned with the reforming tendencies in the party and in 1988 was promoted to the shadowTrade and Industry team as spokesman on theCity of London.[53]
Leadership roles
In 1987, he stood forelection to the Shadow Cabinet, receiving 71 votes.[54] When Kinnock resigned after a fourth consecutive Conservative victory in the1992 general election, Blair becameshadow home secretary underJohn Smith. The old guard argued that trends showed they were regaining strength under Smith's strong leadership. Meanwhile, the breakawaySDP faction had merged with theLiberal Party; the resultingLiberal Democrats seemed to pose a major threat to the Labour base. Blair, the leader of the modernising faction, had an entirely different vision, arguing that the long-term trends had to be reversed. The Labour Party was too locked into a base that was shrinking, since it was based on the working-class, on trade unions, and on residents of subsidised council housing. The rapidly growing middle-class was largely ignored, especially the more ambitious working-class families. They aspired to middle-class status but accepted the Conservative argument that Labour was holding ambitious people back with its levelling-down policies. They increasingly saw Labour in terms defined by the opposition, regarding higher taxes and higher interest rates. The steps towards what would become New Labour were procedural but essential. Calling on the slogan "One member, one vote", John Smith, with limited input from Blair, secured an end to the trade union block vote for Westminster candidate selection at the 1993 conference.[55] But Blair and the modernisers wanted Smith to go further still, and called for radical adjustment of Party goals by repealing "Clause IV", the historic commitment tonationalisation of industry. This would be achieved in 1995.[56]
John Smith unexpectedly died of a heart attack on 12 May 1994, which led to a leadership election within the party. Blair defeatedJohn Prescott andMargaret Beckett in thesubsequent leadership election and becameLeader of the Opposition.[57] As is customary for the holder of that office, Blair was appointed aPrivy Counsellor.[58] It has long been rumoureda deal was struck between Blair andShadow ChancellorGordon Brown at the former Granita restaurant inIslington, in which Blair promised to give Brown control of economic policy in return for Brown not standing against him in the leadership election.[59][60][61] Whether this is true or not, the relationship between Blair and Brown was central to the fortunes ofNew Labour, and they mostly remained united in public, despite reported serious private rifts.[62]
During his speech at the 1994 Labour Party conference, Blair announced a forthcoming proposal to update the party's objects and objectives, which was widely interpreted to relate to replacingClause IV of the party's constitution with a new statement of aims and values.[57][63][64] This involved the deletion of the party's stated commitment to "the common ownership of the means of production and exchange", which was generally understood to mean wholesale nationalisation of major industries.[57][65] At a special conference in April 1995, the clause was replaced by a statement that the party is "democratic socialist",[65][66][67] and Blair also claimed to be a "democratic socialist" himself in the same year.[68] However, the move away from nationalisation in the old Clause IV made many on the left wing of the Labour Party feel that Labour was moving away from traditional socialist principles of nationalisation set out in 1918, and was seen by them as part of a shift of the party towards "New Labour".[69]
Blair inherited the Labour leadership at a time when the party was ascendant over the Conservatives in the opinion polls, since the Conservative government's reputation in monetary policy declined as a result of theBlack Wednesday economic disaster of September 1992. Blair's election as leader saw Labour support surge higher still[70] in spite of the continuing economic recovery and fall in unemployment thatJohn Major's Conservative government, had overseen since the end of the 1990–92recession.[70] At the 1996 Labour Party conference, Blair stated that his three top priorities on coming to office were "education, education, and education".[71]
Aided by the unpopularity of John Major's Conservative government, which was deeply divided over theEuropean Union,[72] Blair won a landslide victory for Labour at the1997 general election, ending eighteen years of Conservative Party government, with the heaviest Conservative defeat since1906.[73] In 1996, themanifestoNew Labour, New Life for Britain was published, which set out the party's new "Third Way"centrist approach to policy, and was presented as the brand of a newly reformed party that had altered Clause IV and endorsedmarket economics. In May 1995, Labour had achieved considerable success in the local and European elections and had won four by-elections. For Blair, these achievements were a source of optimism, as they indicated that the Conservatives were in decline. Virtually every opinion poll since late-1992 put Labour ahead of the Conservatives with enough support to form an overall majority.[74]
Blair becamePrime Minister of the United Kingdom on 2 May 1997; aged 43, he was the youngest person to reach that office sinceLord Liverpool became prime minister aged 42 in 1812.[75] He was also the first prime minister born after theSecond World War and the accession ofElizabeth II to the throne. With victories in 1997, 2001, and 2005, Blair was the Labour Party's longest-serving prime minister,[76] and the first person to lead the party to three consecutive general election victories.[77]
In his first six years in office, Blair ordered British troops into combat five times, more than any other prime minister in British history. This included Iraq in both1998 and2003,Kosovo (1999),Sierra Leone (2000) andAfghanistan (2001).[81]
Shaking hands with US presidentGeorge W. Bush at a NATO summit inTurkey, June 2004
The Kosovo War, which Blair had advocated on moral grounds, was initially a failure when it relied solely on air strikes; the threat of a ground offensive convinced Serbia'sSlobodan Milošević to withdraw. Blair had been a major advocate for a ground offensive, which US PresidentBill Clinton was reluctant to do, and ordered that 50,000 soldiers – most of the available British Army – should be made ready for action.[82] The following year, the limitedOperation Palliser in Sierra Leone swiftly swung the tide against the rebel forces; before deployment, theUnited Nations Mission in Sierra Leone had been on the verge of collapse.[83] Palliser had been intended as an evacuation mission butBrigadier David Richards was able to convince Blair to allow him to expand the role; at the time, Richards' action was not known and Blair was assumed to be behind it.[84]
Blair orderedOperation Barras, a highly successfulSAS/Parachute Regiment strike to rescue hostages from a Sierra Leone rebel group.[85] JournalistAndrew Marr has argued that the success of ground attacks, real and threatened, over air strikes alone was influential on how Blair planned the Iraq War, and that the success of the first three wars Blair fought "played to his sense of himself as a moral war leader".[86] When asked in 2010 if the success of Palliser may have "embolden[ed] British politicians" to think of military action as a policy option, General Sir David Richards admitted there "might be something in that".[84]
