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{{Infobox Prime Minister
| honorific-prefix = <small>[[The Right Honourable]]</small><br>
| name = Tony Blair
| image = Blair June 2007.jpg
| imagesize = 150px
| order = [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]]
| term_start = [[2 May]] [[1997]]
| term_end = [[27 June]] [[2007]]
| deputy = [[John Prescott]]
| monarch = [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Elizabeth II]]
| predecessor = [[John Major]]
| successor = [[Gordon Brown]]
| constituency_MP2 = [[Sedgefield (UK Parliament constituency)|Sedgefield]]
| majority2 = 18,449 (44.5%)
| term_start2 = [[9 June]] [[1983]]
| term_end2 = [[27 June]] [[2007]]
| predecessor2 = ''New Constituency''
| successor2 = [[Phil Wilson (politician)|Phil Wilson]]
| order 2 = [[Quartet on the Middle East]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1953|5|6|df=yes}}<ref name="EB">{{cite encyclopedia | year = | title = Tony Blair | url = http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9003134 | encyclopedia = [[Encyclopædia Britannica]] | publisher = }}</ref>
| birth_place = [[Edinburgh]], [[Scotland]], [[United Kingdom]]
| nationality = [[United Kingdom|British]]
| death_date =
| death_place =
| spouse = [[Cherie Blair|Cherie Booth]]
| party = [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
| relations =
| children =
| residence = [[Connaught Square]]
| alma_mater = [[St John's College, Oxford]]
| occupation = [[diplomat|Envoy]]
| profession = [[Barrister]]
| religion = [[Roman Catholic]]
| signature = Tony Blair signature.svg
| website =
| footnotes =
}}
'''Anthony Charles Lynton Blair''' (born [[6 May]] [[1953]]) is a [[United Kingdom|British]] [[politician]] who served as [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]] from [[2 May]] [[1997]] to [[27 June]] [[2007]], [[Labour Party (UK)#Leaders of the Labour Party since 1906|Leader]] of the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] from 1994 to 2007 and [[Member of Parliament|Member]] of [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Parliament]] for [[Sedgefield (UK Parliament constituency)|Sedgefield]] from 1983 to 2007. On the day he stood down as Prime Minister, he was appointed official [[diplomat|Envoy]] of the [[Quartet on the Middle East]] on behalf of the [[United Nations]], the [[European Union]], the [[United States]] and [[Russia]], and stepped down as an [[Member of Parliament|MP]].<ref name="envoy">{{cite news|title=Blair becomes Middle East envoy |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6244358.stm |date=27 June 2007 |accessdate=2007-06-27}}</ref>

Tony Blair was elected Leader of the Labour Party in [[Labour Party (UK) leadership election, 1994|July 1994]] following the sudden death of his predecessor, [[John Smith (UK politician)|John Smith]]. Under Blair's leadership the party abandoned many policies that it had held for decades. Labour won a [[landslide victory]] in the [[United Kingdom general election, 1997|1997 general election]], which ended 18 years of rule by the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] with the heaviest Conservative defeat since [[United Kingdom general election, 1832|1832]].<ref>{{cite book|first=John|last=Kingdom|title=Government and Politics in Britain: An Introduction|publisher=Polity Press|edition=3rd edition|month=April|year=2003|pages=299|isbn=978-0745625942}}</ref>

Blair is the Labour Party's longest-serving Prime Minister, the only person to have led the Labour Party to three consecutive [[United Kingdom general elections|general election]] victories, and the only Labour Prime Minister to serve consecutive terms more than one of which was at least four years long.

[[Gordon Brown]], Blair's [[Chancellor of the Exchequer]] during his entire ten years in office, succeeded him as Leader of the Labour Party on [[24 June]] [[2007]] and as Prime Minister on [[27 June]] [[2007]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Brown is UK's new prime minister |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6245682.stm |date=27 June 2007 |accessdate=2007-06-27}}</ref>

==Background and family life==
Blair was born at the Queen Mary Maternity Home<ref name="Edinburgh Evening-birthplace">{{cite news | title = Blair's birthplace is bulldozed in Edinburgh | url = http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1156262006 | work = [[Edinburgh Evening News]] | publisher =Johnston Press plc |date=2006-08-09| accessdate = 2006-11-18}}</ref> in [[Edinburgh]], [[Scotland]] on [[6 May]] [[1953]],<ref name="EB"/> the second son of [[Leo Blair (senior)|Leo]] and Hazel Blair (''née'' Corscadden). Leo Blair, the illegitimate<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2000/dec/21/adoptionandfostering.localgovernment1 Blair: 'Why adoption is close to my heart'], [[December 21]], [[2000]], ''[[The Guardian]]''</ref> son of two English actors, had been adopted by a Glasgow shipyard worker named James Blair and his wife Mary as a baby. Hazel Corscadden was the daughter of George Corscadden, a butcher and [[Orangeman]] who had moved to Glasgow in 1916 but returned to (and later died in) [[Ballyshannon]] in 1923, where his wife Sarah Margaret née Lipsett gave birth to Blair's mother Hazel above her family's [[grocery]] shop.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.ballyshannon.ie/Article_Listings.aspx?tscategory_id=276&category_name=Local+Map |title= Local Map |author= |publisher=[[Ballyshannon]] Town Council |date= |accessdate=2007-11-22 |quote=Lipsett’s Grocery Shop:
This is the birth place 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.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,,2033286,00.html |title='We had no file on him but it was clear he was up for the business' |author=Nicholas Watt and Owen Bowcott |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=[[14 March]] [[2007]] |accessdate=2007-11-22 |quote=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}}</ref> The Lipsett family in Donegal supposedly originated with a German Jewish immigrant to [[Ireland]] prior to the 18th century.<ref>{{cite book|title=Dictionary of American Family Names|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|isbn=0-19-508137-4}}</ref> George Corscadden was from a family of [[Early Modern Ireland 1536-1691|Protestant]] farmers in [[County Donegal]], [[Ireland]],<ref>{{cite news |url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/blair/story/0,,2049958,00.html |title=
Peace and war: the reckoning. Part two, The barrister and the preacher |author=Andrew Rawnsley |work=[[The Observer]] |date=[[8 April]] [[2007]] |accessdate=2007-11-22}}</ref> who descended from [[Ulster-Scots|Scottish]] settlers that took their family name from [[Garscadden]], now part of [[Glasgow]]. The Blair family was often taken on holiday to [[Rossnowlagh]], a beach resort near Hazel's hometown of [[Ballyshannon]] in south [[County Donegal]] in the [[Republic of Ireland]].{{Fact|date=January 2008}} Tony Blair has one elder brother, [[William Blair (barrister)|William Blair]], who is a [[barrister]] and [[Queen's Counsel|Queen's Counsel (QC)]], and a younger sister, Sarah. Blair spent the first 19 months of his life at the family home in Paisley Terrace in the [[Willowbrae]] area of Edinburgh. During this period his father worked as a junior tax inspector whilst also studying for a law degree from the [[University of Edinburgh]].<ref name="Edinburgh Evening-birthplace"/> His family spent three and a half years in the 1950s living in [[Adelaide]], [[Australia]], where his father was a lecturer in law at the [[University of Adelaide]].<ref>{{cite news | title = Tony's big adventure | url = http://observer.guardian.co.uk/secondterm/story/0,8224,944191,00.html|work = [[The Observer]] | publisher = Guardian Newspapers Ltd. |date=2003-04-27 | accessdate = 2006-11-18}}</ref> The Blairs lived close to the university, in the suburb of [[Dulwich, South Australia|Dulwich]].

The family returned to Britain in the late 1950s, living for a time with Hazel Blair's stepfather William McClay and her mother at their home in [[Stepps]], near Glasgow. He spent the remainder of his childhood in [[Durham]], [[England]], his father being by then a lecturer at [[Durham University]]. After attending Durham's [[Chorister School]] from 1961 to 1966,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thechoristerschool.com/alumni/rollcall.php |title=Alumni Roll Call |author= |work=Durham Chorister School website |date= |accessdate=2007-11-22}}</ref> Blair boarded at [[Fettes College]], a notable [[independent school]] in Edinburgh, where he met [[Charles Falconer, Baron Falconer of Thoroton|Charlie Falconer]] (a pupil at the rival [[Edinburgh Academy]]), whom he later appointed [[Lord Chancellor]]. He reportedly modelled himself on [[Mick Jagger]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://arts.guardian.co.uk/filmandmusic/story/0,,1678432,00.html |title=Tony Blair absolutely modelled himself on Mick Jagger |author=Victoria Powell |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=[[6 January]] [[2006]] |accessdate=2007-11-22 |quote=TV producer Victoria Powell explains how she recreated the PM's adventures in 1970s rock}}</ref> His teachers were unimpressed with him: his biographer, John Rentoul reported that, "All 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".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.scotsman.com/edwardblack/Tony-Blairs-revolting-schooldays.2548089.jp |title=Tony Blair's revolting schooldays |author=Ed Black's diary |work=[[The Scotsman]] |date=[[23 July]] [[2004]] |accessdate=2007-11-22}}</ref> Blair was arrested at Fettes, having being mistaken for a burglar as he climbed into his dormitory using a ladder, after being out late.<ref>{{cite news | title = Blair in a boater, a crude hand gesture, and the Class of '75 | url = http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=439587&in_page_id=1770&ico=Homepage&icl=TabModule&icc=picbox&ct=5|work = [[Daily Mail]] | publisher = Associated Newspapers Ltd. |date=2006-03-03 | accessdate = 2007-03-08}}</ref>

