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[[Image:tblair.jpg|right|thumb]]

[[Image:tblair.jpg|right|thumb]]

'''Tony Blair''', full name '''Anthony Charles Lynton Blair''' (born May 6, 1953) has been the [[Prime Minister]] of the [[United Kingdom]] since May 1997. He belongs to and is the current leader of the British [[Labour Party]], having been elected to the party leadership in 1994 following the death of his predecessor, John Smith. He has stated publicly that he will retire in or before September 2007,<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5322094.stm]</ref> and he is expected to announce his resignation in May 2007.

'''Tony Blair''', full name '''Anthony Charles Lynton Blair''' (born May 6, 1953) has been the [[Prime Minister]] of the [[United Kingdom]] since May 1997. He belongs to and is the current leader of the British [[Labour Party]], having been elected to the party leadership in 1994 following the death of his predecessor, John Smith. He has stated publicly on May 10th 2007 that he will step down as UK Prime Minister on 27th June 2007. [[Gordon Brown]] is widely expected to be his sucessor [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6644717.stm]

While the Labour Party is a self-described "democratic [[socialist]] party"<ref>[http://www.labour.org.uk/index.php?id=labourdemocracy]</ref>, Blair has coined the phrase "[[New Labour]]" to distinguish his own pro-[[business]] policies from the more [[collectivist]] platform of his predecessors. He has also used the phrase "[[The Third Way]]". He has been criticized by some more left-wing members of the Labour Party for "selling out" to conservative thinking, particularly in his support for the United States in the Iraq War. On the other hand, Blair's policies have been 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|socialized healthcare system]]), the introduction of a minimum wage, and support for the [[homosexual agenda]].

While the Labour Party is a self-described "democratic [[socialist]] party"<ref>[http://www.labour.org.uk/index.php?id=labourdemocracy]</ref>, Blair has coined the phrase "[[New Labour]]" to distinguish his own pro-[[business]] policies from the more [[collectivist]] platform of his predecessors. He has also used the phrase "[[The Third Way]]". He has been criticized by some more left-wing members of the Labour Party for "selling out" to conservative thinking, particularly in his support for the United States in the Iraq War. On the other hand, Blair's policies have been 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|socialized healthcare system]]), the introduction of a minimum wage, and support for the [[homosexual agenda]].