Shaking hands with Bush after their press conference in theEast Room of the White House, November 2004
From the start of thewar on terror in 2001, Blair strongly supported theforeign policy ofGeorge W. Bush, participating in the2001 invasion of Afghanistan and2003 invasion of Iraq. The invasion of Iraq was particularly controversial, as it attracted widespread public opposition and 139 of Blair's own MPs opposed it.[87] As a result, he faced criticism over the policy itself and the circumstances of the decision.Alastair Campbell described Blair's statement that the intelligence on WMDs was "beyond doubt" as his "assessment of the assessment that was given to him."[88] In 2009, Blair stated that he would have supported removingSaddam Hussein from power even in the face of proof that he had no such weapons.[89] PlaywrightHarold Pinter and former Malaysian prime ministerMahathir Mohamad accused Blair of war crimes.[90]
Testifying before theIraq Inquiry on 29 January 2010, Blair said Saddam Hussein was a "monster and I believe he threatened not just the region but the world."[91] Blair said that British and American attitude towards Hussein had "changed dramatically" after theSeptember 11 attacks. Blair denied that he would have supported the invasion of Iraq even if he had thought Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction. He said he believed the world was safer as a result of the invasion.[92] He said there was "no real difference between wanting regime change and wanting Iraq to disarm: regime change was US policy because Iraq was in breach of its UN obligations."[93]
In an October 2015CNN interview withFareed Zakaria, Blair apologised for his "mistakes" over the Iraq War and admitted there were "elements of truth" to the view that the invasion helped promote the rise ofISIS.[94] TheChilcot Inquiry report of 2016 gave a damning assessment of Blair's role in the Iraq War, though the former prime minister again refused to apologise for his decision to back the US-led invasion.[95]
Relationship with Parliament
One of Blair's first acts as prime minister was to replace the then twice-weekly 15-minute sessions ofPrime Minister's Questions held on Tuesdays and Thursdays with a single 30-minute session on Wednesdays. In addition to PMQs, Blair held monthly press conferences at which he fielded questions from journalists[96] and, from 2002, broke precedent by agreeing to give evidence twice yearly before the most senior Commons select committee, theLiaison Committee.[97] Blair was sometimes perceived as paying insufficient attention both to the views of his own Cabinet colleagues and to those of the House of Commons.[98][99] His style was sometimes criticised as not that of a prime minister andhead of government, which he was, but of a president and head of state, which he was not.[100] Blair was accused of excessive reliance onspin.[101][102] He was the first UK prime minister to have been formally questioned by police, though notunder caution, while still in office.[103]
As thecasualties of the Iraq War mounted, Blair was accused of misleading Parliament,[104][105] and his popularity dropped as a result,[106][107] with Labour's overall majority at the2005 election reduced from 167 to 66 seats. As a combined result of theBlair–Brown pact, the Iraq War and low approval ratings, pressure built up within the Labour Party for Blair to resign.[108] Over the summer of 2006, many MPs criticised Blair for not calling for a ceasefire in theIsrael–Lebanon conflict.[109] On 7 September 2006, Blair publicly stated he would step down as leader by the time of theTrades Union Congress conference held from 10 to 13 September 2007,[110] despite promising to serve a full term during the previous general election campaign. On 10 May 2007, during a speech at theTrimdon Labour Club, Blair announced his intention to resign as both Labour leader and prime minister,[111] triggeringa leadership election in which Brown was the only candidate.[112]
At a special party conference in Manchester on 24 June 2007, Blair formally handed over the leadership of the Labour Party to Brown, who had been Chancellor of the Exchequer in Blair's three ministries.[113] Blair tendered his resignation as prime minister on 27 June and Brown assumed office the same afternoon. Blair resigned from his Sedgefield seat in the traditional form of accepting theStewardship of the Chiltern Hundreds, to which he was appointed by Brown in one of the latter's last acts as chancellor;[114] the resultingby-election was won by Labour candidatePhil Wilson.[115] Blair decided not to issue a list ofResignation Honours, making him the first prime minister of the modern era not to do so.[116]
In 2001, Blair said, "We are aleft of centre party, pursuing economic prosperity and social justice as partners and not as opposites."[117] Blair rarely applies such labels to himself; he promised before the 1997 election that New Labour would govern "from the radical centre", and according to one lifelong Labour Party member always described himself as asocial democrat.[118] In a 2007 opinion piece inThe Guardian, left-wing commentator Neil Lawson described Blair as to theright of centre.[119] AYouGov opinion poll in 2005 found that a small majority of British voters, including many New Labour supporters, placed Blair on the right of the political spectrum.[120] TheFinancial Times argued that Blair is not conservative but instead apopulist.[121]
Critics and admirers tend to agree that Blair's electoral success was based on his ability to occupy the centre ground and appeal to voters across the political spectrum, to the extent that he has been fundamentally at odds with traditional Labour Party values. Some left-wing critics, such asMike Marqusee in 2001, argued that Blair oversaw the final stage of a long term shift of the Labour Party to the right.[122]
There is some evidence that Blair's long term dominance of the centre forced his Conservative opponents to shift a long distance to the left to challenge hishegemony there.[123] Leading Conservatives of the post-New Labour era hold Blair in high regard:George Osborne describes him as "the master",Michael Gove thought he had an "entitlement to conservative respect" in February 2003, whileDavid Cameron reportedly maintained Blair as an informal adviser.[124][125][126] Former Conservative Party Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher declared Blair and New Labour to be her greatest achievement.[127]
Social reforms
Blair introduced significant constitutional reforms; promoted new rights for gay people; and signed treaties integrating Britain more closely with the EU. With specific regards to Blair'sLGBTQ+ reforms, Blair introduced theCivil Partnership Act 2004 which granted civil partners rights and responsibilities similar to those in civil marriages, equalised the age of consent between straight and gay couples, ended the ban on gay people serving in the British military, introduced theGender Recognition Act 2004 which allows those withgender dysphoria to legally change their gender, repealedSection 28, gave gay couples the right to adopt and enacted several anti-discrimination policies into law. In 2014 he was proclaimed a "gay icon" by theGay Times.[128]