[[Image:CherieBooth.jpg|right|thumb|Tony Blair's wife, [[Cherie Blair|Cherie Booth]] QC]]
After Fettes, Blair spent a year in London, where he attempted to find fame as a [[rock music]] promoter, before going up to the [[University of Oxford]] to [[reading (for degree)|read]] jurisprudence at [[St John's College, Oxford|St John's College]]. As a student, he played [[guitar]] and sang for a [[rock band]] called [[Ugly Rumours (band)|Ugly Rumours]]. During this time, he dated future ''[[American Psycho]]'' director [[Mary Harron]].<ref>{{cite web| url = http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800256658/bio
| title = Mary Harron Biography| accessdate = 2006-11-18| year = 2006 | work = Yahoo! Movies| publisher = Yahoo! Inc.}}</ref> He became influenced by fellow student and priest [[Peter Thomson (priest)|Peter Thomson]], who awakened within Blair a deep concern for religious faith and left wing politics. Whilst at Oxford, Blair's mother Hazel died of cancer which was said to have greatly affected Blair. After graduating from Oxford with a [[British undergraduate degree classification|second class degree]], Blair became a member of [[Lincoln's Inn]], enrolled as a pupil barrister and met his future wife, [[Cherie Blair|Cherie Booth]] (daughter of the actor [[Antony Booth|Tony Booth]]) at the [[Chambers (law)|Chambers]] founded by [[Derry Irvine, Baron Irvine of Lairg|Derry Irvine]] (who was to be Blair's first Lord Chancellor), [[11 King's Bench Walk Chambers]]. (To this day, in the legal profession there abound "ugly rumours" of Blair's relationship with Irvine.){{Fact|date|date=January 2008}} He acted predominantly for employers or wealthier clients, as in ''[[Nethermere v. Gardiner]]'' where he unsuccessfully defended employers that had refused holiday pay to employees at a trouser factory. Rentoul records that, according to his lawyer friends, Blair was much less concerned about which party he was affiliated with than about his aim of becoming [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]].

Blair married Booth, a practising [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] and future [[Queen's Counsel]], on [[29 March]] [[1980]]. They have four children ([[Euan Blair|Euan]], [[Nicky Blair|Nicky]], Kathryn and [[Leo Blair|Leo]]). Leo (born [[20 May]] [[2000]]) was the first legitimate child born to a serving Prime Minister in over 150 years, since Francis Russell was born to [[John Russell, 1st Earl Russell|Lord John Russell]] on [[11 July]] [[1849]].

Although the Blairs stated that they had wished to shield their children from the media, their children's education was a cause of political controversy. All three attended the Roman Catholic [[London Oratory School]], criticised by left-wingers for its selection procedures, instead of a poorly-performing [[Roman Catholic school]] in Labour-controlled [[London Borough of Islington|Islington]], where they then lived, in Richmond Avenue. There was further criticism when it was revealed that Euan received private coaching from staff from [[Westminster School]].

==Early political career==
Blair joined the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] shortly after graduating from Oxford in 1975. During the early 1980s, he was involved in Labour politics in [[Hackney South and Shoreditch (UK Parliament constituency)|Hackney South and Shoreditch]], where he aligned himself with the "[[soft left]]" of the party. He unsuccessfully attempted to secure selection as a candidate for [[London Borough of Hackney|Hackney Borough Council]]. Through his [[father-in-law]], the actor [[Anthony Booth|Tony Booth]], he contacted Labour MP [[Tom Pendry]] to ask for help in pursuing a Parliamentary career. Pendry gave him a tour of the House of Commons and advised him to stand for selection as a candidate in the forthcoming [[by-election]] in the safe [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] seat of [[Beaconsfield (UK Parliament constituency)|Beaconsfield]], where Pendry knew a senior member of the local party. Blair was chosen as the candidate; at the [[Beaconsfield by-election, 1982|Beaconsfield by-election]] he won only 10% of the vote and lost his deposit, but he impressed Labour Party leader [[Michael Foot]] and acquired a profile within the party. In contrast to his later centrism, Blair described himself in this period as a [[Socialism|Socialist]]. A letter that he wrote to Foot in July 1982, eventually published in June 2006, gives an indication of his outlook at this time.<ref>{{cite news | first = Tony | last = Blair | title = The full text of Tony Blair's letter to Michael Foot written in July 1982 | url = http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/06/16/nletter116.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/06/16/ixuknews.html | work = The Daily Telegraph | publisher = Telegraph Media Group Ltd. |date=July 1982 | accessdate = 2006-11-18}}</ref>

In 1983 Blair found that the newly created constituency of [[Sedgefield (UK Parliament constituency)|Sedgefield]], a notionally safe Labour seat near where he had grown up in [[Durham]], had no Labour candidate. Several sitting MPs displaced by boundary changes were interested in securing selection to fight the seat. He found a branch that had not made a nomination and arranged to visit them. With the crucial support of [[John Burton (Political Agent)|John Burton]], he won their endorsement; at the last minute he was added to the shortlist and won the selection over displaced sitting MP [[Les Huckfield]]. Burton later became his agent and one of his most trusted and longest-standing allies.

Blair's election literature in the [[United Kingdom general election, 1983|1983 UK general election]] endorsed left-wing policies that the Labour Party advocated in the early 1980s. He called for Britain to leave the [[European Union|EEC]], though he had told his selection conference that he personally favoured continuing membership. He also supported [[Nuclear disarmament|unilateral nuclear disarmament]] as a member of the [[Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament]]. Blair was helped on the campaign trail by [[soap opera|soap]] actress [[Pat Phoenix]], his father-in-law's girlfriend. Blair was elected as MP for Sedgefield, despite the party's landslide defeat in the general election.

Blair stated in his [[maiden speech]] in the House of Commons on [[6 July]] [[1983]]: "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".<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2006/4/20/170221.shtml | title = On Democracy | accessdate = 2006-11-18| last = Navrozov | first = Lev |date=2006-04-21 | work = newsmax.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.logosjournal.com/issue_3.4/seddon.htm | title = America's Friend: Reflections on Tony Blair| accessdate = 2006-11-18| last = Seddon| first = Mark | year = 2004| work = Logos 3.4| publisher = }}</ref> The Labour Party is declared in its constitution to be a [[Democratic socialism|democratic socialist]] party,<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.labour.org.uk/aboutlabour| title = About Labour| accessdate = 2006-11-18| year = 2006| publisher = The Labour Party}}</ref> rather than a [[social democratic]] party—Blair himself organized this declaration of Labour to be a [[Socialist Party|socialist party]] when he dealt with the change to the party's [[Clause IV]] in their constitution.

==In opposition==
Once elected, Blair's ascent was rapid and he received his first front bench appointment in 1984 as assistant Treasury spokesman. In May [[1985]] he appeared on BBC's [[Question Time]] arguing that the Conservative Government's Public Order White Paper was a threat to civil liberties.<ref>http://open.bbc.co.uk/catalogue/infax/programme/LCAQ520E BBC Archive]</ref>
Blair demanded an inquiry into the [[Bank of England]]'s decision to rescue the collapsed [[Johnson Matthey]] Bank in [[1985|October 1985]], and embarrassed the government by finding a [[European Economic Community]] report critical of British economic policy that had been countersigned by a member of the Conservative government. By this time Blair was aligned with the reforming tendencies in the party, headed by leader [[Neil Kinnock]], and was promoted after the [[United Kingdom general election, 1987|1987 election]] to the shadow Trade and Industry team as spokesman on the [[City of London]]. In 1987, he stood for election to the [[Shadow Cabinet]] receiving 77 votes.

After the [[Black Monday (1987)|stock market crash of October 1987]], Blair raised his profile further when he castigated City traders as "incompetent" and "morally dubious", and criticised poor service for small investors at the [[London Stock Exchange]]. In 1988 Blair entered the [[Shadow Cabinet]] as [[Shadow Secretary of State for Energy]] and the following year he became Shadow Employment Secretary. In this post he realised that the Labour Party's support for the emerging European "Social Charter" policies on [[Labour and employment law|employment law]] meant dropping the party's traditional support for [[closed shop]] arrangements, whereby employers required all their employees to be members of a [[trade union]]. He announced this change in December 1989, outraging the left wing of the Labour Party. As a young and telegenic Shadow Cabinet member, Blair was given prominence by the party's [[Director of Communications]], [[Peter Mandelson]]. He gave his first major platform speech at the 1990 [[Labour Party (UK) Conference|Labour Party conference]].

