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|term_start=May 2 , 1997|term_end=June 24 27, 2007

|birth_date=May 6 , 1953

'''Anthony Charles Lynton Blair''', more commonly known as '''"Tony " Blair''', (born May 6, 1953) is a former [[Prime Minister]] of the [[United Kingdom]]. The [[Labour Party]]'s longest-serving Prime Minister, he served from May 2, 1997 to June 27, 2007, succeeding the Conservative Party's [[John Major]] and preceding [[Gordon Brown]]. Blair is also the only person to have led the Labour Party to three consecutive general election victories, and the only Labour Prime Minister to serve more than one full consecutive term.

He was elected Though committed to the Labour Party leadership in 1994 following the unexpected death of his predecessor[[globalism]], John Smith. As well as being leader Blair abandoned some of the most [[far-left]] ideas in the Labour Party and endorsed the [[free market]] solutions promulgated by [[Conservative Party]] Prime Minister[[Margaret Thatcher]]. In the 1980s, Blair also served as a close ally of the United States under [[Member of Parliament|MPBill Clinton]] and [[George W. Bush]] for Sedgefield, a constituency in Blair strongly endorsed the invasion of [[County DurhamIraq]] in north-east England2003. The decline of [[London]] from its preeminence as the center of the [[British Empire]] occurred largely under Blair's push for globalism.

While the Labour Party is a self-described "democratic, [[socialist]] party"<ref>[http://www.labour.org.uk/how_we_work Labour: How we work]</ref>, Blair coined the phrases "'s [[New LabourChristian]]" and "[[The Third Wayfaith]]" to distinguish his own pro-[[business]] policies from the more [[collectivist]] platform of his predecessors. He was criticized is downplayed by some more left-wing members of the Labour Party for "selling out" to conservative thinking, particularly in his support for the [[United Statesatheist]] ic culture in the [[Iraq War]]. On the other hand, Blair's policies were decidedly [[liberal]] by American standards: they have included increases in taxation, increases in government spending (particularly on public schools and Britain's [[National Health Service|public healthcare system]]), the introduction and subsequent increases of a minimum wage, and support for equal rights for gay people.

The son of a barrister and lecturer Leo Blairand his wife Hazel, Tony Blair was born in [[Edinburgh]], but spent most of his childhood in Durham. Blair has an older brother, Sir William, and a younger sister, Sarah. At the age of 14 he returned to Edinburgh to finish his education at Fettes College. Blair was known as a cheeky, rebellious, and argumentative schoolboy, and at 17 he was threatened with expulsion for persistently breaking school rules.<ref name="bbc">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6506365.stm The Tony Blair Story] BBC News 10 May 2007</ref>. After leaving Fettes with three A levels he studied law at [[Oxford University]], and went on to become a barrister (Lincoln's Inn) himself, before entering politics. Blair married his wife, [[Liverpool]]-born Cherie Booth QC , a barrister and daughter of the actor Tony Booth, in 1980, and they have four children.

Blair is a competent guitar player and at university was a member of a rock band called Ugly Rumours. His favourite music includes [[The Beatles]], [[The Rolling Stones]], [[Led Zeppelin]], [[Free (band)|Free]], [[Bruce Springsteen]], [[U2]], [[Coldplay]], [[The Foo Fighters]], and [[Simply Red]].<ref name="bbc" />

While Blair rarely discusses his religious [[faith ]] in public - and had been advised by his spokesman Alistair Campbell that "<i>We don't do [[God]], Mate</i>mate" <ref>[httphttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2003/05/05/dl0501.xml A Question of Faith] Daily Telegraph 5 May 2003</ref> - he is a convinced claimed Christian<!--This needs to be examined: I think that he was criticized more because he often acted hypocritically, choosing to portray himself as a religious man only when it suited his political diary, a fact for which he is often criticised or mocked by British commentators-->. His wife Cherie is a [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] and Blair converted to Catholicism in 2007.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7157409.stm Tony Blair joins Catholic Church] BBC News 22 December 2007</ref> ==Career==He was elected to the Labour Party leadership in 1994 following the unexpected death of his predecessor, John Smith. As well as being leader of the Labour Party and Prime Minister, Blair also served as the [[Member of Parliament|MP]] for Sedgefield, a constituency in [[County Durham]] in northeast England.