The New Labour government increased police powers by adding to the number of arrestable offences, compulsoryDNA recording and the use of dispersal orders.[129] Under Blair's government the amount of new legislation increased[130] which attracted criticism.[131] He also introduced tough anti-terrorism andidentity card legislation.[citation needed]
Economic policies
Blair has been credited with overseeing a strong economy, with real incomes of British citizens growing 18% between 1997 and 2006. Britain saw rapid productivity growth and significant GDP growth, as well as falling poverty rates and inequality which, despite stubbornly failing to fall, stalled thanks to New Labour's economic policies (such as tax credits). Despite the financial bubble developing in the property markets, studies have credited the growth to investments in education and the maintenance of fiscal responsibility, rather than a financial sugar-high.[132]
During his time as prime minister, Blair kept direct taxes low, while raising indirect taxation; invested a significant amount inHuman capital; introduced aNational Minimum Wage and some new employment rights (while keepingMargaret Thatcher's trade union reforms).[133] He introduced substantial market-based reforms in the education and health sectors; introduced studenttuition fees; introduced a welfare to work scheme and sought to reduce certain categories of welfare payments. He did not reverse theprivatisation of the railways enacted by his predecessor John Major and instead strengthened regulation (by creating theOffice of Rail Regulation) and limited fare rises toinflation +1%.[134][135][136]
Blair and Brown raised spending on the NHS and other public services, increasing spending from 39.9% of GDP to 48.1% in 2010–11.[138][139] They pledged in 2001 to bring NHS spending to the levels of other European countries, and doubled spending in real terms to over £100 billion in England alone.[140]
Immigration
Non-European immigration rose significantly during the period from 1997, not least because of thegovernment's abolition of the primary purpose rule in June 1997.[141] This change made it easier for UK residents to bring foreign spouses into the country. The former government advisor Andrew Neather in theEvening Standard stated that the deliberate policy of ministers from late 2000 until early 2008 was to open up the UK to mass migration.[142][143] Neather later stated that his words had been twisted, saying: "The main goal was to allow in more migrant workers at a point when – hard as it is to imagine now – the booming economy was running up against skills shortages.... Somehow this has become distorted by excitable Right-wing newspaper columnists into being a 'plot' to make Britain multicultural. There was no plot."[144]
Environmental record
Blair criticised other governments for not doing enough to solveglobal climate change. In a 1997 visit to the United States, he made a comment on "great industrialised nations" that fail to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Again in 2003, Blair went before theUnited States Congress and said that climate change "cannot be ignored", insisting "we need to go beyond evenKyoto."[145] Blair and his party promised a 20% reduction in carbon dioxide.[146] The Labour Party also claimed that by 2010 10% of the energy would come from renewable resources; however, it only reached 7% by that point.[147]
In 2000, Blair "flagged up" 100 million euros for green policies and urged environmentalists and businesses to work together.[148]
Blair built his foreign policy on basic principles (close ties with the United States and European Union) and added a new activist philosophy of "interventionism". In 2001, Britain joined the U.S. in the global war on terror.[149]
Along with enjoying a close relationship with Bill Clinton, Blair formed a strong political alliance with George W. Bush, particularly in the area of foreign policy. For his part, Bush lauded Blair and the UK. In hispost-9/11 speech, for example, he stated that "America has no truer friend than Great Britain".[153]
The alliance between Bush and Blair seriously damaged Blair's standing in the eyes of Britons angry at American influence;[154] a 2002 poll revealed that a large amount of Britons viewed Blair as a "lapdog" of Bush.[155] Blair argued it was in Britain's interest to "protect and strengthen the bond" with the United States regardless of who was in the White House.[156]
However, a perception of one-sided compromising personal and political closeness led to discussion of the term "Poodle-ism" in the UK media, to describe the "Special Relationship" of the UK government and prime minister with the US White House and president.[157] A revealing conversation between Bush and Blair, with the former addressing the latter as "Yo [or Yeah], Blair" was recorded when they did not know a microphone was live at theG8 summit inSaint Petersburg in 2006.[158]
Blair showed a deep feeling for Israel, born in part from his faith.[160] Blair has been a longtime member of the pro-Israel lobby groupLabour Friends of Israel.[161]
In 1994, Blair forged close ties withMichael Levy, a leader of theJewish Leadership Council.[162] Levy ran the Labour Leader's Office Fund to finance Blair's campaign before the 1997 election and raised £12 million towards Labour's landslide victory, Levy was rewarded with apeerage, and in 2002, Blair appointed Lord Levy as his personal envoy to the Middle East. Levy praised Blair for his "solid and committed support of the State of Israel".[163]Tam Dalyell, whileFather of the House of Commons, suggested in 2003 that Blair's foreign policy decisions were unduly influenced by a "cabal" of Jewish advisers, including Levy,Peter Mandelson andJack Straw (the last two are not Jewish but have some Jewish ancestry).[164]
Blair, on coming to office, had been "cool towards the right-wingNetanyahu government".[165] During his first visit to Israel, Blair thought the Israelis bugged him in his car.[166] After the election in 1999 ofEhud Barak, with whom Blair forged a close relationship, he became much more sympathetic to Israel.[165] From 2001, Blair built up a relationship[clarification needed] with Barak's successor,Ariel Sharon, and responded positively toYasser Arafat, whom he had met thirteen times since becoming prime minister and regarded as essential to future negotiations.[165] In 2004, 50 former diplomats, including ambassadors toBaghdad andTel Aviv, stated they had "watched with deepening concern" at Britain following the US into war in Iraq in 2003. They criticised Blair's support for theroad map for peace which included the retaining ofIsraeli settlements on theWest Bank.[167]
In 2006 Blair was criticised for his failure to immediately call for a ceasefire in the2006 Lebanon War.The Observer newspaper claimed that at a cabinet meeting before Blair left for a summit with Bush on 28 July 2006, a significant number of ministers pressured Blair to publicly criticise Israel over the scale of deaths and destruction in Lebanon.[168] Blair was criticised for his solid stance alongside US president George W. Bush on Middle East policy.[169]
Syria and Libya
A Freedom of Information request byThe Sunday Times in 2012 revealed that Blair's government consideredknighting Syria's PresidentBashar al-Assad. The documents showed Blair was willing to appear alongside Assad at a joint press conference even though the Syrians would probably have settled for a farewell handshake for the cameras; British officials sought to manipulate the media to portray Assad in a favourable light; and Blair's aides tried to help Assad's "photogenic" wifeAsma al-Assad boost her profile. The newspaper noted:
The Arab leader was granted audiences with the Queen and the Prince of Wales, lunch with Blair at Downing Street, a platform in parliament and many other privileges ... The red carpet treatment he and his entourage received is embarrassing given the bloodbath that has since taken place under his rule in Syria ... The courtship has parallels with Blair's friendly relations withMuammar Gaddafi.[170]
Blair had been on friendly terms with Colonel Gaddafi, the leader of Libya, when sanctions imposed on the country were lifted by the US and the UK.[171][172]
Even after theLibyan Civil War in 2011, he said he had no regrets about his close relationship with the late Libyan leader.[173] During Blair's premiership,MI6 renderedAbdelhakim Belhaj to the Gaddafi regime in 2004, though Blair later claimed he had "no recollection" of the incident.[174]
Zimbabwe
Blair had an antagonistic relationship with Zimbabwean presidentRobert Mugabe and allegedly plannedregime change against Mugabe in the early 2000s.[175] Zimbabwe had embarked on a program ofuncompensated land redistribution from the country's white commercial farmers to the black population, a policy that disrupted agricultural production and threw Zimbabwe's economy into chaos. GeneralCharles Guthrie, theChief of the Defence Staff, revealed in 2007 that he and Blair had discussed the invasion of Zimbabwe.[176] Guthrie advised against military action: "Hold hard, you'll make it worse."[176] In 2013, South African presidentThabo Mbeki said that Blair had pressured South Africa to join in a "regime change scheme, even to the point of using military force" in Zimbabwe.[175] Mbeki refused because he felt that "Mugabe is part of the solution to this problem."[175] However, a spokesman for Blair said that "he never asked anyone to plan or take part in any such military intervention."[175]
In 2000, Blair went on a trip to Moscow to watch a performance of theWar and Peace opera withVladimir Putin, while he was theacting president of Russia. This meeting was criticised by groups such asHuman Rights Watch andAmnesty International.[177] In 2018, SirRichard Dearlove, former head of MI6, said there was "significant regret" over this trip, which helped Putin rise to power. Dearlove also alleged that in 2000, aKGB officer approached him, seeking Britain's help in boosting Putin's political profile, and this was why Blair met Putin in Russia.[178]
Blair also hosted Putin in London in April 2000, despite hesitation towards Putin from other world leaders, and opposition fromhuman rights groups overatrocities committed in Chechnya. Blair toldJim Hoagland ofThe Washington Post that "[Putin's] vision of the future is one that we would feel comfortable with. Putin has a very clear agenda of modernizing Russia. When he talks of a strong Russia, he means strength not in a threatening way but in a way that means the country economically and politically is capable of standing up for itself, which is a perfectly good aim to have".[179][180] During the meeting, Blair acknowledged and discussed "concerns about Chechnya",[181][182] but described Putin as a political reformer "who is ready to embrace a new relationship with the European Union and the United States, who wants a strong and modern Russia and a strong relationship with the West".[183][184]
Relationship with media
Rupert Murdoch
Blair was reported byThe Guardian in 2006 to have been supported politically byRupert Murdoch, the founder of theNews Corporation organisation.[185] In 2011, Blair becamegodfather to one of Rupert Murdoch's children withWendi Deng,[186] but he and Murdoch later ended their friendship, in 2014, after Murdoch suspected him of having an affair with Deng while they were still married, according toThe Economist magazine.[187][188][189][190][better source needed]
Contacts with UK media proprietors
ACabinet Officefreedom of information response, released the day after Blair handed over power to Gordon Brown, documents Blair having various official phone calls and meetings with Rupert Murdoch of News Corporation andRichard Desmond of Northern and Shell Media.[191]
The response includes contacts "clearly of an official nature" in the specified period, but excludes contacts "not clearly of an official nature."[192] No details were given of the subjects discussed. In the period between September 2002 and April 2005, Blair and Murdoch are documented speaking six times; three times in the nine days before the Iraq War, including the eve of the 20 March US and UK invasion, and on 29 January, 25 April, and 3 October 2004. Between January 2003 and February 2004, Blair had three meetings with Richard Desmond; on 29 January and 3 September 2003, and 23 February 2004.[193]
The information was disclosed after a3+1⁄2-year battle by the Liberal Democrats'Lord Avebury.[191] Lord Avebury's initial October 2003 information request was dismissed by then leader of the Lords,Baroness Amos.[191] A following complaint was rejected, withDowning Street claiming the information compromised "free and frank discussions", while Cabinet Office claimed releasing the timing of the PM's contacts with individuals is "undesirable", as it might lead to the content of the discussions being disclosed.[191] While awaiting a following appeal from Lord Avebury, the cabinet office announced that it would release the information. Lord Avebury said: "The public can now scrutinise the timing of his (Murdoch's) contacts with the former prime minister, to see whether they can be linked to events in the outside world."[191]
Blair appeared before theLeveson Inquiry on Monday 28 May 2012.[194] During his appearance, a protester, later named as David Lawley-Wakelin, got into the court-room and claimed he was guilty of war crimes before being dragged out.[195]
Media portrayal
Blair has been noted as acharismatic, articulate speaker with an informal style.[57] Film and theatre directorRichard Eyre opined that "Blair had a very considerable skill as a performer".[196] A few months after becoming prime minister Blair gave a tribute toDiana, Princess of Wales, on the morning of her death in August 1997, in which he famously described her as "the People's Princess".[197][198]
After taking office in 1997, Blair gave particular prominence to his press secretary, who became known as theprime minister's official spokesman (the two roles have since been separated). Blair's first PMOS was Alastair Campbell, who served in that role from May 1997 to 8 June 2001, after which he served as the prime minister's director of communications and strategy until his resignation on 29 August 2003 in the aftermath of theHutton Inquiry.[199]
Blair had close relationships with the Clinton family. The strong partnership with Bill Clinton was made into the filmThe Special Relationship in 2010.[200]
Relationship with Labour Party
Blair's apparent refusal to set a date for his departure was criticised by the British press and Members of Parliament. It has been reported that a number of cabinet ministers believed that Blair's timely departure from office would be required to be able to win a fourth election.[201] Some ministers viewed Blair's announcement of policy initiatives in September 2006 as an attempt to draw attention away from these issues.[201]