In the run-up to the [[United Kingdom general election, 1992|1992 general election]], Blair worked to modernise Labour's image and was responsible for developing the controversial [[minimum wage]] policy.

When Neil Kinnock resigned as party leader after Labour's fourth successive election defeat, Blair became [[Shadow Home Secretary]] under [[John Smith (UK politician)|John Smith]]. The Labour Party at this time was widely perceived as weak on crime and Blair worked to change this, accepting that the prison population might have to rise, and bemoaning the loss of a [[sense of community]], which he was prepared to blame (at least partly) on "1960s liberalism". On the other hand, he spoke in support of equalising the [[age of consent]] for [[gay sex]] at 16, and opposed [[capital punishment]]. He defined his policy, in a phrase coined by [[Gordon Brown]], as "[[Tough on crime]], tough on the causes of crime".

In 1993, while still Shadow Home Secretary, Blair attended the annual invitation-only [[Bilderberg]] conference.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199798/cmselect/cmstnprv/180iii/sp0304.htm |title=House of Commons - Standards and Privileges - Third Report }}</ref>

John Smith died suddenly in 1994 of a [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]]. Blair beat [[John Prescott]] and [[Margaret Beckett]] in the [[Labour Party (UK) leadership election, 1994|subsequent leadership election]]. After becoming [[Leader of the Opposition (UK)|Leader of the Opposition]], Blair was, as is customary for the holder of that office, appointed a [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Counsellor]], which permitted him to be [[Style (manner of address)|addressed]] with the style "[[The Right Honourable]]".

===Leader of the Labour Party===
[[Image:Labour manifesto 97.jpg|thumb|upright|The cover of Labour's [[United Kingdom general election, 1997|1997 general election]] [[manifesto]] ]]<!-- {{ifdc|Image:Labour manifesto 97.jpg|log=2007 June 23}} The decision was: no consensus, so keep -->
Blair announced at the end of his speech at the 1994 Labour Party conference that he intended to replace [[Clause IV]] of the party's constitution with a new statement of aims and values. This involved the deletion of the party's stated commitment to "the [[common ownership]] of the [[means of production]] and exchange", which was widely interpreted as referring to wholesale [[nationalization|nationalisation]]. The clause was replaced by a statement that the party is one of [[democratic socialism]]. A special conference approved this highly symbolic change in April 1995.

Blair also revised party policy in a manner that enhanced the image of Labour as competent and modern using the term "New Labour" to distinguish the party from its past. Although the transformation aroused much criticism (its alleged superficiality drawing fire both from political opponents and traditionalists within the "rank and file" of his own party), it was nevertheless successful in changing public perception. At the 1996 Labour Party conference, Blair stated that his three top priorities on coming to office were "education, education and education".
Aided by the unpopularity of [[John Major]]'s Conservative government (itself deeply divided over the [[European Union]]), "New Labour" won a landslide victory in the [[United Kingdom general election, 1997|1997 general election]] with Blair the youngest person—at age 43—to attain the office of Prime Minister since [[Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool|Lord Liverpool]] in 1812—at age 42.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/page4.asp| title = Biography: The Prime Minister Tony Charles Lynton Blair| accessdate = 2006-11-18| date = | work = www.number-10.gov.uk| publisher = }}</ref>

==Prime Minister==
{{main|Premiership of Tony Blair}}
Blair became the [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]] on [[2 May]] [[1997]], serving concurrently as [[First Lord of the Treasury]], [[Minister for the Civil Service]], [[Labour Party (UK)|Leader of the Labour Party]], and [[Member of Parliament]] for the constituency of [[Sedgefield (UK Parliament constituency)|Sedgefield]] in the [[North East England|North East]] of [[England]] and [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Counsellor]]. With victories in 1997, [[United Kingdom general election, 2001|2001]], and 2005, Blair was the Labour Party's longest-serving prime minister, the only person to lead the party to three consecutive general election victories.
[[Image:TonyBlairArmagh1998.jpg|thumb|right|Blair addressing a crowd in [[Armagh]] in 1998]]
Blair is both credited with, and criticised for, moving the Labour Party towards the [[Political centre|centre]] of British politics, using the term "[[Labour Party (UK)#New Labour|New Labour]]" to distinguish his pro-[[free market|market]] policies from the more [[Collectivism|collectivist]] policies which the party had espoused in the past.

In domestic government policy, Blair significantly increased [[Public finance|public spending]] on health and education while also introducing controversial market-based reforms in these areas. Blair's tenure also saw the introduction of a [[National Minimum Wage]], tuition fees for higher education, and [[Constitutional amendment|constitutional reform]] such as [[devolution]] in [[Scotland]] and [[Wales]]. The British economy performed well, and Blair kept to Conservative commitments not to increase income tax, although he did introduce a large number of subtle tax increases referred to as stealth taxes by his opponents.

His contribution towards assisting the [[Northern Ireland Peace Process]] by helping to negotiate the [[Good Friday Agreement]] after 30 years of conflict was widely recognised.<ref>BBC News Archive, [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/10/newsid_2450000/2450823.stm "1998: Northern Ireland peace deal reached"]</ref><ref>Philip Stephens, [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/36fa51da-fe30-11db-bdc7-000b5df10621.html "Blair’s remarkable record"], ''Financial Times'', May 10, 2007</ref>
From the start of the [[War on Terror]] in 2001, Blair strongly supported [[Foreign relations of the United States|United States foreign policy]], notably by participating in the invasions of [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|Afghanistan]] in 2001 and [[2003 invasion of Iraq|Iraq]] in 2003. He encountered fierce criticism as a result, over the policy itself and the circumstances in which it was decided upon, especially his claims that Iraq was developing weapons of mass destruction (which have not been discovered in Iraq). For his unwavering support in the security of the United States, Mr. Blair was honored with the Congressional Gold Medal on July 18th, 2003.

Following pressure from the Labour Party, on [[7 September]] [[2006]] Blair publicly stated he would step down as party leader by the time of the [[Trades Union Congress]] (TUC) conference which was held from [[10 September]] [[2007]] – [[13 September]] [[2007]],<ref name="iwillquit"> {{cite news| title = I will quit within a year —Blair| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5322094.stm| publisher = BBC News|date=2006-09-07| accessdate = 2006-11-18}}</ref> having promised to serve a full term during the previous general election campaign.

===Relationship with Parliament===
Blair changed Parliamentary procedures significantly. One of his first acts as Prime Minister was to replace the then twice-weekly 15 minute sessions of [[Prime Minister's Questions]], held on a Tuesday and Thursday, with a single 30 minute session on a Wednesday. This reform was said to have led to greater efficiency, but critics have noted that it is easier to prepare for one long set of questions than for two shorter sessions. In addition to PMQs, Blair held monthly press conferences, at which he fielded questions from journalists.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.number10.gov.uk/output/Page3347.asp | title = PM: Saddam and his regime will be removed| accessdate = 2006-11-21|date=2003-03-25| format = | work = www.number10.gov.uk| publisher = }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | first = Matthew | last = Tempest | title = Tony Blair's press conference | url = http://politics.guardian.co.uk/media/story/0,,1299024,00.html | work = The Guardian | publisher = Guardian Newspapers Ltd. |date=2004-09-07 | accessdate = 2006-11-21}}</ref>

Other procedural reforms included changing the official times for Parliamentary sessions in order to have Parliament operate in a more business-like manner.

===Resignation===
On [[10 May]] [[2007]], Blair announced during a speech at the Trimdon Labour Club in his [[Sedgefield (UK Parliament constituency)|Sedgefield]] constituency his intention to resign as both Labour Party leader and Prime Minister the following June. On [[June 24]] he formally handed over the leadership of the Labour Party to [[Gordon Brown]] at a special party conference in [[Manchester]]. Blair tendered his resignation as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to the Queen on [[27 June]] [[2007]], his successor Gordon Brown assuming office the same afternoon. He also resigned his seat in the House of Commons in the traditional form of accepting the Stewardship of the [[Chiltern Hundreds]] to which he was appointed by Gordon Brown in one of the latter's last acts as Chancellor of the Exchequer.<ref name="Independent27June2007">{{cite news|title=Blair resigns as MP and heads for Mideast role |work=[[The Independent]] |url=http://news.independent.co.uk/article2715349.ece |date=[[27 June]] [[2007]] |accessdate=2007-06-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release| title=Three Hundreds of Chiltern| publisher =HM Treasury|date=2007-06-27| url =http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/newsroom_and_speeches/press/2007/press_72_07.cfm| accessdate = 2007-06-27}}</ref> (It is impossible to resign from the UK Parliament, so this device is used for MPs wishing to step down.)<ref>{{cite news|title=Briefing from the Prime Minister's Spokesman on: New Prime Minister and Iraq |work=10 Downing Street Official Website |url=http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page12162.asp |date=27 June 2007 |accessdate=2007-06-27}}</ref>

