Tony Blair
KG | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 | See list
| ||||||
Chair | |||||||
Preceded by | John Smith | ||||||
Succeeded by | Gordon Brown | ||||||
Special Envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East | |||||||
In office 27 June 2007 – 27 May 2015 | |||||||
Preceded by | James Wolfensohn | ||||||
Succeeded by | Kito de Boer | ||||||
| |||||||
Member of Parliament for Sedgefield | |||||||
In office 9 June 1983 – 27 June 2007 | |||||||
Preceded by | Constituency established[a] | ||||||
Succeeded by | Phil Wilson | ||||||
Personal details | |||||||
Born | Anthony Charles Lynton Blair 6 May 1953 Edinburgh, Scotland | ||||||
Political party | Labour | ||||||
Spouse |
Cherie Booth (m. 1980) | ||||||
Children | 4, including Euan and Nicky | ||||||
Parent |
| ||||||
Relatives | William Blair (brother) | ||||||
Education | |||||||
Alma mater | St John's College, Oxford (BA) | ||||||
Signature | |||||||
Website | Institute for Global Change | ||||||
| ||
---|---|---|
Leader of the Opposition
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Policies
Appointments
First ministry and term
Second ministry and term
Third ministry and term
Post–Prime Minister
|
||
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair
Blair attended the independent school
Blair became the
Blair was
At various points in his premiership, Blair was among both the most popular and most unpopular politicians in British history. As prime minister, he achieved the highest recorded approval ratings during his first few years in office but also one of the lowest ratings during and after the Iraq War.[1][2][3][4]
Early years
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair was born on 6 May 1953 at Queen Mary Maternity Home in Edinburgh, Scotland.[5][6][7][8] He was the second son of Leo and Hazel (née Corscadden) Blair.[9] Leo Blair was the illegitimate son of two entertainers and was adopted as a baby by the Glasgow shipyard worker James Blair and his wife, Mary.[10] Hazel Corscadden was the daughter of George Corscadden, a butcher and Orangeman who moved to Glasgow in 1916. In 1923, he returned to (and later died in) Ballyshannon, County Donegal, in Ulster. In Ballyshannon, Corscadden's wife, Sarah Margaret (née Lipsett), gave birth above the family's grocery shop to Blair's mother, Hazel.[11][12]
Blair has an elder brother, William, and a younger sister, Sarah. Blair's first home was with his family at Paisley Terrace in the Willowbrae area of Edinburgh. During this period, his father worked as a junior tax inspector whilst studying for a law degree from the University of Edinburgh.[5]
Blair's first relocation was when he was nineteen months old. At the end of 1954, Blair's parents and their two sons moved from Paisley Terrace to Adelaide, South Australia.[13] His father lectured in law at the University of Adelaide.[14] In Australia, Blair's sister, Sarah, was born. The Blairs lived in the suburb of Dulwich close to the university. The family returned to the United Kingdom in mid-1958. They lived for a time with Hazel's mother and stepfather (William McClay) at their home in Stepps on the outskirts of north-east Glasgow. Blair's father accepted a job as a lecturer at Durham University, and moved the family to Durham, England, when Blair was five. It was the beginning of a long association Blair was to have with Durham.[13]
Since childhood, Blair has been a fan of
Education and legal career
With his parents basing their family in Durham, Blair attended the Chorister School from 1961 to 1966.[18] Aged 13, he was sent to spend his school term-time boarding at Fettes College in Edinburgh from 1966 to 1971.[19] According to Blair, he hated his time at Fettes.[20] His teachers were unimpressed with him; his biographer, John Rentoul, reported that "[a]ll the teachers I spoke to when researching the book said he was a complete pain in the backside and they were very glad to see the back of him."[19] Blair reportedly modelled himself on Mick Jagger, lead singer of the Rolling Stones.[21] Leaving Fettes College at the age of 18, Blair next spent a gap year in London working as a rock music promoter.[22]
In 1972, at the age of 19, Blair matriculated at
In 1975, while Blair was at Oxford, his mother Hazel died aged 52 of thyroid cancer, which greatly affected him.[31][32]
After Oxford, Blair served his barrister pupillage at
Early political career
Blair joined the
In 1982, Blair was selected as the Labour Party candidate for the safe Conservative seat of
There is an arrogance and self-righteousness about many of the groups on the far left which is deeply unattractive to the ordinary would-be member ... There's too much mixing only with people [with] whom they agree.[37]
With a general election due, Blair had not been selected as a candidate anywhere. He was invited to stand again in Beaconsfield, and was initially inclined to agree but was advised by his head of chambers Derry Irvine to find somewhere else which might be winnable.[39] The situation was complicated by the fact that Labour was fighting a legal action against planned boundary changes, and had selected candidates on the basis of previous boundaries. When the legal challenge failed, the party had to rerun all selections on the new boundaries; most were based on existing seats, but unusually in County Durham a new Sedgefield constituency had been created out of Labour-voting areas which had no obvious predecessor seat.[40]
The selection for Sedgefield did not begin until after the 1983 general election was called. Blair's initial inquiries discovered that the left was trying to arrange the selection for Les Huckfield, sitting MP for Nuneaton who was trying elsewhere; several sitting MPs displaced by boundary changes were also interested in it. When he discovered the Trimdon branch had not yet made a nomination, Blair visited them and won the support of the branch secretary John Burton, and with Burton's help was nominated by the branch. At the last minute, he was added to the shortlist and won the selection over Huckfield. It was the last candidate selection made by Labour before the election, and was made after the Labour Party had issued biographies of all its candidates ("Labour's Election Who's Who").[41]
John Burton became Blair's
In his maiden speech in the House of Commons on 6 July 1983, Blair stated, "I am a socialist not through reading a textbook that has caught my intellectual fancy, nor through unthinking tradition, but because I believe that, at its best, socialism corresponds most closely to an existence that is both rational and moral. It stands for cooperation, not confrontation; for fellowship, not fear. It stands for equality."[48]
Once elected, Blair's political ascent was rapid. He received his first
Blair demanded an inquiry into the Bank of England's decision to rescue the collapsed Johnson Matthey bank in October 1985. By this time, Blair was aligned with the reforming tendencies in the party (headed by leader Neil Kinnock) and in 1988 was promoted to the shadow Trade and Industry team as spokesman on the City of London.[50]
Leadership roles
In 1987, he stood for
Leader of the Opposition
John Smith died suddenly in 1994 of a heart attack. Blair defeated
During his speech at the 1994 Labour Party conference, Blair announced a forthcoming proposal to update the party's objects and objectives, which was widely interpreted to relate to replacing
He inherited the Labour leadership at a time when the party was ascendant over the Conservatives in the opinion polls, since the Conservative government's reputation in monetary policy was left in tatters by the Black Wednesday economic disaster of September 1992. Blair's election as leader saw Labour support surge higher still[63] in spite of the continuing economic recovery and fall in unemployment that the Conservative government (led by John Major) had overseen since the end of the 1990–92 recession.[63] At the 1996 Labour Party conference, Blair stated that his three top priorities on coming to office were "education, education, and education".[64]
Aided by the unpopularity of John Major's Conservative government (itself deeply divided over the European Union),[65] "New Labour" won a landslide victory at the 1997 general election, ending eighteen years of Conservative Party rule, with the heaviest Conservative defeat since 1906.[66]
According to diaries released by Paddy Ashdown, during Smith's leadership of the Labour Party, there were discussions with Ashdown about forming a coalition government if the next general election resulted in a hung parliament. Ashdown also claimed that Blair was a supporter of proportional representation (PR).[67] In addition to Ashdown, Liberal Democrat MPs Menzies Campbell and Alan Beith were earmarked for places in the cabinet if a Labour-Lib Dem coalition was formed.[68] Blair was forced to back down on these proposals because John Prescott and Gordon Brown opposed the PR system, and many members of the Shadow Cabinet were worried about concessions being made towards the Lib Dems.[68] In the event, virtually every opinion poll since late-1992 put Labour ahead with enough support to form an overall majority.[69]
Prime Minister (1997–2007)
Blair became
Northern Ireland
His contribution towards assisting the
Military intervention and the War on Terror
In his first six years in office, Blair ordered British troops into combat five times, more than any other prime minister in British history. This included Iraq in both 1998 and 2003, Kosovo (1999), Sierra Leone (2000) and Afghanistan (2001).[76]
The Kosovo War, which Blair had advocated on moral grounds, was initially a failure when it relied solely on air strikes; the threat of a ground offensive convinced Serbia's
Blair ordered Operation Barras, a highly successful SAS/Parachute Regiment strike to rescue hostages from a Sierra Leone rebel group.[80] Journalist Andrew Marr has argued that the success of ground attacks, real and threatened, over air strikes alone was influential on how Blair planned the Iraq War, and that the success of the first three wars Blair fought "played to his sense of himself as a moral war leader".[81] When asked in 2010 if the success of Palliser may have "embolden[ed] British politicians" to think of military action as a policy option, General Sir David Richards admitted there "might be something in that".[79]
From the start of the
As a result, he faced criticism over the policy itself and the circumstances of the decision. Alastair Campbell described Blair's statement that the intelligence on WMDs was "beyond doubt" as his "assessment of the assessment that was given to him."[83] In 2009, Blair stated that he would have supported removing Saddam Hussein from power even in the face of proof that he had no such weapons.[84] Playwright Harold Pinter and former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad accused Blair of war crimes.[85][86]
Testifying before the
Relationship with Parliament
One of Blair's first acts as prime minister was to replace the then twice-weekly 15-minute sessions of
Events before resignation
As the
At a special party conference in Manchester on 24 June 2007, Blair formally handed over the leadership of the Labour Party to Brown, who had been Chancellor of the Exchequer in Blair's three ministries.