After the death of John Smith in 1994, Blair and his close colleague Gordon Brown (they shared an office at the House of Commons[57]) were both seen as possible candidates for the party leadership. They agreed not to stand against each other, it is said, as part of a supposed Blair–Brown pact. Brown, who considered himself the senior of the two, understood that Blair would give way to him: opinion polls soon indicated, however, that Blair appeared to enjoy greater support among voters.[202] Their relationship in power became so turbulent that it was reported thedeputy prime minister, John Prescott, often had to act as "marriage guidance counsellor".[203]
During the 2010 election campaign Blair publicly endorsed Brown's leadership, praising the way he had handled the financial crisis.[204]
Post-premiership (2007–present)
Diplomacy
On 27 June 2007, Blair officially resigned as prime minister after ten years in office, and he was officially confirmed as Middle Eastenvoy for the United Nations, European Union, United States, and Russia.[205] Blair originally indicated that he would retain his parliamentary seat after his resignation as prime minister came into effect; however, on being confirmed for the Middle East role he resigned from the Commons by taking up anoffice of profit.[114] President George W. Bush had preliminary talks with Blair to ask him to take up the envoy role. White House sources stated that "both Israel and the Palestinians had signed up to the proposal".[206][207] In May 2008 Blair announced a new plan for peace and for Palestinian rights, based heavily on the ideas of thePeace Valley plan.[208] Blair resigned as envoy in May 2015.[209]
In January 2008, it was confirmed that Blair would be joining investment bankJPMorgan Chase in a "senior advisory capacity"[210] and that he would adviseZurich Financial Services onclimate change. His salary for this work is unknown, although it has been claimed it may be in excess of £500,000 per year.[210] Blair also gives lectures, earning up to US$250,000 for a 90-minute speech, and in 2008 he was said to be the highest paid speaker in the world.[211]
Blair's links with, and receipt of an undisclosed sum from,UI Energy Corporation, have also been subject to media comment in the UK.[214]
In July 2010 it was reported that his personal security guards claimed £250,000 a year in expenses from the taxpayer. Foreign SecretaryWilliam Hague said; "we have to make sure that [Blair's security] is as cost-effective as possible, that it doesn't cost any more to the taxpayer than is absolutely necessary".[215]
Blair establishedTony Blair Associates to "allow him to provide, in partnership with others, strategic advice on a commercial andpro bono basis, on political and economic trends and governmental reform".[216] The profits from the firm go towards supporting Blair's "work on faith, Africa and climate change".[217]
Blair has been subject to criticism for potential conflicts of interest between his diplomatic role as a Middle East envoy, and his work with Tony Blair Associates,[218][219][220] and a number of prominent critics have even called for him to be sacked.[221] Blair has used hisQuartet Tony Blair Associates works with the Kazakhstan government, advising the regime on judicial, economic and political reforms, but has been subject to criticism after accusations of "whitewashing" the image and human rights record of the regime.[222]
Blair responded to such criticism by saying his choice to advise the country is an example of how he can "nudge controversial figures on a progressive path of reform", and has stated that he receives no personal profit from this advisory role.[223] The Kazakhstan foreign minister said that the country was "honoured and privileged" to be receiving advice from Blair.[224][225] A letter obtained byThe Daily Telegraph in August 2014 revealed Blair had given damage-limitation advice toNursultan Nazarbayev after the December 2011Zhanaozen massacre.[226] Blair was reported to have accepted a business advisory role with PresidentAbdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, a situation deemed incompatible with his role as Middle East envoy. Blair described the report as "nonsense".[227][228]
Charity and non-profits
In November 2007 Blair launched the Tony Blair Sports Foundation, which aims to "increase childhood participation in sports activities, especially in the North East of England, where a larger proportion of children are socially excluded, and to promote overall health and prevent childhood obesity."[229] On 30 May 2008, Blair launched theTony Blair Faith Foundation as a vehicle for encouraging different faiths to join in promoting respect and understanding, as well as working to tackle poverty. Reflecting Blair's own faith but not dedicated to any particular religion, the Foundation aims to "show how faith is a powerful force for good in the modern world". "The Foundation will use its profile and resources to encourage people of faith to work together more closely to tackle global poverty and conflict", says its mission statement.[230]
In February 2009 he applied to set up a charity called the Tony Blair Africa Governance Initiative: the application was approved in November 2009.[231] Blair's foundation hit controversy in October 2012, when news emerged that it was taking on unpaid interns.[232]
In December 2016, Blair created theTony Blair Institute to promote global outlooks by governments and organisations.[233][234] In September 2023 former Finnish prime ministerSanna Marin joined him as a strategic adviser on political leaders' reform programmes in the institute.[235]
In March 2010, it was reported that Blair's memoirs, titledThe Journey, would be published in September 2010.[236][237] In July 2010 it was announced the memoirs would be retitledA Journey.[238] The memoirs were seen by many as controversial and a further attempt to profit from his office and from acts related to overseas wars that were widely seen as wrong,[239][240][241] leading to anger and suspicion prior to launch.[240]
On 16 August 2010 it was announced that Blair would give the £4.6 million advance and all royalties from his memoirs to theRoyal British Legion – the charity's largest ever single donation.[239][242]
Media analysis of the sudden announcement was wide-ranging, describing it as an act of "desperation" to obtain a better launch reception of a humiliating "publishing flop"[243] that had languished in the ratings,[239][243] "blood money" for the lives lost in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars,[239][241] an act with a "hidden motive" or an expression of "guilt",[239][240] a "genius move" to address the problem that "Tony Blair ha[d] one of the most toxic brands around" from a PR perspective, and a "cynical stunt to wipe the slate", but also as an attempt to make amends.[243] Friends had said that the act was partly motivated by the wish to "repair his reputation".[239]
The book was published on 1 September and within hours of its launch had become the fastest-selling autobiography of all time.[244] On 3 September Blair gave his first live interview since publication onThe Late Late Show in Ireland, with protesters lying in wait there for him.[245] On 4 September, Blair was confronted by 200 anti-war and hardline Irish nationalist demonstrators before the first book signing of his memoirs atEason's bookstore onO'Connell Street in Dublin, with angry activists chanting "war criminal" and that he had "blood on his hands", and clashing with Irish Police (Garda Síochána) as they tried to break through a security cordon outside the Eason's store. Blair was pelted with eggs and shoes, and encountered an attemptedcitizen's arrest forwar crimes.[246]