The resulting [[Sedgefield by-election, 2007|Sedgefield by-election]] was won by Labour's candidate, [[Phil Wilson (politician)|Phil Wilson]]. Blair has not to date issued a list of [[Resignation Honours]]; it has been suggested that the list was delayed because of the Cash for Honours investigation by the police. However, that investigation has now ended and no list has been produced; should Blair choose not to issue one he will be the first Prime Minister of the modern era not to do so.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://politics.guardian.co.uk/funding/story/0,,2109110,00.html |title=Blair misses deadline for resignation honours |author=David Hencke |work=[[Guardian Unlimited]] |date=[[22 June]] [[2007]] |accessdate=2007-11-22}}</ref>

==Post Prime Ministerial career==
===Middle East envoy===
On [[27 June]], [[2007]], he officially resigned as [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]] after ten years in office, and Blair was officially confirmed as [[Middle East]] [[Diplomacy|envoy]] for the [[United Nations]], [[European Union]], [[United States]] and [[Russia]].<ref name="envoy"/> Blair originally indicated that he would retain his parliamentary seat after his resignation as Prime Minister came into effect; however, he resigned from the Commons on being confirmed for the Middle East role, by taking up an [[List of Stewards of the Chiltern Hundreds|office for profit]] .<ref name="Independent27June2007">{{cite news|title=Blair resigns as MP and heads for Mideast role |work=[[The Independent]] |url=http://news.independent.co.uk/article2715349.ece |date=[[27 June]] [[2007]] |accessdate=2007-06-27}}</ref> 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".<ref>{{cite news|title=US 'wants Blair' for Mid-East job|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6222848.stm|publisher=BBC|date=21 June 2007}}</ref><ref name="Blair may">{{cite news|title=US approves of Blair as possible Middle East envoy|author=Matthew Tempest and Mark Tran|date=June 20, 2007|publisher=Guardian Unlimited|url=http://politics.guardian.co.uk/tonyblair/story/0,,2107523,00.html}}</ref>

===Private sector===
In [[January 2008]] it was confirmed that Blair would be joining investment bank [[JPMorgan]] "in a senior advisory capacity"<ref>{{citeweb|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7180306.stm|title=Tony Blair joins investment bank|publisher=BBC News|date=10 January 2008|accessdate=2008-01-10}}</ref> and that he would advise the insurance firm [[Zurich Financial Services|Zurich]] on climate change. Combined his earnings then reached over £7m a year.<ref>Hencke, David ([[2008-01-29]]) [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/tonyblair/story/0,,2248529,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront Insurance job takes Blair's earnings above £7m], [[The Guardian]]</ref>

===President of Europe===
Media has speculated that Blair is planning to become the first [[President of the European Council]] (often touted as the "President of the European Union" or the "President of Europe"), a post created in the [[Treaty of Lisbon]] that would come into force in 2009, if successfully ratified.

Blair has been the most common name connected with the most. Touted as far back as 2002, rumours re-emerged since his resignation.<ref name="FT 2007 Candiate">{{cite web|last = Parker|first=George|title = UK PM 'a serious candidate'|publisher=[[Financial Times]]|date=2007|url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/5fe52a74-1b6e-11dc-bc55-000b5df10621.html|accessdate = 2007-06-27 }}</ref> In June 2007 French president [[Nicolas Sarkozy]] was the first leader to propose that Blair be the first president,<ref>{{cite web|last=Parker|first=George|authorlink=|coauthors=|title=Push for Blair as new EU president|work=|publisher=[[Financial Times]]|date=[[2007-06-16]]|url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/d4fe43ac-1ba7-11dc-bc55-000b5df10621.html|format=|doi=|accessdate=2007-07-12}}</ref> support which was reiterated in October 2007 following an agreement on the [[Treaty of Lisbon]].

[[Gordon Brown]], Blair's successor, added his support but noted it was premature to discuss candidates before the treaty was approved. A spokesman for Tony Blair has not ruled out Blair accepting the post, saying he was concentrating on his current role in the Middle East. Some believe he is unlikely to take the position as it comes with few powers.<ref>{{cite web|last=Grice|first=Andrew|authorlink=|coauthors=|title=Blair emerges as candidate for 'President of Europe'|work=|publisher=[[The Independent]]|date=[[2007-10-20]]|url=http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article3078889.ece|format=|doi=|accessdate=2007-10-21}}</ref> Blair was later invited to speak on European issues at a rally of Sarkozy's party, the [[Union for a Popular Movement]], on 12 January 2008. This fuled speculation further.<ref>AFP (2007). [http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5h1rKE-ojtjL5QBUdheIhtGUkZUXA Blair charms France's ruling party amid talk of EU top job]. Retrieved January 13, 2008.</ref><ref>{{cite news | last=Crumley | first=Bruce | title=Blair Weighs Up EU Presidency Bid | date=[[January 14]], [[2008]] | publisher=Time | url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1703254,00.html}}</ref>

{{Quote|He is intelligent, he is brave and he is a friend. We need him in Europe. How can we govern a continent of 450 million people if the President changes every six months and has to run his own country at the same time? I want a President chosen from the top - not a compromise candidate - who will serve for two-and-a-half years.|French President [[Nicolas Sarkozy]], January 2008|''<ref>{{cite news | last=Duval Smith | first=Alex | title=Blair kicks off campaign to become EU President | date=[[January 13]], [[2008]] | publisher=The Observer | url=http://politics.guardian.co.uk/tonyblair/story/0,,2240063,00.html}}</ref>''}}

===Honours===
In [[May 2007]], before his resignation, it was reported<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2007/05/13/dp1301.xml#head1 |title=Queen makes Blair an offer that he can refuse |author= |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=[[13 May]] [[2007]] |accessdate=2007-11-22}}</ref> that Blair would be offered a Knighthood in the [[Order of the Thistle]], rather than the [[Order of the Garter]], due to his Scottish connections. No such move has been reported since, and, on [[St Andrew's Day]], the Queen appointed two men to the only openings in the limited Order.

==Relationship with media==
===Rupert Murdoch===
Tony Blair's close relationship with [[Rupert Murdoch]] and the reciprocated unprecedented support which he received from Murdoch's globally influential [[News Corporation]] media empire, has been the subject of much criticism.<ref>Gaby Hinsliff, [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/politics/story/0,,1827023,00.html "The PM, the mogul and the secret agenda"], ''The Observer'', July 23, 2006</ref><ref>Michael White, [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/labour/story/0,,1832815,00.html "Blair risks 'poodle' jibes to join Murdoch's jamboree"], ''The Guardian'', July 29, 2006</ref>

===Contacts with UK media proprietors===
A [[Cabinet Office]] [[freedom 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]] and [[Richard Desmond]] of ''Northern and Shell Media''.<ref name='spoke'>{{cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=Blair and Murdoch spoke days before Iraq war | date= | publisher= | url =http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/jul/19/freedomofinformation.iraq | work =[[Guardian]] | pages = | accessdate = 2007-12-26 | language = }}</ref>

The response includes contacts "clearly of an official nature" in the specified period, but excludeds contacts "not clearly of an official nature."<ref name='matter'>{{cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=The meetings that matter between Murdoch and Blair | date= | publisher= | url =http://politics.guardian.co.uk/foi/story/0,,1818852,00.html | work =[[Guardian]] | pages = | accessdate = 2007-12-26 | language = }}</ref> No details were given of what subjects discussed.
In the period between September 2002 and April 2005, Blair and Murdoch are documented speaking 6 times; three times in the 9 days before the [[Iraq war]], including the eve of the March 20 US and UK invasion, and on January 29, April 25 and October 3 2004. Between January 2003 and February 2004, Mr Blair had three meetings with Richard Desmond; on January 29 and September 3 2003 and February 23 2004.<ref name='foi'>{{cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=When Murdoch met Blair - information released | date= | publisher= | url =http://www.bindmans.com/index.php?id=289 | work =[[Bindmans]] | pages = | accessdate = 2007-12-26 | language = }}</ref><ref name='vs'>{{cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=Blair & Murdoch - FOI v Campbell | date= | publisher= | url =http://www.bbc.co.uk/cgi-perl/mt/mt-comments.cgi | work =[[BBC]] | pages = | accessdate = 2007-12-26 | language = }}</ref>

The information was disclosed after a three and a half year battle by the [[Lib Dem]] [[Lord Avebury]].<ref name='spoke'/> Lord Avebury's initial October 2003 information request was dismissed by then leader of the Lords, [[Baroness Amos]].<ref name='spoke'/> A following complaint was rejected, with [[Downing 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.<ref name='spoke'/> 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."<ref name='spoke'/>

===Media portrayal===
Tony Blair is acknowledged by most to be a highly skilful media performer who comes over as charismatic, informal and articulate. A few months after becoming Prime Minister he gave a tribute to [[Diana, Princess of Wales]] on the morning of her death in August 1997, in which he famously described her as "the People's Princess".