Policies
In 2001, Blair said, "We are a
Critics and admirers tend to agree that Blair's electoral success was based on his ability to occupy the centre ground and appeal to voters across the political spectrum, to the extent that he has been fundamentally at odds with traditional Labour Party values. Some left-wing critics, such as Mike Marqusee in 2001, argued that Blair oversaw the final stage of a long term shift of the Labour Party to the right.[118]
There is some evidence that Blair's long term dominance of the centre forced his Conservative opponents to shift a long distance to the left to challenge his hegemony there.[119] Leading Conservatives of the post-New Labour era hold Blair in high regard: George Osborne describes him as "the master", Michael Gove thought he had an "entitlement to conservative respect" in February 2003, while David Cameron reportedly maintained Blair as an informal adviser.[120][121][122]
Social reforms
Blair introduced significant constitutional reforms; promoted new rights for gay people; and signed treaties integrating Britain more closely with the EU. With specifical regards to Blair's
The New Labour government increased police powers by adding to the number of arrestable offences, compulsory DNA recording and the use of dispersal orders.[124] Under Blair's government the amount of new legislation increased[125] which attracted criticism.[126] He also introduced tough anti-terrorism and identity card legislation.
Economic policies
Tony Blair has been credited with overseeing a strong economy, with real incomes of British citizens growing 18% between 1997 and 2006. Britain saw rapid productivity growth and significant GDP growth, as well as falling poverty rates and inequality which, despite stubbornly failing to fall, stalled thanks to New Labour's economic policies (such as tax credits). Despite the financial bubble developing in the property markets, studies have credited the growth to investments in education and the maintenance of fiscal responsibility, rather than a financial sugar-high.[127]
During his time as prime minister, Blair kept direct taxes low, while raising indirect taxation; invested a significant amount in
Blair and Brown raised spending on the NHS and other public services, increasing spending from 39.9% of GDP to 48.1% in 2010–11.[133][134] They pledged in 2001 to bring NHS spending to the levels of other European countries, and doubled spending in real terms to over £100 billion in England alone.[135]
Immigration
Non-European immigration rose significantly during the period from 1997, not least because of the government's abolition of the primary purpose rule in June 1997.[136] This change made it easier for UK residents to bring foreign spouses into the country. The former government advisor Andrew Neather in the Evening Standard stated that the deliberate policy of ministers from late 2000 until early 2008 was to open up the UK to mass migration.[137][138] Neather later stated that his words had been twisted, saying: "The main goal was to allow in more migrant workers at a point when – hard as it is to imagine now – the booming economy was running up against skills shortages.... Somehow this has become distorted by excitable Right-wing newspaper columnists into being a "plot" to make Britain multicultural. There was no plot."[139]
Environmental record
Blair criticised other governments for not doing enough to solve
In 2000, Blair "flagged up" 100 million euros for green policies and urged environmentalists and businesses to work together.[143]
Foreign policy
Blair built his foreign policy on basic principles (close ties with U.S. and E.U.) and added a new activist philosophy of "interventionism". In 2001, Britain joined the U.S. in the global war on terror.[144]
Blair forged friendships with several European leaders, including Silvio Berlusconi of Italy,[145] Angela Merkel of Germany[146] and later Nicolas Sarkozy of France.[147]
Along with enjoying a close relationship with Bill Clinton, Blair formed a strong political alliance with George W. Bush, particularly in the area of foreign policy. For his part, Bush lauded Blair and the UK. In his post-9/11 speech, for example, he stated that "America has no truer friend than Great Britain".[148]
The alliance between Bush and Blair seriously damaged Blair's standing in the eyes of Britons angry at American influence;
However, a perception of one-sided compromising personal and political closeness led to discussion of the term "Poodle-ism" in the UK media, to describe the "Special Relationship" of the UK government and prime minister with the US White House and president.[152] A revealing conversation between Bush and Blair, with the former addressing the latter as "Yo [or Yeah], Blair" was recorded when they did not know a microphone was live at the G8 summit in Saint Petersburg in 2006.[153]
Middle East policy
On 30 January 2003, Blair signed
Blair showed a deep feeling for Israel, born in part from his faith.[155] Blair has been a longtime member of the pro-Israel lobby group Labour Friends of Israel.[156]
In 1994, Blair forged close ties with Michael Levy, a leader of the Jewish Leadership Council.[157] Levy ran the Labour Leader's Office Fund to finance Blair's campaign before the 1997 election and raised £12 million towards Labour's landslide victory, Levy was rewarded with a peerage, and in 2002, Blair appointed Lord Levy as his personal envoy to the Middle East. Levy praised Blair for his "solid and committed support of the State of Israel".[158] Tam Dalyell, while Father of the House of Commons, suggested in 2003 that Blair's foreign policy decisions were unduly influenced by a "cabal" of Jewish advisers, including Levy, Peter Mandelson and Jack Straw (the last two are not Jewish but have some Jewish ancestry).[159]
Blair, on coming to office, had been "cool towards the right-wing
In 2006 Blair was criticised for his failure to immediately call for a ceasefire in the 2006 Lebanon War. The Observer newspaper claimed that at a cabinet meeting before Blair left for a summit with Bush on 28 July 2006, a significant number of ministers pressured Blair to publicly criticise Israel over the scale of deaths and destruction in Lebanon.[163] Blair was criticised for his solid stance alongside US president George W. Bush on Middle East policy.[164]
Syria and Libya
A Freedom of Information request by The Sunday Times in 2012 revealed that Blair's government considered
The Arab leader was granted audiences with the Queen and the Prince of Wales, lunch with Blair at Downing Street, a platform in parliament and many other privileges ... The red carpet treatment he and his entourage received is embarrassing given the bloodbath that has since taken place under his rule in Syria ... The courtship has parallels with Blair's friendly relations with Muammar Gaddafi.[165]
Blair had been on friendly terms with Colonel Gaddafi, the leader of Libya, when sanctions imposed on the country were lifted by the US and the UK.[166][167]
Even after the
Zimbabwe
Blair had an antagonistic relationship with Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe and allegedly planned regime change against Mugabe in the early 2000s.[170] Zimbabwe had embarked on a program of uncompensated land redistribution from the country's white commercial farmers to the black population, a policy that disrupted agricultural production and threw Zimbabwe's economy into chaos. General Charles Guthrie, the Chief of the Defence Staff, revealed in 2007 that he and Blair had discussed the invasion of Zimbabwe.[171] Guthrie advised against military action: "Hold hard, you'll make it worse."[171] In 2013, South African president Thabo Mbeki said that Blair had pressured South Africa to join in a "regime change scheme, even to the point of using military force" in Zimbabwe.[170] Mbeki refused because he felt that "Mugabe is part of the solution to this problem."[170] However, a spokesman for Blair said that "he never asked anyone to plan or take part in any such military intervention."[170]
Russia
Blair went on a trip to Moscow to watch a performance of the
Blair also hosted Putin in London in April 2000, despite hesitation towards Putin from other world leaders, and opposition from human rights groups over atrocities committed in Chechnya. Blair told Jim Hoagland of The Washington Post that "[Putin's] vision of the future is one that we would feel comfortable with. Putin has a very clear agenda of modernizing Russia. When he talks of a strong Russia, he means strength not in a threatening way but in a way that means the country economically and politically is capable of standing up for itself, which is a perfectly good aim to have".[175][176] During the meeting, Blair acknowledged and discussed "concerns about Chechnya",[177][178] but described Putin as a political reformer "who is ready to embrace a new relationship with the European Union and the United States, who wants a strong and modern Russia and a strong relationship with the West".[179][180]
Relationship with media
