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|image=Tblair.jpg

|image=Tblair.jpg

|seq=73

|seq=73

|term_start=May 2 1997

|term_start=May 2, 1997

|term_end=June 24 2007

|term_end=June 27, 2007

|previous=John Major

|previous=John Major

|party=Labour Party

|party=Labour Party

|next=Gordon Brown

|next=Gordon Brown

|birth_date=May 6 1953

|birth_date=May 6, 1953

|birth_place=Edinburgh

|birth_place=Edinburgh

|death_date=

|death_date=

|death_place=

|death_place=

|spouse=[[Cherie Blair|Cherie Booth]]

|spouse=[[Cherie Blair|Cherie Booth]]

|religion=[[Roman Catholic]]

|religion=[[Roman Catholic]]

}}

}}

'''Anthony Charles Lynton "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.  Over the protest of the Old Left he abandoned most of the leftover leftist ideas in the Labour Party, endorsed the market solutions promulgated by [[Conservative Party]] Prime Minister [[Margaret Thatcher]] in the 1980s, and, as a close ally of the United States under [[Bill Clinton]] and [[George W. Bush]], he strongly endorsed the invasion of Iraq in 2003.  

'''Anthony Charles Lynton "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.  Over the protest of the Old Left he abandoned most of the leftover leftist ideas in the Labour Party, endorsed the market solutions promulgated by [[Conservative Party]] Prime Minister [[Margaret Thatcher]] in the 1980s, and, as a close ally of the United States under [[Bill Clinton]] and [[George W. Bush]], he strongly endorsed the invasion of Iraq in 2003.  

== Personal ==

== Personal ==

The son of barrister and lecturer Leo Blair and 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.

The son of barrister and lecturer Leo Blair and 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.

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>" <ref>[http://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 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 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>

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>" <ref>[http://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 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 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==

==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.

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.

==Blair's political career==

==Blair's political career==

A combination of the Labour Party's newfound moderation, Blair's personal popularity and the deep unpopularity of the Conservatives under [[John Major]] resulted in a landslide victory for Blair and his party in the 1997 general election, ending 18 years of Conservative government. Blair led Labour to easy triumphs in the 2001 and 2005 elections.  

A combination of the Labour Party's newfound moderation, Blair's personal popularity and the deep unpopularity of the Conservatives under [[John Major]] resulted in a landslide victory for Blair and his party in the 1997 general election, ending 18 years of Conservative government. Blair led Labour to easy triumphs in the 2001 and 2005 elections.  

==Blair's policies==

==Blair's policies==

During Blair's tenure as Prime Minister, the [[Labour party|Labour]] government made the Bank of England independent, allowing them to set the nation's interest rates (which had previously been set by the Chancellor of the Exchequer), and introduced a national [[minimum wage]] in 1998, which has gradually been increased over time. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland gained their own legislatures, and limited attempts were been made to devolve power to the regions of England (although outside of [[London]] these were not successful). Blair's government also banned fox-hunting, cigarette smoking in public places and public demonstrations within 1 kilometre of Parliament, as well as prepared the way for a national identity card and increased the time 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 [[Section 28]] (a measure introduced by the previous Conservative administration which prohibited the promotion of homosexuality in schools).

During Blair's tenure as Prime Minister, the [[Labour party|Labour]] government made the Bank of England independent, allowing them to set the nation's interest rates (which had previously been set by the Chancellor of the Exchequer), and introduced a national [[minimum wage]] in 1998, which has gradually been increased over time. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland gained their own legislatures, and limited attempts were been made to devolve power to the regions of England (although outside of [[London]] these were not successful). Blair's government also banned fox-hunting, cigarette smoking in public places and public demonstrations within 1 kilometre of Parliament, as well as prepared the way for a national identity card and increased the time 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 [[Section 28]] (a measure introduced by the previous Conservative administration which prohibited the promotion of homosexuality in schools).

==Blair and the media==

==Blair and the media==

In the 1990s in particular, Blair was seen as a charismatic leader, with formidable media performing skills. His most famous television appearance was his tribute to [[Diana, Princess of Wales]] on the morning after her death in August 1997, in which he described her as "<i>the People's Princess</i>" and "<i>the Queen of Hearts</i>". Blair acquired a reputation for excessive news management, and even for dishonesty, particularly after the Iraq War.

In the 1990s in particular, Blair was seen as a charismatic leader, with formidable media performing skills. His most famous television appearance was his tribute to [[Diana, Princess of Wales]] on the morning after her death in August 1997, in which he described her as "<i>the People's Princess</i>" and "<i>the Queen of Hearts</i>". Blair acquired a reputation for excessive news management, and even for dishonesty, particularly after the Iraq War.

==See Also==

==See Also==

* [[British politics]]

* [[British politics]]

* [[Labour Party]]

* [[Labour Party]]

===Memoirs===

===Memoirs===

*Campbell, Alastair (2007) ''The Blair Years: The Alastair Campbell Diaries.'' Knopf, ISBN 0307268314. By the controversial Press Secretary to Tony Blair.  

*Campbell, Alastair (2007) ''The Blair Years: The Alastair Campbell Diaries.'' Knopf, ISBN 0307268314. By the controversial Press Secretary to Tony Blair.  

*Gould, Philip (1999) ''The Unfinished Revolution: How the Modernisers Saved the Labour Party.'' Abacus, ISBN 0-349-11177-4.  

*Gould, Philip (1999) ''The Unfinished Revolution: How the Modernisers Saved the Labour Party.'' Abacus, ISBN 0-349-11177-4.

==External links==

==External links==

* [http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9149782  ''The Economist'' "Tony Blair: How will history judge him?" leader published May 10th 2007  online]

* [http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9149782  ''The Economist'' "Tony Blair: How will history judge him?" leader published May 10th 2007  online]