After taking office in 1997, Blair gave particular prominence to his press secretary, who became known as the [[Prime 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 the [[Hutton Inquiry]]. Campbell acquired a reputation as a sinister and [[Machiavelli]]an figure, and both Blair and Campbell have frequently been criticised or [[satire|satirised]] for their allegedly excessive use of "spin" and [[Managing the news|news management]] techniques (see below under ''Criticism'').

==Relationship with Gordon Brown==
{{seealso|Blair-Brown deal}}
After the death of [[John Smith (UK politician)|John Smith]] in 1994, both Blair and [[Gordon Brown]] were viewed as possible candidates for the leadership of the Labour Party. They had agreed that they would not stand against each other. Brown had previously been considered to be the more senior of the two and he understood this to mean that Blair would give way to him. It soon became apparent, however, that Blair had greater public support.<ref>A MORI [[opinion poll]] published in the ''[[The Sunday Times (UK)|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%, and [[Robin Cook]] 5%.</ref> This gave rise to the alleged [[Blair-Brown deal]]. At certain times, [[Deputy Prime Minister]] [[John Prescott]] has reportedly acted as their "marriage guidance counsellor".<ref>{{cite news | url = http://politics.guardian.co.uk/labour2003/comment/0,,1056215,00.html | title = A marriage on the rocks | author=[[Andrew Rawnsley]] | work = [[The Observer]] | publisher = Guardian Newspapers Ltd. | date = [[October 5]] [[2003]] | accessdate = 2007-03-05}}</ref>

==Religious faith==
On [[22 December]] [[2007]], it was disclosed that Blair had converted to the [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] faith, and that it was "a private matter".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7157409.stm |title=Tony Blair joins Catholic faith |author= |work=BBC News online |date=[[22 December]] [[2007]] |accessdate=2007-11-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30100-1298177,00.html |title=Blair Converts To Catholicism |author= |work=Sky News |date=[[22 December]] [[2007]] |accessdate=2007-11-22}}</ref> He had informed [[Pope Benedict XVI]] on [[23 June]] [[2007]] that he wanted to become Catholic. The Pope and his advisors criticised some of Blair's political actions, but followed up with a reportedly unprecedented red-carpet welcome that included [[Archbishop of Westminster]] [[Cormac Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor]], who would be responsible for Blair's [[Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults|Catholic instruction]].<ref>Francis Beckett and David Hencke, ''The Blairs and Their Court'', 2004, Aurum Press Ltd, ISBN 978-1845130244</ref><ref>Francis Beckett and David Hencke, ''The Survivor: Tony Blair in War and Peace'', 2005, Aurum Press Ltd, ISBN 978-1845131104</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://politics.guardian.co.uk/bookshelf/story/0,9061,1314216,00.html |title=Regular at mass, communion from Pope. So why is Blair evasive about his faith? |author=Francis Beckett and David Hencke |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=[[28 September]] [[2004]] |accessdate=2007-11-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article1801237.ece |title=Blair will be welcomed into Catholic fold via his ‘baptism of desire’ |author=Ruth Gledhill, Jeremy Austin and Philip Webster |work=[[The Times]] |date=[[17 May]] [[2007]] |accessdate=2007-11-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://politics.guardian.co.uk/tonyblair/story/0,,2110208,00.html |title=Blair tells Pope: Now I'm ready to become a Catholic |author=John Hooper |work=[[The Observer]] |date=[[24 June]] [[2007]] |accessdate=2007-11-22}}</ref>

Blair had previously rarely discussed his [[Faith|religious faith]] in public, but had often been identified as an [[Anglo-Catholicism|Anglo-Catholic]]—that is, a member of the [[high church]] branch of the [[Church of England]], sympathetic to the beliefs and practices of the [[Roman Catholic Church]]. His wife [[Cherie Blair|Cherie Booth]] is a practising Roman Catholic, and Blair had attended Catholic Masses at [[Westminster Cathedral]] while on holiday in Italy, and with his family at [[Number 10 Downing Street]]. In 1996, he was reprimanded by [[Basil Hume|Basil Cardinal Hume]] for receiving [[Holy Communion]] at Mass despite not being a Roman Catholic, a contravention of Catholic Canon Law.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,2082533,00.html |title=Blair doesn't need intermediaries to communicate with God. So why does he want to become a Catholic? |author=Alexander Chancellor |work=The Guardian |date=[[May 18]] [[2007]] |accessdate=2007-11-22}}</ref>

In an interview with [[Michael Parkinson]] broadcast on [[ITV1]] on [[4 March]] [[2006]], Blair referred to the role of his [[Christianity|Christian faith]] in his decision to go to war in Iraq, stating that he had [[prayer|prayed]] about the issue, and saying that God would judge him for his decision:<ref>{{cite news | title = Blair 'prayed to God' over Iraq | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4772142.stm | publisher = BBC News |date=2006-03-03 | accessdate = 2006-11-18}}</ref> ''"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."''

A longer exploration of his faith can be found in an interview with ''[[Third Way Magazine]]''. He says there 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".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thirdway.org.uk/past/showpage.asp?page=43 |title=Practising for Power: Tony Blair |author=Roy McCloughry |work=[[Third Way Magazine]]: the modern world through Christian eyes |date=[[14 September]] [[1993]] |accessdate=2007-11-22 |quote=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 the 14th September 1993, before the spin doctors closed around him, when he was still shadow Home Secretary and had a full head of hair.}}</ref> The death of Blair's mother Hazel in 1975 is said to have greatly affected him and prompted his renewed spiritual commitment whilst at Oxford.

These comments prompted a number of questions on Blair's faith. At one point [[Alastair Campbell]], Blair's director of strategy and communications, intervened in an interview, preventing the Prime Minister from answering a question about his Christianity, explaining, "We don't do God".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/05/04/nblair04.xml |title=Campbell interrupted Blair as he spoke of his faith: 'We don't do God' |author=Colin Brown |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=[[3 May]] [[2003]] |accessdate=2007-11-22}}</ref>

Cherie Blair's friend and "spiritual guru" Carole Caplin is credited with introducing her and her husband to various [[New Age]] symbols and beliefs, including "magic pendants" known as "BioElectric Shields".<ref>[http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,6903,856064,00.html "Ev'rybody must get stones"], The Observer, 8 December 2002</ref> 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 that involved smearing mud and fruit over each others' bodies while sitting in a steam bath.<ref>''How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered the World'', [[Francis Wheen]], Harper Perennial 2004, ISBN 0-00-714097-5</ref> It is claimed Cherie Blair's fourth pregnancy at 45 came after she submitted to New Age sexual techniques.<ref name="bitch">[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=362908&in_page_id=1770 "Cherie: That b**** Princess Anne"], Daily Mail, 21 April 2006</ref>

==Political overview==
The Labour Party is historically a [[socialism|socialist]] political party. In 2001, Tony Blair said, "We are a [[left of centre]] party, pursuing economic prosperity and social justice as partners and not as opposites".<ref>Polly Toynbee, Michael White and Patrick Wintour [http://society.guardian.co.uk/futureforpublicservices/story/0,,550059,00.html "We're a left-of-centre party pursuing prosperity and social justice"], ''The Guardian'', September 11, 2001</ref>
Blair has rarely applied such labels to himself, but he promised before the 1997 election that New Labour would govern "from the radical centre", and according to one lifelong Labour Party member, has always described himself as a [[Social democracy|social democrat]].<ref>[http://www.hulver.com/scoop/story/2007/5/17/73955/4678 "The Death of Socialism"], May 17, 2007</ref> However, Labour Party backbenchers and other left wing critics typically place Blair to the [[right of centre]].<ref>Neal Lawson, [http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2060360,00.html "A decade of Blair has left the Labour party on its knees"], ''The Guardian'', April 19, 2007</ref> A [[YouGov]] opinion poll in 2005 also found that a small majority of British voters, including many New Labour supporters, place Blair on the right of the political spectrum.<ref>YouGov UK Polling Report, [http://www.ukpollingreport.co.uk/blog/archives/30 ''Left vs Right''], September 23, 2005</ref><ref>Peter Kellner, [http://www.newstatesman.com/200210280019 "What's left of the Labour leader?"], ''New Stateman'', October 28, 2002</ref> The [[Financial Times]] on the other hand has argued that Blair is not [[conservative]], but instead a [[populist]].<ref> [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/9526a670-04dc-11dc-80ed-000b5df10621.html "Why Blair was no conservative"], ''Financial Times'', May 18, 2007</ref>

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.<ref>Steve Richards, [http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/article2531627.ece "Blair the politician: A conjuror who lost touch with his party"], ''The Belfast Telegraph'', May 11, 2007</ref> Some left wing critics have argued that Blair has overseen the final stage of a long term shift of the Labour Party to the right, and that very little now remains of a Labour Left.<ref>Mike Marquesee, [http://pubs.socialistreviewindex.org.uk/isj91/marqusee.htm "Labour's long march to the right"], ''International Socialism'', Issue 91, Summer 2001</ref><ref>Charlie Kimber, [http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/article.php?article_id=5147 "Can the left reclaim the Labour Party?"], ''Socialist Worker'', August 2, 2002</ref> There is also evidence that Blair's long term dominance of the centre has forced his Conservative opponents to shift a long distance to the left, in order to challenge his [[hegemony]] there.<ref>Mark Rice-Oxley, [http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0511/p01s03-woeu.html "Tony Blair's decade of peace and war"], ''The Christian Science Monitor'', May 11, 2007</ref><ref>Alan Cowell, [http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/10/01/news/brits.php "Tory leader urges British opposition to stake out 'center ground'"], ''International Herald Tribune'', October 1, 2006</ref>

Blair has raised taxes, implemented redistributive policies, introduced a minimum wage and some new employment rights (while keeping Margaret Thatcher's trade union legislation), introduced significant constitutional reforms (which remain incomplete and controversial), promoted new rights for gay people in the [[Civil Partnership Act 2004]], and signed treaties integrating Britain more closely with the EU. He introduced substantial [[Market economy|market-based]] reforms in the education and health sectors, introduced student tuition fees (also controversial), sought to reduce certain categories of welfare payments, and introduced tough [[Counter-terrorism|anti-terrorism]] and [[Identity document|identity card]] legislation.

