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Tony Blair
Tony Blair | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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![]() Blair in 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 2 May 1997 – 27 June 2007 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Monarch | Elizabeth II | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Deputy | John Prescott | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | John Major | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Gordon Brown | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Leader of the Opposition | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 21 July 1994 – 2 May 1997 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Monarch | Elizabeth II | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | John Major | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Deputy | John Prescott | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Margaret Beckett | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | John Major | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Leader of the Labour Party | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 21 July 1994 – 24 June 2007 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Deputy | John Prescott | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
General Secretary | Tom Sawyer Margaret McDonagh David Triesman Matt Carter Peter Watt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chairman | Charles Clarke John Reid Ian McCartney Hazel Blears | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | John Smith | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Gordon Brown | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Member of Parliament for Sedgefield | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 9 June 1983 – 27 June 2007 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Constituency created[nb] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Phil Wilson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Anthony Charles Lynton Blair 6 May 1953 Edinburgh, Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Political party | Labour | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Spouse(s) | Cherie Booth (m. 1980–present) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Children | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Parents | Leo Blair (father) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Relatives | William Blair (brother) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Education | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alma mater | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Website | Institute for Global Change | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
n.b. ^ |
Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007. He was Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007 and Member of Parliament (MP) for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007. On the day he stood down as Prime Minister and MP, he was made official Envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East on behalf of the United Nations, the European Union, the United States and Russia.[1]
Blair was elected Leader of the Labour Party in the 1994 leadership election following the sudden death of his predecessor, John Smith. Under Blair's leadership the party abandoned many policies it had held for decades. Labour won a landslide victory in the 1997 general election, which ended 18 years of Conservative rule with the heaviest Conservative defeat since 1832.[2]
He was the Labour Party's longest-serving Prime Minister and the only leader to have taken the party to three uninterrupted general election victories.
Gordon Brown, Chancellor of the Exchequer during all Blair's ten years in office, succeeded him as party leader and Prime Minister in 2007.[3]
Early life
Blair was born at Queen Mary Maternity Home in Edinburgh on 6 May 1953. He was the second son of Leo and Hazel Blair. Blair joined the Labour Party in 1975.
Career
Blair was a lawyer before becoming a politician. He married Cherie Booth, also a lawyer, who graduated from the London School of Economics with a first-class honours degree. Blair himself left Oxford University with a second-class degree. They have four children: Euan, Nicky, Kathryn, and Leo. There was a controversy over Blair sending Euan to a grant-maintained school. As a result of this, Alastair Campbell discovered Blair "standing stark naked reading the Daily Mail."[4]
As Prime Minister
As Leader of the Labour Party, he won the 1997, 2001 and 2005 UK general elections. Blair is the first and only Labour Party leader to have won three general elections in a row.[5]
He attributes his success in politics to a pair of "lucky brogues", which he wore for every single Prime Minister's Questions of his leadership. He claimed that "cheap shoes are a false economy".[6]
After-PM
On the day of his resignation, Blair was made an official envoy in the Middle East. In 2004, he started the Commission for Africa.[7] He continued work as a commissioner after his service as Prime Minister ended.[8]
References
- ↑ "Blair becomes Middle East envoy". BBC News (BBC). 27 June 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6244358.stm. Retrieved 2007-06-27.
- ↑ Kingdom, John (April 2003). Government and Politics in Britain: An Introduction (3rd edition ed.). Polity Press. pp. 299. .
- ↑ "Brown is UK's new prime minister". BBC News (BBC). 27 June 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6245682.stm. Retrieved 2007-06-27.
- ↑ "The Best Bits in the Blair Years". TimesOnline. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/the_blair_years/article2059918.ece. Retrieved 5 December 2009.
- ↑ "History of the Labour Party". http://www.labour.org.uk/historyofthelabourparty3.
- ↑ "The Secret of His Success? A Pair of Lucky Brogues". TimesOnline. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/the_blair_years/article1969242.ece. Retrieved 5 December 2009.Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Category handler/data' not found.Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Category handler/data' not found.[dead link]
- ↑ "Commission for Africa | Action for a strong and prosperous Africa". http://www.commissionforafrica.info/.
- ↑ "Commissioners | Commission for Africa". http://www.commissionforafrica.info/commissioners.
Other websites
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Quotations related to Tony Blair at Wikiquote
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