A combination of While the Labour Party's new-found moderation, Blair's personal popularity and still carries the deep unpopularity old tag of the Conservatives under [[John Major]] resulted in a landslide victory for "socialist party", Blair eradicated most elements of socialism and committed his party in government to capitalism and private ownership. Blair coined the 1997 general phrases "[[electionNew Labour]], ending 18 years of " and "[[ConservativeThe Third Way]] government. Labour easily won re" to distinguish his own pro-election in 2001 and in 2005, although with losses. In December 2006, Blair became business policies from the first active Prime Minister to be interviewed in a police investigation, <ref>[http://newsmore collectivist platform of his leftist predecessors.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/6292033.stm Honours police quizzed McConnell] BBC News 23 January 2007</ref> and again in January 2007<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6320399.stm Blair interviewed again He was often attacked by police] BBC News 1 February 2007</ref>, over allegations he had illegally ''nominated'' donors to left-wing members of the Labour Party for peerages - the so called "Cash for Honoursselling out" scandal. The government stressed that he was being interviewed only as a witness howeverto conservative thinking, particularly in his support for privatisation and cooperating closely in the nominations foreign policy of the money lenders were rejected by United States in the independent appointments' commission[[Iraq War]].<ref name="bbc" /> However On the allegations other hand, some of Blair's policies were a popular story liberal by American standards: they have included increases in the mediataxation, increases in government spending (particularly on public schools and dogged his final months in office. Tony Blair was superseded by Britain's [[Gordon BrownNational Health Service|public healthcare system]] as Prime Minister of ), the United Kingdom in June 2007introduction and subsequent increases of a minimum wage, and support for equal rights for homosexuals.

During The most controversial aspects of Blair's tenure as Prime Minister, premiership was his unstinting support for the [[Labour party|LabourIraq war]] government made the Bank of England independent, allowing them to set despite strong opposition from the nation's interest rates (which had previously been set by the Chancellor of the Exchequer), and has introduced a national [[minimum wage]], in 1998, which has gradually been increased over timefar left. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have gained their own legislatures, and limited attempts have been made to devolve power to He won the regions endorsement of England (although outside majorities of [[London]] these have not been successful). Blair's government has also banned fox-hunting, cigarette smoking in public places and public demonstrations within 1 kilometre of Parliament, as well as preparing both the way for a national identity card Labour Party and increased the time that suspects can be held in police custody without charge to 28 days. His government was also notable for legislating an equal age of consent for homosexuals, civil partnership laws, and the abolition of Clause 28 (a measure introduced by the previous Conservative administration which prohibited the promotion of homosexuality in schools). One of the most controversial aspects of BlairParty MP's premiership was been for his commitment to and support of the policies in Iraq war, which strongly divided opinion, both in Parliament and among the British people. His strong support of America and President foreign policy is often described as [[George W. Bushneoconservative]] in particular have set him apart from most European leaders, especially with the parties of the left (including his own Labour Party). This came at considerable political cost with his own popularity suffering greatly, and the Government lost considerable support in the 2005 general election as a result.

In He is also the 1990s only Prime Minister to provide his own voice in particular, Blair was seen as a charismatic leader, with formidable media performing skills. His most famous television appearance was his tribute to an episode of ''[[Diana, Princess of WalesThe Simpsons]] on the morning after her death in August 1997'', in which he described her as the episode "<i>the People's Princess</i>'The Regina Monologues''" and "<i>the Queen of Hearts</i>". Blair has, however, acquired a reputation for excessive news management, and even for dishonesty, particularly after the Iraq War.

He is also the only Prime Minister to provide his own voice in an episode == Presidential Medal of ''[[The Simpsons]]'', in the episode "<i>The Regina Monologues</i>".Freedom ==