==Criticism==
{{main|Criticism of Tony Blair}}
Tony Blair has been criticised for his alliance with U.S. President [[George W. Bush]] and his policies in the [[Middle East]], including the [[Iraq War]], the [[2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict]] and the [[Israeli-Palestinian conflict]].<ref>Peter Watt, [http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=10714 "The 'Complex' Issue of 'Humanitarian' Intervention"], ZNet, August 06, 2006</ref> Blair is also criticised for an alleged tendency to [[Spin (political)|spin]] important information in a way that can be misleading.<ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/10/24/nmajor24.xml "Blair's spin is the porn of politics, says Major"], ''The Telegraph'', October 24, 2003</ref> Blair is the first ever Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to have been formally questioned by police officers whilst in office, although he was not [[under caution]] when interviewed.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6179911.stm "Blair questioned in honours probe"], ''BBC News'', December 14, 2006</ref>

Critics also regard Tony Blair as having eroded [[civil liberties]] and increased social [[authoritarianism]], by increasing police powers, in the form of more arrestable offences, DNA recording, and the issuing of dispersal orders.<ref>Jon Silverman, Legal affairs analyst, [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4838684.stm "Blair's new look civil liberties"], ''BBC News'', May 14, 2007</ref>

===Presidentialism===
Blair was sometimes perceived as paying insufficient attention both to the views of his own Cabinet colleagues and to those of the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]].<ref>Ian Kershaw, [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6636091.stm "How will history judge Blair?"], BBC News, May 10, 2007.</ref> His style was sometimes criticised as not that of a prime minister and [[head of government]], which he was, but of a president and [[Head of State|head of state]], which he was not.<ref>Timothy Garton Ash, [http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1004735,00.html "President Blair : Americans love our leader but may cause his downfall"], ''The Guardian'', July 24, 2003</ref>

===Relationship with the United States===
[[Image:Blair Bush Whitehouse (2004-11-12).jpg|thumb|Tony Blair and [[George W. Bush]] shake hands after their press conference in the East Room of the White House on [[12 November]] [[2004]].]]
Along with enjoying a close relationship with [[Bill Clinton]] during the latter's time in office, Blair has formed a strong political alliance with [[George W. Bush]], particularly in the area of foreign policy. At one point, [[Nelson Mandela]] described Blair as "the U.S. foreign minister".<ref>{{cite news | title = Mandela condemns US stance on Iraq | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2710181.stm | publisher = BBC News |date=2003-01-30|accessdate = 2006-11-18}}</ref> Blair has also often openly been referred to as "Bush's poodle".<ref>{{cite news | title = Blair battles "poodle" jibes | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2721513.stm | publisher = BBC News |date=2003-02-03|accessdate = 2006-11-30}}</ref> Kendall Myers, a senior analyst at the [[United States Department of State|State Department]], reportedly said that he felt "a little ashamed" of Bush's treatment of the Prime Minister and that his attempts to influence [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. government]] policy were typically ignored: "It was a done deal from the beginning, it was a one-sided relationship that was entered into with open eyes... There was nothing, no payback, no sense of reciprocity".<ref> {{cite news | title = Bush 'routinely ignoring Blair' | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6158435.stm | publisher = BBC News |date=2006-11-30|accessdate = 2006-11-30}}</ref>

For his part, Bush has lauded Blair and the UK. In his post-[[September 11, 2001 attacks|September 11]] speech, for example, he stated that "America has no truer friend than Great Britain".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010920-8.html |title=Address to a Joint Session of Congress and the American People |author=[[George W. Bush]] |work=[[The White House]] website |date=[[20 September]] [[2001]] |accessdate=2007-11-22 |quote= America has no truer friend than Great Britain. (Applause.) Once again, we are joined together in a great cause -- so honored the British Prime Minister has crossed an ocean to show his unity of purpose with America. Thank you for coming, friend. (Applause.)}}</ref>

The alliance between Bush and Blair has seriously damaged Blair's standing in the eyes of many [[Briton]]s.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://politics.guardian.co.uk/foreignaffairs/story/0,,1828225,00.html |title=Stand up to US, voters tell Blair |author=Julian Glover and Ewen MacAskill |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=[[25 July]] [[2006]] |accessdate=2007-11-22 |quote=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 Tony Blair's close working relationship with President Bush.}}</ref> Blair has argued it is in Britain's interest to "protect and strengthen the bond" with the United States regardless of who is in the White House.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page6526.asp | title = PM's speech on US Elections| accessdate = 2007-05-29|date=2004-11-03| format = | work = www.number10.gov.uk| publisher = }}</ref>

===Relationship with other European nations===
Blair played a key role in extending the membership of the [[European Union]] from 15 to 27 states, and worked to ensure that [[free-market]] values were adopted.<ref>Anthony Seldon, [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6636091.stm "How will history judge Blair?"], BBC News, May 10, 2007.</ref>

Blair also forged allegiances with several conservative European leaders, including [[Silvio Berlusconi]] of [[Italy]],<ref>BBC News, [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/1873866.stm "Blair attacked over right-wing EU links"], 15 March, 2002</ref> [[Angela Merkel]] of [[Germany]]<ref>Ed Vulliamy, [http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1601234,00.html "By their friends shall we know the Sultans of Bling : Blair's relationships with Berlusconi, Bush and Murdoch have defined his premiership. Now Merkel is to join the trio"], ''The Guardian'', October 27, 2005</ref> and more recently [[Nicolas Sarkozy]] of [[France]].<ref>Martin Kettle, [http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2067442,00.html "Why Ségo and Sarko have transfixed the British left"], ''The Guardian'', April 28, 2007</ref>

===Middle East policy and links with Israel===
One of Blair's first actions in joining the Labour Party was to join [[Labour Friends of Israel]]. In 1994, a friend and former colleague of Blair at [[11 King's Bench Walk Chambers]], [[Eldred Tabachnik]], [[Q.C.]] (one time president of the [[Board of Deputies of British Jews]]) introduced Blair to [[Michael Levy, Baron Levy|Michael Levy, later Lord Levy]], a [[pop music]] mogul and major fundraiser for Jewish and Israeli causes, at a dinner party hosted by the [[Israel]]i diplomat [[Gideon Meir]].<ref name="bagman">{{cite news | url=http://politics.guardian.co.uk/funding/story/0,,1734529,00.html?gusrc=rss | title=There was once a jolly bagman | author=Euan Ferguson | publisher=Guardian|date=[[March 19]] [[2006]]}}</ref> Blair and Levy soon became close friends and [[tennis]] partners. Levy ran the Labour Leader's Office Fund to finance Blair's campaign before the 1997 General Election and received substantial contributions from such figures as [[Alex Bernstein]] and [[Robert Gavron]], both of whom were ennobled by Blair after he came to power. Levy was created a [[life peer]] by Blair in 1997, and in 2002, just prior to the Iraq War, Blair appointed Levy as his personal envoy to the [[Middle East]]. Levy has praised Blair for his "solid and committed support of the State of Israel"<ref>[http://www.jewishcare.org/events/ Jewish Care], Fundraising Dinner 2006 </ref> and has been described himself as "a leading international [[Zionist]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-2092803,00.html |title=Lord Cashpoint's touch of money magic |date=[[2006-03-19]] |last=Wavell |first=Stuart |publisher=[[The Sunday Times (UK)|The Sunday Times]] |accessdate = 2007-02-21}}</ref> In 2004, Blair was heavily criticised by 50 former diplomats, including ambassadors to [[Baghdad]] and [[Tel Aviv]] for his policy on the [[Israeli-Palestinian conflict]] and the Iraq War. They stated they had "''watched with deepening concern''" at Britain following the U.S. into war in Iraq in 2003 also stating, "''We feel the time has come to make our anxieties public, in the hope that they will be addressed in parliament and will lead to a fundamental reassessment,''" and asked Blair to exert "''real influence as a loyal ally''". The ambassadors also accused the allies of having "''no effective plan''" for the aftermath of the invasion of Iraq and the apparent disregard for the lives of Iraqi civilians. The diplomats also criticised Blair for his support for the [[Road map for peace|road map]] which included the retaining of [[Israeli settlement|settlements]] on the [[West Bank]] stating, "''Our dismay at this backward step is heightened by the fact that you yourself seem to have endorsed it, abandoning the principles which for nearly four decades have guided international efforts to restore peace in the Holy Land''".<ref>[http://politics.guardian.co.uk/foreignaffairs/story/0,11538,1203898,00.html Diplomats attack Blair's Israel policy], [[Guardian Unlimited]], [[Matthew Tempest]], [[April 26]], [[2004]]</ref>