Rupert Murdoch
Blair was reported by The Guardian in 2006 to have been supported politically by
Contacts with UK media proprietors
A Cabinet Office freedom of information response, released the day after Blair handed over power to Gordon Brown, documents Blair having various official phone calls and meetings with Rupert Murdoch of News Corporation and Richard Desmond of Northern and Shell Media.[187]
The response includes contacts "clearly of an official nature" in the specified period, but excludes contacts "not clearly of an official nature."[188] No details were given of the subjects discussed. In the period between September 2002 and April 2005, Blair and Murdoch are documented speaking 6 times; three times in the 9 days before the Iraq War, including the eve of 20 March US and UK invasion, and on 29 January 25 April and 3 October 2004. Between January 2003 and February 2004, Blair had three meetings with Richard Desmond; on 29 January and 3 September 2003 and 23 February 2004.[189]
The information was disclosed after a 3+1⁄2-year battle by the Liberal Democrats'
Blair appeared before the Leveson Inquiry on Monday 28 May 2012.[190] During his appearance, a protester, later named as David Lawley-Wakelin, got into the court-room and claimed he was guilty of war crimes before being dragged out.[191]
Media portrayal
Blair has been noted as a charismatic, articulate speaker with an informal style.[54] Film and theatre director Richard Eyre opined that "Blair had a very considerable skill as a performer".[192] A few months after becoming prime minister Blair gave a tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales, on the morning of her death in August 1997, in which he famously described her as "the People's Princess".[193][194]
After taking office in 1997, Blair gave particular prominence to his press secretary, who became known as the
Blair had close relationships with the Clinton family. The strong partnership with Bill Clinton was made into the film The Special Relationship in 2010.[196]
Relationship with Labour Party
Blair's apparent refusal to set a date for his departure was criticised by the British press and Members of Parliament. It has been reported that a number of cabinet ministers believed that Blair's timely departure from office would be required to be able to win a fourth election.[197] Some ministers viewed Blair's announcement of policy initiatives in September 2006 as an attempt to draw attention away from these issues.[197]
Gordon Brown
After the death of John Smith in 1994, Blair and his close colleague Gordon Brown (they shared an office at the House of Commons[54]) were both seen as possible candidates for the party leadership. They agreed not to stand against each other, it is said, as part of a supposed Blair–Brown pact. Brown, who considered himself the senior of the two, understood that Blair would give way to him: opinion polls soon indicated, however, that Blair appeared to enjoy greater support among voters.[198] Their relationship in power became so turbulent that (it was reported) the deputy prime minister, John Prescott, often had to act as "marriage guidance counsellor".[199]
During the 2010 election campaign Blair publicly endorsed Gordon Brown's leadership, praising the way he had handled the financial crisis.[200]
Post-premiership (since 2007)
Diplomacy
On 27 June 2007, Blair officially resigned as prime minister after ten years in office, and he was officially confirmed as Middle East
Private sector
In January 2008, it was confirmed that Blair would be joining investment bank
Blair taught a course on issues of faith and globalisation at the Yale University Schools of Management and Divinity as a Howland distinguished fellow during the 2008–09 academic year. In July 2009, this accomplishment was followed by the launching of the Faith and Globalisation Initiative with Yale University in the US, Durham University in the UK, and the National University of Singapore in Asia, to deliver a postgraduate programme in partnership with the Foundation.[208][209]
Blair's links with, and receipt of an undisclosed sum from, UI Energy Corporation, have also been subject to media comment in the UK.[210]
In July 2010 it was reported that his personal security guards claimed £250,000 a year in expenses from the tax payer, Foreign Secretary William Hague said; "we have to make sure that [Blair's security] is as cost-effective as possible, that it doesn't cost any more to the taxpayer than is absolutely necessary".[211]
Tony Blair Associates
Blair established Tony Blair Associates to "allow him to provide, in partnership with others, strategic advice on a commercial and pro bono basis, on political and economic trends and governmental reform".[212] The profits from the firm go towards supporting Blair's "work on faith, Africa and climate change".[213]
Blair has been subject to criticism for potential conflicts of interest between his diplomatic role as a Middle East envoy, and his work with Tony Blair Associates,[214][215][216] and a number of prominent critics have even called for him to be sacked.[217] Blair has used his Quartet Tony Blair Associates works with the Kazakhstan government, advising the regime on judicial, economic and political reforms, but has been subject to criticism after accusations of "whitewashing" the image and human rights record of the regime.[218]
Blair responded to such criticism by saying his choice to advise the country is an example of how he can "nudge controversial figures on a progressive path of reform", and has stated that he receives no personal profit from this advisory role.[219] The Kazakhstan foreign minister said that the country was "honoured and privileged" to be receiving advice from Blair.[220][221] A letter obtained by The Daily Telegraph in August 2014 revealed Blair had given damage-limitation advice to Nursultan Nazarbayev after the December 2011 Zhanaozen massacre.[222] Blair was reported to have accepted a business advisory role with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, a situation deemed incompatible with his role as Middle East envoy. Blair described the report as "nonsense".[223][224]
Charity and non-profits
In November 2007 Blair launched the Tony Blair Sports Foundation, which aims to "increase childhood participation in sports activities, especially in the North East of England, where a larger proportion of children are socially excluded, and to promote overall health and prevent childhood obesity."[225] On 30 May 2008, Blair launched the Tony Blair Faith Foundation as a vehicle for encouraging different faiths to join in promoting respect and understanding, as well as working to tackle poverty. Reflecting Blair's own faith but not dedicated to any particular religion, the Foundation aims to "show how faith is a powerful force for good in the modern world". "The Foundation will use its profile and resources to encourage people of faith to work together more closely to tackle global poverty and conflict," says its mission statement.[226]
In February 2009 he applied to set up a charity called the Tony Blair Africa Governance Initiative: the application was approved in November 2009.[227] Blair's foundation hit controversy in October 2012, when news emerged that it was taking on unpaid interns.[228]
In December 2016, Blair created the
Memoirs
In March 2010, it was reported that Blair's memoirs, titled The Journey, would be published in September 2010.[232][233] In July 2010 it was announced the memoirs would be retitled A Journey.[234] The memoirs were seen by many as controversial and a further attempt to profit from his office and from acts related to overseas wars that were widely seen as wrong,[235][236][237] leading to anger and suspicion prior to launch.[236]
On 16 August 2010 it was announced that Blair would give the £4.6 million advance and all royalties from his memoirs to the Royal British Legion – the charity's largest ever single donation.[235][238]
Media analysis of the sudden announcement was wide-ranging, describing it as an act of "desperation" to obtain a better launch reception of a humiliating "publishing flop"[239] that had languished in the ratings,[235][239] "blood money" for the lives lost in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars,[235][237] an act with a "hidden motive" or an expression of "guilt",[235][236] a "genius move" to address the problem that "Tony Blair ha[d] one of the most toxic brands around" from a PR perspective, and a "cynical stunt to wipe the slate", but also as an attempt to make amends.[239] Friends had said that the act was partly motivated by the wish to "repair his reputation".[235]
The book was published on 1 September and within hours of its launch had become the fastest-selling autobiography of all time.
Accusations of war crimes
Since the Iraq War, Blair has been the subject of war crimes accusations. Critics of his actions, including Bishop Desmond Tutu,[243] Harold Pinter[244] and Arundhati Roy[245] have called for his trial at the International Criminal Court.