On Leadership
Published in 2024, and described byGeorge Osborne as "the most practically useful guide to politics I have ever read."[247]
In November 2011, a war crimes tribunal of theKuala Lumpur War Crimes Commission, established by Malaysia's former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, reached a unanimous conclusion that Blair was guilty of crimes against peace, as a result of his role in the Iraq War.[251] The proceedings lasted for four days, and consisted of five judges of judicial and academic backgrounds, a tribunal-appointed defence team in lieu of the defendants or representatives, and a prosecution team including international law professorFrancis Boyle.[252]
In September 2012, Desmond Tutu suggested that Blair should follow the path of former African leaders who had been brought before the International Criminal Court inThe Hague.[248] The human rights lawyerGeoffrey Bindman concurred with Tutu's suggestion that there should be a war crimes trial.[253] In a statement made in response to Tutu's comments, Blair defended his actions.[248] He was supported byLord Falconer, who stated that the war had been authorised byUnited Nations Security Council Resolution 1441.[253]
In July 2017, former Iraqi general Abdulwaheed al-Rabbat launched a private war crimes prosecution in the High Court in London, asking for Blair, former foreign secretary Jack Straw and former attorney generalLord Goldsmith to be prosecuted for "the crime of aggression" for their role in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The High Court ruled that, although the crime of aggression was recognised in international law, it was not an offence under UK law, and therefore the prosecution could not proceed.[254][255][256][257]
Blair himself has defended his involvement in the Iraq War by highlighting the findings of theIraq Survey Group, which found that Saddam had attempted to get sanctions lifted by undermining them, which would have enabled him to restart his WMD program.[261]
The Chilcot report issued after the conclusion of the Iraq Inquiry was published on 6 July 2016; it criticised Blair for joining the US in the war in Iraq in 2003. Afterward, Blair issued a statement and held a two-hour press conference to apologise, to justify the decisions he had made in 2003 "in good faith" and to deny allegations that the war had led to a significant increase in terrorism.[262] He acknowledged that the report made "real and material criticisms of preparation, planning, process and of the relationship with the United States" but cited sections of the report that he said "should lay to rest allegations of bad faith, lies or deceit". He stated: "whether people agree or disagree with my decision to take military action against Saddam Hussein; I took it in good faith and in what I believed to be the best interests of the country. ... I will take full responsibility for any mistakes without exception or excuse. I will at the same time say why, nonetheless, I believe that it was better to remove Saddam Hussein and why I do not believe this is the cause of the terrorism we see today whether in the Middle East or elsewhere in the world".[263][264]
In an op-ed published byThe Washington Post on 8 February 2019, Blair said: "Where Iran is exercising military interference, it should be strongly pushed back. Where it is seeking influence, it should be countered. Where its proxies operate, it should be held responsible. Where its networks exist, they should be disrupted. Where its leaders are saying what is unacceptable, they should be exposed. Where the Iranian people — highly educated and connected, despite their government — are protesting for freedom, they should be supported."[265] TheTony Blair Institute for Global Change warned of a growing Iranian threat.[266] The Tony Blair Institute confirmed that it has received donations from the U.S. State Department and Saudi Arabia.[267][268]
European Union
Blair did not wantthe UK to leave the EU and called for areferendum on the Brexit withdrawal agreement. Blair also maintained that once the terms deciding how the UK leaves the EU were known, the people should be able to vote again on those terms. Blair stated, "We know the options for Brexit. Parliament will have to decide on one of them. If Parliament can't then it should decide to go back to the people."[269]
However, after the2019 general election in which the pro-withdrawal Conservative party won a sizeable majority of seats, Blair argued that remain supporters should "face up to one simple point: we lost" and "pivot to a completely new position...We're going to have to be constructive about it and see how Britain develops a constructive relationship with Europe and finds its new niche in the world."[270]
American power
Blair was interviewed in June 2020 for an article in the American magazineThe Atlantic on European views of U.S. foreign policy concerning theCOVID-19 pandemic and resultingrecession, the rise of China, and theGeorge Floyd protests. He affirmed his belief in the continued strength of Americansoft power and the need to address Iranian military aggression, European military underinvestment, and illicit Chinese trade practices. He said, however, "I think it's fair to say a lot of political leaders in Europe are dismayed by what they see as the isolationism growing in America and the seeming indifference to alliances. But I think there will come a time when America decides in its own interest to reengage, so I'm optimistic that America will in the end understand that this is not about relegating your self-interest behind the common interest; it's an understanding that by acting collectively in alliance with others you promote your own interests." Blair warned that structural issues plaguing American domestic policy needed to be addressed imminently.[271]
In August 2021, Blair criticised thewithdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops from Afghanistan, saying that it was "in obedience to an imbecilic slogan about ending 'theforever wars'". Blair admitted mistakes in the management of the war but warned that "the reaction to our mistakes has been, unfortunately, further mistakes".[272]
Labour Party
Jeremy Corbyn
Blair was a critic ofJeremy Corbyn'sleadership of the Labour Party, seeing it as too left-wing. He wrote in an opinion piece forThe Guardian during the party's2015 leadership election that if the party elected Corbyn, it would face a "rout, possibly annihilation" at the next election.[273] After the2019 general election, Blair accused Corbyn of turning the party into a "glorified protest movement" and in a May 2021New Statesman article, Blair suggested that the party needed to undergo a programme of "total deconstruction and reconstruction" and also said the party needed to shift to the centre on social issues in order to survive.[274] Blair touched on controversial topics such astransgender rights, theBlack Lives Matter movement and climate change.[275][276][277]
Keir Starmer