In 2006, Blair was heavily criticised for his failure to call for a ceasefire in the [[2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict]], with members of his [[cabinet]] openly criticising Israel. [[Jack Straw (politician)|Jack Straw]], the [[Leader of the House of Commons]] and former [[Foreign Secretary]] stated that Israel's actions risked destabilising all of Lebanon. Kim Howells, a minister in the Foreign Office, stated that it was "''very difficult to understand the kind of military tactics used by Israel''", "''These are not surgical strikes but have instead caused death and misery amongst innocent civilians.''". [[The Observer]] newspaper claimed that at a cabinet meeting before Blair left for a summit with President George 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.<ref>[http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,1833538,00.html Cabinet in open revolt over Blair's Israel policy], ''[[The Observer]]'', 30 July 2006</ref>

===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.<ref name=independent-09-04-06/> Some ministers viewed Blair's announcement of policy initiatives in September 2006 as an attempt to draw attention away from these issues.<ref name=independent-09-04-06>{{cite news|title='Deluded': Extraordinary attack on Blair by Cabinet |date=[[2006-09-04]] |publisher=[[The Independent]]|url=http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article1325433.ece}}</ref> Upon his return from his holiday in [[Caribbean|the West Indies]] he announced that all the speculation about his leaving must stop. This stirred not only his traditional critics but also traditional party loyalists.

While the Blair government has introduced social policies supported by the left of the Labour Party, such as the [[minimum wage]] and measures to reduce [[Poverty|child poverty]], Blair is seen on economic and management issues as being to the right of much of the party. A possible comparison may be made with [[United States of America|American]] [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]] such as [[Joe Lieberman]], who have been accused by their party's "base" of adopting their opponents' political stances. Some critics describe Blair as a reconstructed [[neoconservative]] or [[Margaret Thatcher|Thatcherite]]. He is occasionally described as "Son of Thatcher", though [[Margaret Thatcher|Lady Thatcher]] herself rejected this identification in an interview with [[ITV1]] on the night of the [[UK general election, 2005|2005 election]], saying that in her opinion the resemblances were superficial. Blair himself has often expressed admiration for Thatcher.<ref>[http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20050213/ai_n9724446 Life without Margaret Thatcher], Didcock, Barry, ''[[The Sunday Herald]]'', [[February 13]] [[2005]]</ref>

===Approval rating===
In May 2006, ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' reported that Blair's personal approval rating had dipped to 26%, lower than [[Harold Wilson]]'s rating after devaluation of the pound and [[James Callaghan]]'s during the [[Winter of Discontent]], meaning that Blair had become the most unpopular post-war Labour Prime Minister. Of all post-war [[List of Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom|British Prime Ministers]] of both parties, only [[Margaret Thatcher]] and [[John Major]] have recorded lower approval (the former in the aftermath of the [[Poll Tax Riots]]).<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/05/10/nlab10.xml |title=Blair is most unpopular Labour PM |author=George Jones |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=[[11 May]] [[2006]] |accessdate=2007-11-22}}</ref> Previously Blair had achieved the highest approval ratings of any British Prime Minister or party leader of either party in the months following his election in 1997.<ref>{{cite news | first=Warren | last=Hoge | coauthors= | title=Blair Urges New Way for Europe's Left | date=[[1997-07-06]] | publisher= | url =http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0714FD3C580C748CDDAF0894DF494D81&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fB%2fBlair%2c%20Tony | work =New York Times | pages = | accessdate = 2007-05-17 | language = }}</ref> Two months later, in July 2006, Blair's approval rating hit a further low of 23%, the lowest rating he ever received. Blair is not however the most unpopular post-war Labour Party leader, with [[Michael Foot]] recording 13% approval in August 1982, although Foot was merely Leader of the Opposition at the time, rather than Prime Minister. No Labour leader other than Foot, whether in office or opposition, has recorded lower approval than Blair. Blair's approval rating during the final month of his premiership was 35%. Hence, he left office having experienced the extremes of being both the most popular and least popular Labour Prime Minister since the [[Second World War]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ipsos-mori.com/polls/trends/satisfac.shtml |title=Political Monitor: Satisfaction Ratings 1979-Present |author= |publisher=[[Ipsos MORI]] |date= |accessdate=2007-11-22}}</ref>

==Portrayals==
{{Cleanup-list|date=January 2008}}
* [[Michael Sheen]] has portrayed Blair twice in the films ''[[The Deal (2003 film)|The Deal]]'' (2003) and ''[[The Queen (film)|The Queen]]'' (2006).
* Tony Blair made a [[cameo appearance]] as himself in ''[[The Simpsons]]'' episode, "[[The Regina Monologues]]" (2003).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thesimpsons.com/episode_guide/1504.htm|title="The Regina Monologues"|accessdate = 2007-04-08|publisher=The Simpsons.com}}</ref>
* Blair was portrayed by [[Robert Lindsay (actor)|Robert Lindsay]] in ''A Very Social Secretary'' who reprised the role in ''[[The Trial of Tony Blair]]''.
* Blair is recognisable as the Bible-reading Prime Minister, receiving inspiration directly from [[God]], in [[A. N. Wilson]]'s satirical novel, ''[[My Name is Legion (novel)|My Name is Legion]]''.
* During Blair's tenure as Prime Minister, the ''[[St. Albion Parish News]]'' was a regular feature in the magazine [[Private Eye]], containing the messages of the incumbent "Rev. A. R. P. Blair MA (Oxon)", and his diatribes against (amongst others) the [[parish]] treasurer, Mr. Brown.
* The climax of [[Alistair Beaton]]'s satirical play on [[political spin]],'' 'Feelgood' '', is a Blair-like speech given by a Blair lookalike, using typical Blair gestures.
* On [[March 16]] [[2007]], Blair made a cameo appearance as himself in a comedy sketch with [[Catherine Tate]] who appeared in the guise of her character [[Lauren Cooper]] from ''[[The Catherine Tate Show]]''. The sketch was made for the [[BBC]] [[Red Nose Day]] fundraising programme of 2007. During the sketch, Blair used Lauren's most famous catchphrase "Am I bovvered?".<ref>"[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/03/22/ntate121.xml Catherine Tate hails Blair's comic skills]". ''The Telegraph''. Retrieved on [[2007-06-04]].</ref>
* Tony Blair made a [[cameo appearance]] as himself at the end of the first episode of [[The Amazing Mrs. Pritchard]].
* His appearance in fiction has been discussed in ''[[The Guardian]]''.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://books.guardian.co.uk/departments/politicsphilosophyandsociety/story/0,,2046562,00.html | title=The Fatal Flaw | author=Blake Morrison | publisher=Guardian|date=[[March 31]] [[2007]]}}</ref>

==Titles and honours==
===Styles from birth===
* Anthony Charles Lynton Blair, (1953&ndash;1983)
* Anthony Charles Lynton Blair, [[Esquire#United Kingdom|Esq]], MP (1983&ndash;1994)
* [[The Right Honourable|The Rt Hon]] Anthony Charles Lynton Blair, MP (1994&ndash;2007)
* The Rt Hon Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (2007&ndash;)

===Honours===
* [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Councillor]] (1994)
* [[Congressional Gold Medal]]<ref> http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/house_history/goldMedal.html(1993)</ref>