In November 2011, a war crimes tribunal of the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Commission, established by Malaysia's former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, reached a unanimous conclusion that Blair and George W. Bush are guilty of crimes against peace, crimes against humanity, and genocide as a result of their roles in the 2003–2011 Iraq War. The proceedings lasted for four days, and consisted of five judges of judicial and academic backgrounds, a tribunal-appointed defence team in lieu of the defendants or representatives, and a prosecution team including international law professor Francis Boyle.[246]
In September 2012, Desmond Tutu suggested that Blair should follow the path of former African leaders who had been brought before the International Criminal Court in
In July 2017, former Iraqi general Abdulwaheed al-Rabbat launched a private war crimes prosecution in the High Court in London, asking for Tony Blair, former foreign secretary Jack Straw and former attorney general Lord Goldsmith to be prosecuted for "the crime of aggression" for their role in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The High Court ruled that, although the crime of aggression was recognised in international law, it was not an offence under UK law, and therefore the prosecution could not proceed.[248][249][250][251]
Blair defended
Some, such as John Rentoul, John McTernan and Iain Dale, have countered accusations that Blair committed war crimes during his premiership, often highlighting how no case against Blair has ever made it to trial, suggesting that Blair broke no laws.[252][253][non-primary source needed]
Blair himself has defended his involvement in the Iraq War by highlighting the findings of the Iraq Survey Group, which found that Saddam had attempted to get sanctions lifted by undermining them, which would have enabled him to restart his WMD program.[254]
Political interventions and views
Response to the Iraq Inquiry
The Chilcot report issued after the conclusion of the Iraq Inquiry was published on 6 July 2016; it criticised Blair for joining the US in the war in Iraq in 2003. Afterward, Blair issued a statement and held a two-hour press conference to apologise, to justify the decisions he had made in 2003 "in good faith" and to deny allegations that the war had led to a significant increase in terrorism.[255] He acknowledged that the report made "real and material criticisms of preparation, planning, process and of the relationship with the United States" but cited sections of the report that he said "should lay to rest allegations of bad faith, lies or deceit". He stated: "whether people agree or disagree with my decision to take military action against Saddam Hussein; I took it in good faith and in what I believed to be the best interests of the country. ... I will take full responsibility for any mistakes without exception or excuse. I will at the same time say why, nonetheless, I believe that it was better to remove Saddam Hussein and why I do not believe this is the cause of the terrorism we see today whether in the Middle East or elsewhere in the world".[256][257]
Iran–West tensions
In an op-ed published by The Washington Post on 8 February 2019, Blair said: "Where Iran is exercising military interference, it should be strongly pushed back. Where it is seeking influence, it should be countered. Where its proxies operate, it should be held responsible. Where its networks exist, they should be disrupted. Where its leaders are saying what is unacceptable, they should be exposed. Where the Iranian people — highly educated and connected, despite their government — are protesting for freedom, they should be supported."[258] The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change warned of a growing Iranian threat.[259] The Tony Blair Institute confirmed that it has received donations from the U.S. State Department and Saudi Arabia.[260][261]
European Union
Blair did not want
However, after the 2019 general election in which the pro-withdrawal Conservative party won a sizeable majority of seats, Blair argued that remain supporters should "face up to one simple point: we lost" and "pivot to a completely new position...We're going to have to be constructive about it and see how Britain develops a constructive relationship with Europe and finds its new niche in the world."[263]
American power
Blair was interviewed in June 2020 for an article in the American magazine The Atlantic on European views of U.S. foreign policy concerning the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting recession, the rise of China, and the George Floyd protests. He affirmed his belief in the continued strength of American soft power and the need to address Iranian military aggression, European military underinvestment, and illicit Chinese trade practices. He said, however, "I think it's fair to say a lot of political leaders in Europe are dismayed by what they see as the isolationism growing in America and the seeming indifference to alliances. But I think there will come a time when America decides in its own interest to reengage, so I'm optimistic that America will in the end understand that this is not about relegating your self-interest behind the common interest; it's an understanding that by acting collectively in alliance with others you promote your own interests." Blair warned that structural issues plaguing American domestic policy needed to be addressed imminently.[264]
In August 2021, Blair criticised the
Labour Party
Blair was a critic of
Personal life
Family
Blair married
His first grandchild (a girl) was born in October 2016.[277]
Wealth
Blair's financial assets are structured in an opaque manner, and estimates of their extent vary widely.[278] These include figures of up to £100 million. Blair stated in 2014 that he was worth "less than £20 million".[279] A 2015 assertion, by Francis Beckett, David Hencke and Nick Kochan, concluded that Blair had acquired $90 million and a property portfolio worth $37.5 million in the eight years since he had left office.[280]
In October 2021, Blair was named in the Pandora Papers.[281]
Religious faith
In 2006, Blair referred to the role of his Christian faith in his decision to go to war in Iraq, stating that he had prayed about the issue, and saying that God would judge him for his decision: "I think if you have faith about these things, you realise that judgement is made by other people ... and if you believe in God, it's made by God as well."[282]
According to Press Secretary Alastair Campbell's diary, Blair often read the Bible before taking any important decisions. He states that Blair had a "wobble" and considered changing his mind on the eve of the bombing of Iraq in 1998.[283]
A longer exploration of his faith can be found in an interview with
At one point Alastair Campbell intervened in an interview, preventing Blair from answering a question about his Christianity, explaining, "We don't do God."[285] Campbell later said that he had intervened only to end the interview because the journalist had been taking an excessive time, and that the comment had just been a throwaway line.[286]
Cherie Blair's friend and "spiritual guru" Carole Caplin is credited with introducing her and her husband to various New Age symbols and beliefs, including "magic pendants" known as "BioElectric Shields".[287] The most controversial of the Blairs' New Age practices occurred when on holiday in Mexico. The couple, wearing only bathing costumes, took part in a rebirthing procedure, which involved smearing mud and fruit over each other's bodies while sitting in a steam bath.[288]
Later on, Blair questioned the Pope's attitude towards homosexuality, arguing that religious leaders must start "rethinking" the issue.
Portrayals and cameo appearances
Appearances
Blair made an animated cameo appearance as himself in
Portrayals
Michael Sheen has portrayed Blair three times, in the films The Deal (2003), The Queen (2006), and The Special Relationship (2009).[300] Robert Lindsay portrayed Blair in the TV programme A Very Social Secretary (2005), and reprised the role in The Trial of Tony Blair (2007).[301] He was also portrayed by James Larkin in The Government Inspector (2005), and by Ioan Gruffudd in W. (2008). In the 2006 Channel 4 comedy drama documentary, Tony Blair: Rock Star, he was portrayed by Christian Brassington.[302] He was portrayed by Damian Lewis in the Confessions of a Diary Secretary (2007) and by Toby Stephens in The Journey (2017).[303] Bertie Carvel played Blair in the fifth and sixth seasons of The Crown (2022–23).[304] In 2023, comedian Charlie Baker portrayed Blair in TONY! The Tony Blair Rock Opera, written by Harry Hill.[305]
Blair in fiction and satire
When Blair resigned as prime minister,
Honours
- Privy Counsellor (1994)[55]
- Congressional Gold Medal (2003)[309]
- Honorary Doctor of Law (LLD) from Queen's University Belfast (2008)
- Presidential Medal of Freedom (2009)
- Dan David Prize (2009)
- Liberty Medal (2010)
- Order of Freedom (2010)
- Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter(2022)
In May 2007, Blair was invested as a paramount chief by the chiefs and people of the village of Mahera in Sierra Leone. The honour was bestowed upon him in recognition of the role played by his government in the Sierra Leone Civil War.[310]
On 22 May 2008, Blair received an honorary law doctorate from Queen's University Belfast, alongside Bertie Ahern, for distinction in public service and roles in the Northern Ireland peace process.[311]
On 13 January 2009, Blair was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush.[312] Bush stated that Blair was given the award "in recognition of exemplary achievement and to convey the utmost esteem of the American people"[313] and cited Blair's support for the War on Terror and his role in achieving peace in Northern Ireland as two reasons for justifying his being presented with the award.[314]
On 16 February 2009, Blair was awarded the Dan David Prize by Tel Aviv University for "exceptional leadership and steadfast determination in helping to engineer agreements and forge lasting solutions to areas in conflict". He was awarded the prize in May 2009.[315][316][317]
On 8 July 2010, Blair was awarded the
On 13 September 2010, Blair was awarded the Liberty Medal at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[321] It was presented by former president Bill Clinton, and is awarded annually to "men and women of courage and conviction who strive to secure the blessings of liberty to people around the globe".[321][322]
On 31 December 2021, it was announced that the Queen had appointed Blair a
He received his Garter insignia on 10 June 2022 from the Queen during an audience at Windsor Castle.[327]
Works
- Blair, Tony (2010). OCLC 657172683.
- Blair, Tony (2002). The Courage of Our Convictions. London: ISBN 0-7163-0603-4.
- Blair, Tony (2000). Superpower: Not Superstate? (Federal Trust European Essays). London: Federal Trust for Education & Research. ISBN 1-903403-25-1.