Keir Starmer's leadership of the party has been widely compared to Blair's leadership andNew Labour, having taken the party rightward to gain electability. Initially saying in 2021 that Starmer lacked a compelling message, Blair has since reacted more positively towards Starmer's leadership of the party, telling him he's "done a great job" in reforming the party during a Tony Blair Institute for Global Change's Future of Britain conference in 2023.[278] Blair's continued influence on the party, and on Starmer led him to be ranked sixteenth in theNew Statesman's Left Power List 2023, described by the paper as electorally an "incomparable authority on how to win".[279] After Labour won the2024 general election and Starmer became prime minister, Blair congratulated him on his victory, saying Starmer was "determined and ruthlessly effective" and appointed "exceptional talent to conduct the change and put the most capable frontbenchers in the most important positions for future government." He also offered Starmer advice, recommending he controls immigration amid the rise of theReform UK party led byNigel Farage, saying that the party poses a threat to Labour and not just the Conservatives.[280]
Blair marriedCherie Booth on 29 March 1980.[281] They have four children:Euan,Nicky, Kathryn, and Leo.[282] Leo was the first legitimate child born to a serving prime minister in over 150 years – since Francis Russell was born toLord John Russell on 11 July 1849.[283] All four children have Irish passports, by virtue of Blair's mother, Hazel Elizabeth Rosaleen Corscadden (12 June 1923 – 28 June 1975).[284] The family's primary residence is in Connaught Square; the Blairs own eight residences in total.[285] His first grandchild, a girl, was born in October 2016.[286]
Wealth
Blair's financial assets are structured in an opaque manner, and estimates of their extent vary widely.[287] These include figures of up to £100 million. Blair stated in 2014 that he was worth "less than £20 million".[288] A 2015 assertion, byFrancis Beckett,David Hencke andNick Kochan, concluded that Blair had acquired $90 million and a property portfolio worth $37.5 million in the eight years since he had left office.[289]
In 2006, Blair referred to the role of his Christian faith in his decision to go to war in Iraq, stating that he had prayed about the issue, and saying that God would judge him for his decision: "I think if you have faith about these things, you realise that judgement is made by other people ... and if you believe in God, it's made by God as well."[291]
According to Press Secretary Alastair Campbell's diary, Blair often read the Bible before taking any important decisions. He states that Blair had a "wobble" and considered changing his mind on the eve of the bombing of Iraq in 1998.[292]
A longer exploration of his faith can be found in an interview withThird Way Magazine. There he says that "I was brought up as [a Christian], but I was not in any real sense a practising one until I went to Oxford. There was an Australian priest at the same college as me who got me interested again. In a sense, it was a rediscovery of religion as something living, that was about the world around me rather than some sort of special one-to-one relationship with a remote Being on high. Suddenly I began to see its social relevance. I began to make sense of the world".[293]
At one point Alastair Campbell intervened in an interview, preventing Blair from answering a question about his Christianity, explaining, "We don't do God."[294] Campbell later said that he had intervened only to end the interview because the journalist had been taking an excessive time, and that the comment had just been a throwaway line.[295]
Cherie Blair's friend and "spiritual guru"Carole Caplin is credited with introducing her and her husband to variousNew Age symbols and beliefs, including "magic pendants" known as "BioElectric Shields".[296] The most controversial of the Blairs' New Age practices occurred when on holiday in Mexico. The couple, wearing only bathing costumes, took part in a rebirthing procedure, which involved smearing mud and fruit over each other's bodies while sitting in a steam bath.[297]
In 1996, Blair, then an Anglican, was reprimanded by CardinalBasil Hume for receivingHoly Communion while attending Mass at Cherie Blair's Catholic church, in contravention ofcanon law.[298] On 22 December 2007, it was disclosed that Blair had joined theCatholic Church. The move was described as "a private matter".[299][300] He had informedPope Benedict XVI on 23 June 2007 — four days before he stepped down as Prime Minister — that he wanted to become a Catholic. The Pope and his advisors criticised some of Blair's political actions, but followed up with a reportedly unprecedented red carpet welcome, which included the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster,Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, who would be responsible for Blair'sCatholic instruction.[301] In 2009, Blair questioned the Pope's attitude towards homosexuality, arguing that religious leaders must start "rethinking" the issue.[302] In 2010,The Tablet named him as one of Britain's most influential Catholics.[303]
In May 2007, Blair was invested as aparamount chief by the chiefs and people of the village of Mahera in Sierra Leone. The honour was bestowed upon him in recognition of the role played by his government in the Sierra Leone Civil War.[304]
On 22 May 2008, Blair received an honorary law doctorate fromQueen's University Belfast, alongside Bertie Ahern, for distinction in public service and roles in the Northern Ireland peace process.[305]
On 13 January 2009, Blair was awarded thePresidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush.[306] Bush stated that Blair was given the award "in recognition of exemplary achievement and to convey the utmost esteem of the American people"[307] and cited Blair's support for the war on terror and his role in achieving peace in Northern Ireland as two reasons for justifying his being presented with the award.[308]
On 16 February 2009, Blair was awarded theDan David Prize byTel Aviv University for "exceptional leadership and steadfast determination in helping to engineer agreements and forge lasting solutions to areas in conflict". He was awarded the prize in May 2009.[309][310][311]
On 13 September 2010, Blair was awarded theLiberty Medal at theNational Constitution Center inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania.[315] It was presented by former president Bill Clinton, and is awarded annually to "men and women of courage and conviction who strive to secure the blessings of liberty to people around the globe".[315][316]
On 31 December 2021, it was announced that Queen Elizabeth II had appointed Blair aKnight Companion of the Order of the Garter (KG).[317][318] Blair had reportedly indicated when he left office that he did not want the traditional knighthood or peerage bestowed on former prime ministers.[319] A petition cited his role in the Iraq War as a reason to remove the knighthood and garnered more than one million signatures.[320] He received his Garter insignia on 10 June 2022 from the Queen during an audience at Windsor Castle.[321]
^"Local Map". Ballyshannon Town Council. Archived fromthe original on 21 November 2009. Retrieved22 November 2007.Lipsett's Grocery Shop: This is the birthplace of Hazel (Corscadden) Blair, mother of British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Her mother's maiden name was Lipsett and Hazel was born over the shop.