{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=Unknown}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[HM Treasury|Shadow Treasury Spokesperson]]|years=Date unknown &ndash; 1987}}
{{s-aft|after=Unknown}}
{{s-bef|before=Unknown}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Department of Trade and Industry|Shadow Trade Minister]]|years=1987 &ndash; 1988}}
{{s-aft|after=Unknown}}
{{s-bef|before=[[John Prescott]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Shadow Secretary of State for Energy|Shadow Energy Secretary]]|years=1988 &ndash; 1989}}
{{s-aft|rows=2|after=[[Frank Dobson]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Michael Meacher]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Department for Work and Pensions|Shadow Employment Secretary]]|years=1989 &ndash; 1992}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Roy Hattersley]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Shadow Home Secretary]]|years=1992 &ndash; 1994}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Jack Straw (politician)|Jack Straw]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Margaret Beckett]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom)|Leader of the Opposition]]|years=1994 &ndash; 1997}}
{{s-aft|after=[[John Major]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[John Major]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]]|years=2 May 1997 – 27 June 2007}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Gordon Brown]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Bill Clinton]]'''<br /><small>''[[United States]]''</small>}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Chair of the G8]]|years=1998}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Gerhard Schröder]]'''<br /><small>''[[Germany]]''</small>}}
{{s-bef|before=[[George W. Bush]]'''<br /><small>''[[United States]]''</small>}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Chair of the G8]]|years=2005}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Vladimir Putin]]'''<br /><small>''[[Russia]]''</small>}}
{{s-par|uk}}
{{s-bef|before=''(constituency re-created)''}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Member of Parliament]] for [[Sedgefield (UK Parliament constituency)|Sedgefield]]|years=[[United Kingdom general election, 1983|9 June 1983]] &ndash; [[Sedgefield by-election, 2007|27 June 2007]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Phil Wilson (politician)|Phil Wilson]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Terry Davis (politician)|Terry Davis]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Stewards of the Chiltern Hundreds|Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds]]|years=[[27 June]] [[2007]] &ndash; [[present]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Incumbent]]}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Margaret Beckett]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Labour Party (UK)#Leaders of the Labour Party|Labour Party (UK)]]|years= [[21 July]] [[1994]] &ndash; [[27 June]] [[2007]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Gordon Brown]]}}
{{end}}

==Works==
* Blair, Tony (2002). ''The Courage of Our Convictions'' [[Fabian Society]], ISBN 0-7163-0603-4
* Blair, Tony (2000). ''Superpower: Not Superstate? (Federal Trust European Essays)'' Federal Trust for Education & Research, ISBN 1-903403-25-1
* Blair, Tony (1998). ''The Third Way: New Politics for the New Century'' [[Fabian Society]], ISBN 0-7163-0588-7
* Blair, Tony (1998). ''Leading the Way: New Vision for Local Government'' [[Institute for Public Policy Research]], ISBN 1-86030-075-8
* Blair, Tony (1997). ''New Britain: My Vision of a Young Country'' [[Basic Books]], ISBN 0-8133-3338-5
* Blair, Tony (1995). ''Let Us Face the Future'' [[Fabian Society]], ISBN 0-7163-0571-2
* Blair, Tony (1994). ''What Price Safe Society?'' [[Fabian Society]], ISBN 0-7163-0562-3
* Blair, Tony (1994). ''Socialism'' [[Fabian Society]], ISBN 0-7163-0565-8

==See also==
* [[Tony Blair's Cabinets]]
* [[Blairite]]
* [[Blair Brown Deal]]
* [[Cash for Peerages|'Cash for Honours' scandal]]
* [[Impeach Blair campaign]]
* [[Labour Party (UK) leadership election, 2007|Labour Party leadership election, 2007]]
* [[Politics of the United Kingdom]]
* [[The Queen (film)]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|last=Abse|first=Leo|authorlink=Leo Abse|year=2001|title=Tony Blair: The Man Behind the Smile|publisher=Robson Books|isbn=1-86105-364-9}}
* {{cite book|author=Beckett, F. & Hencke, D.|year=2004|title=The Blairs and Their Court|publisher=Aurum Press|isbn=1-84513-024-3}}
* {{cite book|author=———|year=2003|title=Tony Blair: The Man Who Lost His Smile|publisher=Robson Books|isbn=1-86105-698-2}}
* {{cite book|last=Blair|first=Tony|editor=(ed.) [[Iain Dale]]|year=1998|title=The Blair Necessities: Tony Blair Book of Quotations|publisher=Robson Books|isbn=1-86105-139-5}}
* {{cite book|author=———|editor=(ed.) [[Paul Richards (politician)|Paul Richards]]|year=2004|title=Tony Blair: In His Own Words|publisher=Politico's Publishing|isbn=1-84275-089-5}}
* {{cite book|last=Gould|first=Philip|authorlink=Philip Gould|year=1999|title=The Unfinished Revolution: How the Modernisers Saved the Labour Party|publisher=Abacus|isbn=0-349-11177-4}}
* {{cite book|last=Naughtie|first=James|authorlink=James Naughtie|year=2001|title=The Rivals: The Intimate Story of a Political Marriage|publisher=Fourth Estate|isbn=1-84115-473-3}}
* {{cite book|author=———|year=2004|title=The Accidental American: Tony Blair and the Presidency|publisher=Macmillan|isbn=1-4050-5001-2}}
* {{cite book|last=Rawnsley|first=Andrew|authorlink=Andrew Rawnsley|year=2000|title=Servants of the People: The Inside Story of New Labour|publisher=Hamish Hamilton|isbn=0-241-14029-3}}
* {{cite book|author=———|year=2001|title=Servants of the People: The Inside Story of New Labour|edition=2nd edition|publisher=Penguin Books|isbn=0-14-027850-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Rentoul|first=John|year=2001|title=Tony Blair: Prime Minister|publisher=Little Brown|isbn=0-316-85496-4}}
* {{cite book|last=Riddell|first=Peter|authorlink=Peter Riddell|year=2004|title=The Unfulfilled Prime Minister: Tony Blair and the End of Optimism|publisher=Politico's Publishing|isbn=1-84275-113-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Seldon|first=Anthony|authorlink=Anthony Seldon|year=2004|title=Blair|publisher=Free Press|isbn=0-7432-3211-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Short|first=Clare|authorlink=Clare Short|year=2004|title=An Honourable Deception? New Labour, Iraq, and the Misuse of Power|publisher=Free Press|isbn=0-7432-6392-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Stephens|first=Philip|year=2004|title=Tony Blair: The Making of a World Leader|publisher=Viking Books|isbn=0-670-03300-6}}

==Miscellany==
* Blair, T. (2004). "Blair, The Right Hon. A. C. L." from ''Who's Who'', 156th ed., London: [[A & C Black]].
* [[Halsbury's Laws of England]] (2004), reference to impeachment in volume on [[Constitutional law|Constitutional Law]] and [[Human rights|Human Rights]], paragraph 416
* ''[[The Queen (film)|The Queen]]'' (2006 film)

==External links==
{{Sisterlinks|Tony Blair}}
* [http://www.tonyblairoffice.org Tony Blair's post-Downing Street official website]
* [http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page8849.asp A Day in the Life] an on-line documentary by Tony Blair on life as Prime Minister
* [http://www.mattwardman.com/blog/2007/05/10/tony-blairs-speech-i-will-be-leaving-on-27-june-2007/ Tony Blair’s Resignation Speech] Audio and Transcript of Tony Blair’s Resignation Speech at Trimdon Labour Club on 10 May 2007
* [http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1618974,00.html Tony Blair A Decade in Power] Photo Gallery from Time.com
* {{imdb name|id=0086363|name=Tony Blair}}
* {{wayback|http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/page4.asp|pm.gov.uk "Tony Blair - Biography"}}
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6625869.stm The Blair Years—Timeline]
* [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,9290,-463,00.html ''Guardian Unlimited Politics'' - Ask Aristotle: Tony Blair MP]
* [http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/tony_blair/sedgefield TheyWorkForYou.com—Tony Blair MP]
* [http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpn=Tony_Blair&mpc=Sedgefield The Public Whip—Tony Blair MP] voting record
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/uk_politics/2007/blair_years/default.stm BBC News: Special Report - The Blair years 1997-2007]
* [http://www.uksbd.co.uk Triple A Accessible version of Tony Blair's resignation speech]
* [http://www.tony-blair.org Tony Blair Online] A website providing news, info, pictures etc on Tony Blair.
* Tony Blair's keynote speech at [[Policy Network]] conference [http://www.policy-network.net/events/index.aspx?id=554 'Britain and Europe in the Global Age'], 2007
* [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/simon_jenkins/article1875599.ece Blair reinvented the Middle Ages and called it liberal intervention], Simon Jenkins in [[The Sunday Times]] on Blair's legacy
* [[Hansard]] - [http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmhansrd/cm070627/debtext/70627-0002.htm#column_323 Prime Ministers Question Time, June 27 2007] – Official transcript of Tony Blair's final appearance in the Commons containing a mix of day to day business, tributes, quips and light hearted put downs.
* [http://www.innercitypress.com/unblairchase011008.html "Tony Blair's UN Role May Conflict with New Job with JP Morgan Chase"] by Matthew Russell Lee, Inner City Press, January 10, 2008

{{Tony Blair}}
{{UKPrimeMinisters}}
{{UK Labour Party Leaders}}
{{Quartet on the Middle East}}
{{Commission for Africa}}
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Revision as of 18:57, 4 February 2008

"I love bumsex" said Tony Blair, aged 43002.

Retrieved from "https://wiki.riteme.site/w/index.php?title=Tony_Blair&oldid=189077283"