- Blair, Tony (1998). The Third Way: New Politics for the New Century. London: Fabian Society. ISBN 0-7163-0588-7.
- Blair, Tony (1998). Leading the Way: New Vision for Local Government. London: ISBN 1-86030-075-8.
- Blair, Tony (1997). New Britain: My Vision of a Young Country. New York: ISBN 0-8133-3338-5.
- Blair, Tony (1995). Let Us Face the Future. London: Fabian Society. ISBN 0-7163-0571-2.
- Blair, Tony (1994). What Price a Safe Society?. London: Fabian Society. ISBN 0-7163-0562-3.
- Blair, Tony (1994). Socialism. London: Fabian Society. ISBN 0-7163-0565-8.
See also
- Blatcherism
- Bush–Blair 2003 Iraq memo
- Cash-for-Honours scandal
- Cultural depictions of Tony Blair
- Parliamentary motion to impeach Tony Blair
- Constitutional Lawand Human Rights, paragraph 416
Notes and references
Notes
- ^ Electorate abolished in February 1974; reconstituted in 1983.
References
- ^ Seldon, Anthony (10 August 2015). "Why is Tony Blair so unpopular?". BBC News. Archived from the original on 15 May 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
- ^ "Tony Blair: a controversial knight". The Week. 7 January 2022. Archived from the original on 15 May 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
- from the original on 15 May 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
- ^ Farand, Chloe (1 August 2017). "A huge number of Britons want to see Tony Blair tried for Iraq war crimes". The Independent. Archived from the original on 15 May 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
- ^ a b "Blair's birthplace is bulldozed in Edinburgh". Edinburgh Evening News. Johnston Press. 9 August 2006. Archived from the original on 13 October 2007. Retrieved 18 November 2006.
- ^ "BLAIR, Rt Hon. Anthony Charles Lynton, (Tony)". Who's Who. Vol. 2015 (online Oxford University Press ed.). A & C Black. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ "Tony Blair profile". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
- ^ "Blair's birthplace is bulldozed in Edinburgh". The Scotsman. 9 August 2006. Archived from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- ^ "Leo Blair". The Telegraph. 18 November 2012. Archived from the original on 14 May 2019. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ^ "Blair: 'Why adoption is close to my heart'". The Guardian. 21 December 2000. Archived from the original on 30 March 2017.
- ^ "Local Map". Ballyshannon Town Council. Archived from the original on 21 November 2009. Retrieved 22 November 2007.
Lipsett's Grocery Shop: This is the birthplace of Hazel (Corscadden) Blair, mother of British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Her mother's maiden name was Lipsett and Hazel was born over the shop.
- ^ Watt, Nicholas; Bowcott, Owen (14 March 2007). "We had no file on him but it was clear he was up for the business". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2007.
In the second part of our series on the peace process, Sinn Féin chief negotiator Martin McGuinness recalls his first encounter with the PM and explains how he saved the Good Friday deal
- ^ a b Langdon, Julia (17 November 2012). "Leo Blair obituary". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 25 March 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
- ^ Ahmed, Kamal (27 April 2003). "Tony's big adventure". The Observer. London. Archived from the original on 4 December 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2006.
- Chronicle Live. Archivedfrom the original on 6 September 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- ^ Marriage, Madison (29 June 2010). "British Prime Ministers and their passion for football". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 6 September 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- ^ "Blair football 'myth' cleared up". BBC. 26 November 2008. Archived from the original on 6 September 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- ^ "Alumni Roll Call". Durham Chorister School website. Archived from the original on 21 October 2007. Retrieved 22 November 2007.
- ^ a b Ed Black's diary (23 July 2004). "Tony Blair's revolting schooldays". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. Archived from the original on 27 March 2008. Retrieved 22 November 2007.
- ^ Rentoul 2001, pp. 15–17
- ^ Rentoul 2001, p. 21
- ^ Rentoul 2001, pp. 28–31
- ^ Michaelmas Term 1974. Complete Alphabetical List of the Resident Members of the University of Oxford. Oxford University Press. 1974. p. 10.
- ^ Rentoul 2001, pp. 37–38
- ^ Huntley, John (1990). Mark Ellen talks about Tony Blair in Ugly Rumours. Film 90788 (YouTube video). HuntleyFilmArchives. Archived from the original on 14 February 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
- ^ Wiegand, Chris (27 November 2015). "Tony Blair recalls 'dire' standup attempts and his role as 'Captain Kink'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 28 September 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
- ^ Merrick, Rob (10 August 2017). "Tony Blair reveals he was a student 'Trot' inspired to enter politics by the life of Bolshevik leader Leon Trotsky". The Independent. UK. Archived from the original on 13 August 2017. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
I suddenly thought the world's full of these extraordinary causes and injustices and here's this this guy Trotsky who was so inspired by all of this that he went out to create a Russian revolution and change the world. It was like a light going on.
- ^ Asthana, Anushka (10 August 2017). "Blair reveals he 'toyed with Marxism' after reading book on Trotsky". The Guardian. UK. Archived from the original on 12 August 2017. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
- ^ Nimmo, Joe (5 October 2016). "Why have so many PMs gone to Oxford?". BBC News. Archived from the original on 21 December 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
- ^ "British Prime Ministers". University of Oxford. Archived from the original on 19 November 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
- ^ Ahmed, Kamal (27 April 2003). "Family tragedy at the heart of Blair's ambition". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- Irish Times. Archivedfrom the original on 4 May 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
- ISBN 978-1-901414-23-3. Archivedfrom the original on 4 December 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
- ^ Rentoul 1996, p. 101
- ^ "Labour's Old Romantic: A Film Portrait of Michael Foot" Archived 17 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine, BBC Two, Friday 5 March 2010 Archived 20 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Portion available here [1] Archived 4 December 2021 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Russell, William (28 May 1982). "By-election boost for Thatcher's stance". The Glasgow Herald. p. 1. Archived from the original on 4 December 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
- ^ a b c Blair, Tony (July 1982). "The full text of Tony Blair's letter to Michael Foot written in July 1982". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 27 March 2009. Retrieved 18 November 2006.
- ^ a b Marquand 2010, p. 197
- ^ Rentoul 1996, p. 109
- ^ Rentoul 1996, p. 115
- ^ "Labour's Election Who's Who", Labour Party, 1983, Appendix p. 2.
- Press Association. 10 October 2007. Archivedfrom the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
- ^ "1983 Election Leaflet for Tony Blair". George Ferguson. 9 June 1983. Archived from the original on 5 August 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
- ^ Coleman, Vernon (2006). The Truth They Won't Tell You (And Don't Want You To Know) About The EU. Archived from the original on 11 May 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
- ^ "1975: Labour votes to leave the EEC". BBC News. Archived from the original on 12 December 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
- ^ Johnston, Philip (26 April 2004). "Home front". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 14 February 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
- ISBN 978-1-84739-499-6. Archivedfrom the original on 14 February 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
- ^ Seddon, Mark (2004). "America's Friend: Reflections on Tony Blair". Logos 3.4. Archived from the original on 18 November 2006. Retrieved 18 November 2006.
- ^ "BBC Archive". BBC Programme Catalogue. Archived from the original on 14 July 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
- ^ Jeffreys 1999, p. 216
- ^ Carvel, John (9 July 1987). "A fresh team of 'Yaks' will take on Labour's burden". The Guardian. p. 2.
- ^ John Rentoul, Tony Blair: Prime Minister (2001) pp. 206–18
- ^ Rentoul, Tony Blair (2001) pp. 249–66.
- ^ a b c d e "Timeline: The Blair Years". BBC News. 10 May 2007. Archived from the original on 27 March 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
- ^ a b Leigh, Rayment. "Privy Counsellors 1969–present". Archived from the original on 7 June 2008. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
- ^ "Leader's speech, Blackpool 1994". British Political Speech. Archived from the original on 11 November 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
- ^ White, Michael (5 October 1994). "Blair defines the new Labour". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 July 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
- ^ ISBN 0-465-04195-7.
- ISBN 978-0-8264-5814-8. Archivedfrom the original on 14 February 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
- ^ "About Labour". The Labour Party. 2006. Archived from the original on 16 November 2006. Retrieved 18 November 2006.
- Blair, Tony (1995). "2: Labour Past, Present and Future". Let Us Face the Future. Fabian Society. p. 2. Archived from the original on 30 January 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2016 – via LSEDigital Library.