^Watt, Nicholas; Bowcott, Owen (14 March 2007)."We had no file on him but it was clear he was up for the business".The Guardian. London.Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved22 November 2007.In the second part of our series on the peace process, Sinn Féin chief negotiator Martin McGuinness recalls his first encounter with the PM and explains how he saved the Good Friday deal
^Early, Chas (2 May 2015)."May 2, 1997: Labour win general election by a landslide to end 18 years of Conservative rule".BT News.Archived from the original on 1 February 2016. Retrieved24 January 2016.The Labour Party won its greatest-ever number of seats in a landslide general election victory on this day in 1997, ending 18 years of Conservative rule... In their worst election defeat since 1906, the Conservatives retained just 165 MPs, with their smallest share of the vote since 1832 under the Duke of Wellington.
^Wheatcroft, Geoffrey (June 1996)."The Paradoxical Case of Tony Blair".The Atlantic Monthly. Vol. 277, no. 6. pp. 22–40.Archived from the original on 11 April 2015. Retrieved10 April 2014.[Blair] has appointed a shadow team of more than a hundred parliamentary spokesmen—a ridiculous number considering that there are only 271 Labour MPs in all.
^Glover, Julian; MacAskill, Ewen (25 July 2006)."Stand up to US, voters tell Blair".The Guardian. London.Archived from the original on 4 December 2021. Retrieved22 November 2007.Britain should take a much more robust and independent approach to the United States, according to a Guardian/ICM poll published today, which finds strong public opposition to Blair's close working relationship with President Bush.
^A MORI opinion poll published inThe Sunday Times on 15 May found that, among the general public, Blair had the support of 32%, John Prescott 19%, Margaret Beckett 14%, Gordon Brown 9% andRobin Cook 5%.[citation needed]
^McCloughry, Roy (14 September 1993)."Practising for Power: Tony Blair".Third Way Magazine: the modern world through Christian eyes. Archived fromthe original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved22 November 2007.Since 1993, Third Way has been talking in depth to men and women who help to shape our society or set the tone of our culture. We spoke to Tony Blair on 14 September 1993, before the spin doctors closed around him, when he was still shadow Home Secretary and had a full head of hair.
^"New Appointments to the Order of the Garter announced".royal.uk. The British Monarchy. 31 December 2021. Retrieved1 January 2022.and The Right Honourable Anthony Charles Lynton Blair to be a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.
Bennister, Mark (2016). "The oratory of Tony Blair".Labour orators from Bevan to Miliband. Manchester University Press. pp. 156–171.
Carr, Richard (2019).March of the Moderates: Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, and the Rebirth of Progressive Politics. Bloomsbury.
Cook, Jonathan (2013). "Tony Blair's Tangled Web: The Quartet Representative and the Peace Process".Journal of Palestine Studies.42 (2):43–60.doi:10.1525/jps.2013.42.2.43. – argues Blair sought rapid self-enrichment and did little for Palestinian state-building.
Ellison, James (2022). "Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Tony Blair: The Search for Order".The Palgrave Handbook of Presidents and Prime Ministers From Cleveland and Salisbury to Trump and Johnson. Cham: Springer International Publishing. pp. 319–346.
Garland, Ruth (2021). "From Blair to Cameron and Beyond".Government Communications and the Crisis of Trust: From Political Spin to Post-truth. pp. 51–67.doi:10.1007/978-3-030-77576-6_4.ISBN978-3-030-77575-9.
Henke, Marina E. (2018). "Tony Blair's gamble: the Middle East peace process and British participation in the Iraq 2003 campaign".British Journal of Politics and International Relations.20 (4):773–789.doi:10.1177/1369148118784708.
Ryan, David (2020). "Culture and re-membering the alliance in Kosovo and Iraq: Anglo-American ironies under Clinton, Blair, and Bush".Culture matters. Manchester University Press. pp. 243–270.
Blair, Tony (2010).Mémoires [A Journey: My Political Life] (in French). Translated by Bru, Nathalie; Cunington, Nathalie; Marlière, Marie-Lise; Marlière, Guillaume; Taupeau, Béatrice. Albin Michel.ISBN978-2-226-20625-1.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.svg)
.jpg)
_(St_Edwards_Crown).svg)
