Tony's Cronies

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Some people appointed to positions of power by Tony Blair were called "Tony's Cronies".
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"Tony's Cronies" was a term in British politics and media given to people who were viewed as being given positions of power because of their personal friendships with

Conservative Party after the 1997 United Kingdom general election
and was continually used in the media throughout Blair's premiership.

History

The term originated after the 1997 United Kingdom general election when the Conservative Party referred to people awarded positions of power by Tony Blair as "Tony's Cronies", as the

Charlie Falconer, was appointed as a peer, sat on 14 Cabinet sub-committees and later joined the Cabinet.[4]

House of Lords

During his first term of office, Blair created 203

people's peers" to be created, independent of political influence, which was viewed in the media as a way to balance against "Tony's Cronies".[9]

Despite the House of Lords Act removing many Conservative Peers, the Conservatives still held a plurality in that body, leading Blair to appoint additional peers; in 2004 alone he made 23 new appointments.

chief whip, Pete Wishart, as a "typical Establishment fix".[13]

Other positions

The accusations of

Ian Davidson, saying that it was "... seen as arrogance by New Labour, bringing in a crony of the Prime Minister who is deeply unpopular in the Labour Party."[15]

Raising the spectre of "Tony's Cronies" became a standard method of attacking Blair.[16]

In 2007, Blair resigned and Gordon Brown took over the position of Prime Minister. Brown started to remove most of those who were seen as "Tony's Cronies" from the Cabinet. However, there were reports of Labour MPs trying to gain favour with Brown after he appointed his former press secretary, Ian Austin, as his Parliamentary Private Secretary.[17]

Legacy

After Blair left office, people who had been given positions by Brown after he had become Prime Minister were referred to as "Brown-nosers".[17] In 2010, when the Conservatives formed a new government in coalition with the Liberal Democrats after the 2010 general election, the new Prime Minister David Cameron faced similar accusations to Blair when he was perceived as rewarding with life peerages those who had assisted him. These people were referred to as "Dave's Faves", an intended allusion to "Tony's Cronies".[18]

References

  1. ^ a b "The new establishment: Tony's cronies?". The Economist. 5 August 1999. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  2. ^ a b Reynolds, Nigel (19 February 2002). "New crony claims rejected by Labour". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  3. ^ "Tony's cronies: the inner circle of power". The Guardian. 5 January 1999. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  4. ^ "UK | Lordly heights for Blair's friend". BBC News. 12 June 2003. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  5. ^ Jones, George (5 August 2000). "Life in the Lords is too tough says Labour peer". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  6. ^ "House of Commons Hansard Debates for 24 Nov 1998 (pt 5)". Hansard. 24 November 1998. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  7. ^ Brown, Colin (11 November 1999). "Rearguard action against chamber of "Tony's cronies"". The Independent. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  8. ^ White, Michael (21 March 2001). "Peers toughen body to stop 'Tony's cronies' safeguard". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  9. ^ "People's peers to combat Tony's cronies". Coventry Evening Telegraph (archived at The Free Library). 20 January 1999. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  10. ^ Wintour, Patrick (1 May 2004). "Blair appointees on mission impossible to stop defeats". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  11. ^ Brogan, Benedict (1 May 2004). "Tony's cronies pack into Lords". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  12. ^ "Tony's cronies to give Labour Lords majority". London Evening Standard. 29 April 2005. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  13. ^ "Tony's cronies parachuted in as new Labour Lords". The Scotsman. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  14. ^ Brogan, Benedict (13 November 2001). "MPs investigate 'Tony's cronies'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  15. ^ "He's not crony Blair: Old pals' act; Mandy defends his new Euro job". Glasgow: Sunday Mail (The Free Library). 24 July 2004. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  16. ^ "'Cronies' charges prompt veto demand". BBC News. 10 July 2003. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  17. ^ a b Sieghart, Mary Ann (2 February 2007). "Exit Tony's cronies, but enter the Brown-nosers". The Times. Retrieved 3 May 2013. (subscription required)
  18. ^ Grice, Andrew (18 November 2010). "Tony's cronies to Dave's faves: Cameron repays some old debts". The Independent. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
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