- ^ Gani, Aisha (9 August 2015). "Clause IV: a brief history". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 23 December 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
- ^ a b "1997: Labour landslide ends Tory rule". BBC News. 15 April 2005. Archived from the original on 1 September 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
- ^ Coughlan, Sean (14 May 2007). "Education, education, education". BBC News. Archived from the original on 4 May 2009. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- ^ See Maastricht Rebels
- ^ Early, Chas (2 May 2015). "May 2, 1997: Labour win general election by a landslide to end 18 years of Conservative rule". BT News. Archived from the original on 1 February 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
The Labour Party won its greatest-ever number of seats in a landslide general election victory on this day in 1997, ending 18 years of Conservative rule... In their worst election defeat since 1906, the Conservatives retained just 165 MPs, with their smallest share of the vote since 1832 under the Duke of Wellington.
- ^ "Blair wanted coalition says Ashdown". BBC News. 23 October 2000. Archived from the original on 2 June 2004. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
- ^ a b "Blair mooted Lib Dem coalition deal – Ashdown". The Guardian. 23 October 2000. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
- ^ All Guardian/ICM poll results Archived 14 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine (Google Docs). Via this Archived 12 March 2017 at the Wayback Machine article.
- ^ "Biography: The Prime Minister Tony Charles Lynton Blair". Prime Minister's Office. Archived from the original on 4 June 2007. Retrieved 18 November 2006.
- ^ "Blair Labour's longest-serving PM". BBC News. 6 February 2005. Archived from the original on 10 September 2007. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ Rawnsley, Andrew (30 April 2017). "Tony Blair: 'Labour can win at any point that it wants to get back to winning ways'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 July 2017. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
... made possible only by his unique feat of winning three back-to-back terms for his party
- ^ BBC News Archive, "1998: Northern Ireland peace deal reached" Archived 7 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Philip Stephens, "Blair's remarkable record", Financial Times, 10 May 2007
- ^ Telegraph.co.uk: Omagh, Northern Ireland's worst atrocity 24 December 2007
- ^ "Blair: The Inside Story" Archived 23 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine, BBC, 22 February 2007.
- ^ Andrew Marr, A History of Modern Britain (2008 printing), p. 550
- ^ Gberie, Lansana (2005). A Dirty War in West Africa: the RUF and the Destruction of Sierra Leone, p. 176. Indiana UP.
- ^ a b Little, Allan (15 May 2010). "The brigadier who saved Sierra Leone". BBC News. Archived from the original on 28 March 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
- ^ "After 16 long days, free in 20 minutes". The Guardian. 11 September 2000. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
- ^ Andrew Marr, A History of Modern Britain (2008 printing); p. 551
- ^ "The rise and fall of New Labour". BBC News. 3 August 2010. Archived from the original on 5 August 2010. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
- Armando Ianucciand called his 'favourite sentence of the Inquiry so far'], Radio 5 Live. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
- ^ Butt, Riazat; Norton-Taylor, Richard (12 December 2009). "Tony Blair admits: I would have invaded Iraq anyway". The Guardian. London, UK. Archived from the original on 8 September 2013. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
- ^ "Malaysian former PM Mahathir accuses Tony Blair as war criminal". Xinhua News Agency. 1 August 2008. Archived from the original on 5 July 2009. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
- ^ Fickling, David (7 December 2005). "Pinter demands war crimes trial for Blair". The Guardian. London, UK. Archived from the original on 29 August 2013. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
- ^ "Iraq inquiry hears defiant Blair say: I'd do it again". BBC News. 29 January 2010. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
- ^ "Tony Blair defends UK involvement in Iraq war". BBC News. 29 January 2010. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
- ^ Mulholland, Helene; Sparrow, Andrew (29 January 2010). "Tony Blair at Iraq inquiry – the key points". The Guardian. UK. Archived from the original on 9 September 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
- ^ Richard Osley, "Tony Blair apologises for 'mistakes' over Iraq War and admits 'elements of truth' to view that invasion helped rise of ISIS" Archived 22 July 2017 at the Wayback Machine, The Independent, 25 October 2015. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
- ^ Harding, Luke (6 July 2016). "Tony Blair unrepentant as Chilcot gives crushing Iraq war verdict". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 July 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
- ^ Tempest, Matthew (7 September 2004). "Tony Blair's press conference". The Guardian. London, UK: Guardian Newspapers Ltd. Archived from the original on 4 December 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2006.
- ^ Jones, George (27 April 2002). "Blair agrees to face grilling by select committee critics". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 22 January 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ Kershaw, Ian (10 May 2007). "How will history judge Blair?". BBC News. Archived from the original on 13 May 2007. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ISBN 978-0-19-870875-9.
- ^ Garton Ash, Timothy (24 July 2003). "President Blair: Americans love our leader but may cause his downfall". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 December 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ Marr, Andrew (10 May 2007). "How Blair put the media in a spin". BBC News. Archived from the original on 27 April 2009. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- The Atlantic Monthly. Vol. 277, no. 6. pp. 22–40. Archivedfrom the original on 11 April 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
[Blair] has appointed a shadow team of more than a hundred parliamentary spokesmen—a ridiculous number considering that there are only 271 Labour MPs in all.
- ^ "Blair questioned in honours probe" Archived 16 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine, BBC News, 14 December 2006
- ^ "Blair a casualty of UK support for Iraq war". The Washington Times. 8 November 2003. Archived from the original on 12 November 2009. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
- ^ Brown, Colin; McSmith, Andy (15 December 2006). "Diplomat's suppressed document lays bare the lies behind Iraq war". The Independent. Archived from the original on 13 January 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
- ^ "Blair Risked Much in Support of U.S.-UK Friendship" Archived 11 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine, NPR, 9 May 2007.
- ^ "Talk of war dents Blair's popularity" Archived 22 January 2018 at the Wayback Machine, The Daily Telegraph, 17 February 2003.
- ^ The End of the Tony Show Archived 17 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine, Der Spiegel, 10 May 2007.
- ISBN 978-1-84954-102-2.
MPs now agree that the Lebanon fiasco did more than any other single episode to lead to the eventual removal of Blair
- ^ "I will quit within a year – Blair". BBC News. 7 September 2006. Archived from the original on 17 November 2006. Retrieved 18 November 2006.
- ^ Laura Kuenssberg, Tony Blair's Sedgefield send-off Archived 21 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine, BBC, 10 May 2007. Retrieved 23 November 2020
- ^ "Labour leadership, close of nominations". Labour Party. 17 May 2007. Archived from the original on 21 September 2007.
- ^ "Brown is UK's new prime minister". BBC News. 27 June 2007. Archived from the original on 9 March 2008. Retrieved 27 June 2007.
- ^ a b Churcher, Joe; Woodcock, Andrew (27 June 2007). "Blair resigns as MP and heads for Mideast role". The Independent. UK. Archived from the original on 1 October 2007. Retrieved 27 June 2007.
- ^ Yeoman, Fran (20 July 2007). "Victory for Blair's aide keeps the flame alive". The Times. Archived from the original on 20 November 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
- ^ Pierce, Andrew (7 October 2007). "Tony Blair refuses to produce an honours list". The Daily Telegraph. UK. Archived from the original on 3 December 2011. Retrieved 7 October 2008.
- ^ Toynbee, Polly; White, Michael; Wintour, Patrick (11 September 2001). "'We're a left-of-centre party pursuing prosperity and social justice'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 December 2021. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
- ^ "The Death of Socialism" Archived 3 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine, hulver.com, 17 May 2007.
- ^ Lawson, Neal (19 April 2007). "A decade of Blair has left the Labour party on its knees". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 December 2021. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
- ^ YouGov UK Polling Report, Left vs Right Archived 3 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine, 23 September 2005
- ^ "Why Blair was no conservative". Financial Times. 18 May 2007. Archived from the original on 12 May 2008.
- ^ Marquesee, Mike (Summer 2001). "Labour's long march to the right". International Socialism (91). Archived from the original on 22 April 2007.
- ^ Rice-Oxley, Mark (11 May 2007). "Tony Blair's decade of peace and war". The Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on 15 May 2007. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
- ^ Pickard, Jim (3 February 2016). "Conservatives: the party of business?". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 4 February 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
- ^ Gove, Michael (25 February 2003). "I can't fight my feelings any more: I love Tony". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 16 May 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2017.(subscription required)
- ^ Oborne, Peter (22 May 2014). "David Cameron's friendship with Tony Blair is starting to do serious damage". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 7 February 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
- ^ Harris, Chris (26 September 2014). "Former British PM Tony Blair hailed a 'gay icon'". euronews. Archived from the original on 20 November 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
- ^ Silverman, Jon (14 May 2007). "Blair's new look civil liberties". BBC News. Archived from the original on 15 January 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ "Tony Blair's legacy: 20% jump in amount of legislation introduced per year" (PDF). 1 June 2007. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
- ^ Morris, Nigel (16 August 2006). "Blair's 'frenzied law making': a new offence for every day spent in office". The Independent. Archived from the original on 28 May 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ Corry, Dan; Valero, Anna; Van Reenen, John (15 November 2011). "UK ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE SINCE 1997: GROWTH, PRODUCTIVITY AND JOBS" (PDF). London School of Economics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
- ^ McSmith, Andy; Chu, Ben; Garner, Richard (8 April 2013). "Margaret Thatcher's legacy: Spilt milk, New Labour, and the Big Bang - she changed everything". The Independent. Archived from the original on 1 May 2013. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ Who we are, Office of Rail Regulation, 28 January 2014, archived from the original on 12 March 2014, retrieved 11 March 2014
- ^ Explanatory Notes to the Act Archived 27 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine, opsi.gov.uk. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
- ^ "Rail fares and franchises" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 February 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
- ^ "Health spending". Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
- ^ Riley, Ben (1 May 2015). "Did New Labour spend too much in government?". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 31 January 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
- ^ "Public spending under Labour" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 June 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
- ^ "How New Labour succeeded with NHS policy". Financial Times. 20 February 2024. Archived from the original on 18 October 2017. Retrieved 10 July 2017.(subscription required)
- ^ "BBC Politics 97". Archived from the original on 26 August 2010. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
- ^ Neather, Andrew (23 October 2009). "Don't listen to the whingers – London needs immigrants". Evening Standard. London. Archived from the original on 2 December 2009. Retrieved 26 November 2009.
- ^ Whitehead, Tom (23 October 2009). "Labour wanted mass immigration to make UK more multicultural, says former adviser". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 27 October 2009. Retrieved 28 October 2009.
- ^ Neather, Andrew (26 October 2009). "How I became the story and why the Right is wrong". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 2 December 2009. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ Tony Blair and Global Warming Archived 8 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Brookings.edu, 18 November 2003. Retrieved 16 April 2008.
- ^ Jeremy Lovell, Britain Set to Miss its Own Greenhouse Gas Target Britain Set to Miss its Own Greenhouse Gas Target Archived 22 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine Planet Ark, 29 March 2006
- ^ "Electricity generation". Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
- ^ Blair defends green record Archived 15 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine BBC News, 24 October 2000. Retrieved 17 April 2008.
- ^ Jack Holland, Selling the war on terror: foreign policy discourses after 9/11 (2012)
- ^ "Blair attacked over right-wing EU links" Archived 15 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine BBC News, 15 March 2002.
- ^ Ed Vulliamy, "By their friends shall we know the Sultans of Bling: Blair's relationships with Berlusconi, Bush and Murdoch have defined his premiership. Now Merkel is to join the trio" Archived 4 December 2021 at the Wayback Machine, The Guardian, 27 October 2005
- ^ Martin Kettle, "Why Ségo and Sarko have transfixed the British left" Archived 4 December 2021 at the Wayback Machine, The Guardian, 28 April 2007.
- ^ "President Declares 'Freedom at War with Fear'". archives.gov. 21 November 2001. Archived from the original on 25 February 2008.
- ^ Glover, Julian; MacAskill, Ewen (25 July 2006). "Stand up to US, voters tell Blair". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 4 December 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2007.
Britain should take a much more robust and independent approach to the United States, according to a Guardian/ICM poll published today, which finds strong public opposition to Blair's close working relationship with President Bush.
- ^ Staff and agencies (14 November 2002). "50% see Blair as Bush's lapdog". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 25 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- ^ "PM's speech on US Elections". Prime Minister's Office. 3 November 2004. Archived from the original on 19 July 2007. Retrieved 29 May 2007.
- ^ Young, Hugo (14 November 2002). "Blair has not been a poodle, but poodleism still beckons". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 26 August 2013. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
- ^ "Transcript: Bush and Blair's unguarded chat". BBC News. 18 July 2006. Archived from the original on 4 February 2009. Retrieved 20 April 2010.. In common with many news organisations the BBC transcribed Bush's greeting as "Yo, Blair", but this is a clear mishearing: see Great Political Myths Archived 25 February 2024 at the Wayback Machine Part 1, BBC Radio 4, 15 July 2007.
- ^ "Full text of letter written by eight European leaders". The Irish Times. 30 January 2003. Archived from the original on 28 July 2020. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
- ^ Anthony Seldon, Blair, (London: Free Press, 2005), p. 506.
- ^ Uni, Assaf (10 December 2007). "Finance scandal has local community worried". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 5 January 2008.
- ^ Ferguson, Euan (19 March 2006). "There was once a jolly bagman". The Guardian. UK. Archived from the original on 4 December 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
- ^ Wavell, Stuart (19 March 2006). "Lord Cashpoint's touch of money magic". The Sunday Times. UK. Archived from the original on 26 July 2008. Retrieved 21 February 2007.
- ^ "Dalyell's 'Jewish cabal' remarks denied". London, UK: BBC. 4 May 2003. Archived from the original on 26 July 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
- ^ a b c Seldon, Blair, p. 506.
- ^ Watt, Nicholas (20 January 2011). "Britain believes Israeli PM Netanyahu is an 'armour-plated bullshitter' – Alastair Campbell". The Guardian. London, UK. Archived from the original on 30 August 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
- ^ Tempest, Matthew (26 April 2004). "Diplomats attack Blair's Israel policy". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 December 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ Hinsliff, Gaby; Temko, Ned; Beaumont, Peter (30 July 2006). "Cabinet in open revolt over Blair's Israel policy". The Observer. Archived from the original on 4 December 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ Watt, Peter (6 August 2006). "The 'Complex' Issue of 'Humanitarian' Intervention". ZNetwork. Archived from the original on 13 October 2007. Retrieved 13 September 2010.
- ^ Gadher, Dipesh (1 July 2012). "Assad close to being knighted under Blair". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
- ^ "Blair hails new Libyan relations". BBC News. 25 March 2004. Archived from the original on 1 June 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
- ^ Freeman, Colin; Mendick, Robert (17 September 2011). "Libya: Tony Blair and Col Gaddafi's secret meetings". The Daily Telegraph. London, UK. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
- ^ Croft, Adrian (9 September 2011). "UK's Blair: No regrets about befriending Gaddafi". Reuters. Archived from the original on 1 July 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
- ^ Norton-Taylor, Richard (11 April 2012). "Blair 'cannot recall' MI6 rendition of rebel Libyan to Gaddafi". The Guardian. London, UK. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
- ^ a b c d Smith, David (27 November 2013). "Tony Blair plotted military intervention in Zimbabwe, claims Thabo Mbeki". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
- ^ a b "Lord Guthrie: 'Tony's General' turns defence into an attack". The Independent. 11 November 2007. Archived from the original on 28 August 2009. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
- ^ Traynor, Ian; White, Michael (11 March 2000). "Blair courts outrage with Putin visit". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 May 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
- ^ Rodgers, James (3 October 2018). "Putin And Blair: Leadership Lessons From A Failed Political Friendship". Forbes. Archived from the original on 4 May 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
- ^ Sanderson, David (1 October 2018). "MI6 regrets helping Vladimir Putin to win power, says ex-spy chief". The Times. Archived from the original on 4 May 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
- ^ Hoagland, Jim (13 April 2000). "Putin's London Ally". The Washington Post. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
- ^ Gentleman, Amelia (16 April 2000). "Putin aims to bridge the gap". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 May 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
- ^ Gordon, Michael R. (18 April 2000). "In Britain, Putin Finds Reform Popular, but Not Chechen War". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 4 May 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
- ^ MacAskill, Ewen; Diggines, Graham (18 April 2000). "Russia evades human rights issue". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 May 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
- ^ Reynolds, Maura (18 April 2000). "Visit to Britain Marks Western Debut for Putin". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 3 May 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
- ^ Hopkins, Nick (17 April 2000). "Blair defends 'reformer' Putin's visit to No 10". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 May 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
- ^ Hinsliff, Gaby (23 July 2006). "The PM, the mogul and the secret agenda". The Observer. Archived from the original on 4 December 2021.
- ^ "Tony Blair 'godfather to Rupert Murdoch's daughter'". BBC News. 5 September 2011. Archived from the original on 28 May 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
- ^ "Life after power: The loneliness of Tony Blair". The Economist. 17 December 2014. Archived from the original on 8 August 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
- ^ Alexander, Ella (19 December 2014). "Tony Blair loses cool after Economist grills him on rumours alleging Wendi Deng affair". The Independent. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
- ^ Mark Seal (19 February 2014). "Read Wendi Deng Murdoch's Mash Note Allegedly About Tony Blair: "He Has Such Good Body"". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
- ^ White, Michael (14 February 2014). "Tony Blair and Rupert Murdoch: the deconstruction of a friendship". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 November 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Blair and Murdoch spoke days before Iraq war". The Guardian. UK. 19 July 2007. Archived from the original on 31 August 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2007.
- ^ Fletcher, Kim (10 July 2006). "The meetings that matter between Murdoch and Blair". The Guardian. UK. Archived from the original on 4 December 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2007.
- ^ "When Murdoch met Blair – information released". Bindmans. Archived from the original on 5 October 2007. Retrieved 26 December 2007.
- ^ "Tony Blair to appear before Leveson Inquiry". BBC. 25 May 2012. Archived from the original on 25 May 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
- ^ Walker, Peter; Addley, Esther; O'Carroll, Lisa (28 May 2012). "Tony Blair accused of war crimes by protester at Leveson inquiry". The Guardian. London, UK. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
- ^ Eyre, Richard (5 September 2010). "The film and theatre director gives his verdict on Tony Blair's memoir". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
- ^ Buerkle, Tom (1 September 1997). "Charles Takes Diana's Body Home From Paris – World Mourns the 'People's Princess'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 22 September 2011. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
- ^ "Tony coined the 'people's princess'". The Daily Telegraph. London, UK. 9 July 2007. Archived from the original on 22 June 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
- ^ "About Alastair Campbell". Alastair Campbell.org. Archived from the original on 30 June 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
- ^ Chozick, Amy (4 September 2015). "Blair and Clinton: The HBO Movie". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017.
- ^ a b Elliott, Francis (4 September 2006). "'Deluded': Extraordinary attack on Blair by Cabinet". The Independent. UK. Archived from the original on 21 May 2008. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
- ^ A MORI opinion poll published in The Sunday Times on 15 May found that, among the general public, Blair had the support of 32%, John Prescott 19%, Margaret Beckett 14%, Gordon Brown 9% and Robin Cook 5%.[citation needed]
- ^ Rawnsley, Andrew (5 October 2003). "A marriage on the rocks". The Observer. London. Archived from the original on 4 December 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2007.
- ^ "Tony Blair throws himself into election campaign with praise for Gordon Brown and harsh words for Tories". The Guardian. 30 March 2010. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
- ^ "Blair becomes Middle East envoy". BBC News. 27 June 2007. Archived from the original on 14 July 2007. Retrieved 27 June 2007.
- ^ "US 'wants Blair' for Mid-East job". BBC News. 21 June 2007. Archived from the original on 30 June 2007. Retrieved 24 June 2007.
- ^ Tempest, Matthew; Tran, Mark (20 June 2007). "US approves of Blair as possible Middle East envoy". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 13 January 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ Hider, James (14 May 2008). "Israel may ease grip in Tony Blair deal to revive West Bank". The Times. Archived from the original on 23 September 2011.
- ^ "Tony Blair quits Middle East envoy role". BBC News. 27 May 2015. Archived from the original on 26 March 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
- ^ a b "Tony Blair joins investment bank". BBC News. 10 January 2008. Archived from the original on 11 January 2008. Retrieved 10 January 2008.
- ^ Kerbaj, Richard; Kennedy, Dominic; Hider, James (29 October 2008). "Lectures see Tony Blair earnings jump over £12m". The Times. Archived from the original on 6 January 2010.
- ^ "Tony Blair launches Faith and Globalisation programme at Durham University". Archived from the original on 9 December 2009. Retrieved 13 July 2009.
- ^ Lloyd, Chris (11 July 2009). "First faith course inspired by Blair". The Northern Echo. Archived from the original on 22 February 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
- ^ Hughes, Solomon; Leigh, David (17 March 2010). "Tony Blair got cash for deal with South Korean oil firm". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 December 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
- ^ Jones, Sam (4 July 2010). "Tony Blair's guards run up £250,000 a year in expenses". The Guardian. UK. Archived from the original on 14 December 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
- ^ Leppard, David; Hughes, Solomon (22 February 2009). "Tony Blair Inc: a nice little earner". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 13 January 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ^ Watt, Nicholas (30 June 2013). "How Tony Blair paved way for first visit by serving British PM to Kazakhstan". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 11 September 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ^ Lewis, Jason; Copping, Jasper (24 September 2011). "Tony Blair's Byzantine world of advisers and lucrative deals". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 13 October 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ^ Oborne, Peter (24 September 2011). "On the desert trail of Tony Blair's millions". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 5 August 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ^ "The Wonderful World of Tony Blair". Channel 4. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
- ^ "An appeal to the Quartet on the Middle East to sack Tony Blair". The Guardian. 24 June 2014. Archived from the original on 1 July 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
- ^ Kerbaj, Richard; Ungoed-Thomas, Jon; Fortson, Danny (23 September 2012). "Blair in £16m deal with Kazakhs". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
- ^ Nicholas, Watts (30 June 2013). "How Tony Blair paved way for first visit by serving British PM to Kazakhstan". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 11 September 2013. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
- ^ Watt, Nicholas (30 June 2013). "Kazakhstan praises Cameron and Blair for helping improving country's image". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 11 September 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
- ^ Swinford, Steven (30 June 2013). "Oil-rich Kazakhstan dictatorship boasts of British support". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 3 July 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
- ^ Mendick, Robert (24 August 2014). "Tony Blair gives Kazakhstan's autocratic president tips on how to defend a massacre". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 24 August 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
- ^ Milne, Seumas (2 July 2014). "Tony Blair to advise Egypt president Sisi on economic reform". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2 July 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
- ^ "Tony Blair denies he signed on as Egyptian president's adviser". Haaretz. 3 July 2014. Archived from the original on 2 July 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
- ^ "Tony Blair Sports Foundation". Tony Blair Sports Foundation. Archived from the original on 26 November 2009. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
- ^ "Tony Blair's Faith Foundation speech". New Statesman. 9 September 2009. Archived from the original on 12 September 2009. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
- ^ Leigh, David; Griffiths, Ian (1 December 2009). "The mystery of Tony Blair's finances". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 5 August 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
- ^ Ensor, Josie (12 July 2011). "Tony Blair comes under fire for hiring unpaid interns". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
- ^ "Tony Blair announces foundation to tackle Brexit challenges". The Independent. 1 December 2016. Archived from the original on 15 December 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
- ^ "Blair institute 'to give thought leadership'". BBC News. 1 December 2016. Archived from the original on 21 December 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
- ^ "Sanna Marin's post at Tony Blair Institute draws criticism, praise". 8 September 2023. Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
- ^ "'Frank' Blair Memoirs Out in September". The Bookseller. London. 4 March 2010. Archived from the original on 10 March 2010. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
- ^ Grice, Andrew (5 March 2010). "The £4.6m question: Is Tony Blair's 'Journey' worth the advance?". The Independent. Archived from the original on 12 February 2024. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
- ^ Booth, Robert (12 July 2010). "Tony Blair's memoirs title change strikes a less 'messianic' tone". The Guardiandate= 12 July 2010. Archived from the original on 15 July 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Webster, Philip; Jagger, Suzy; Coates, Sam; Low, Valentine (17 August 2010). "Tony Blair tries to turn page with £5m donation from sale of memoirs to Royal British Legion". The Australian.
- ^ a b c Prince, Rosa; Gammell, Caroline; Evans, Martin (16 August 2010). "Questions over size of Tony Blair's book royalty donation to Royal British Legion". The Daily Telegraph. London, UK. Archived from the original on 1 July 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
- ^ a b "Tony Blair's Journey memoirs' £5m fee provokes 'cashing in' claims". Metro. 5 March 2010. Archived from the original on 14 May 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
- ^ "Tony Blair donates book cash to injured soldier charity". BBC News. 16 August 2010. Archived from the original on 16 August 2010. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
- ^ a b c "Tony Blair's memoirs: The making of a best-seller". The Daily Telegraph. London, UK. 22 August 2010. Archived from the original on 25 October 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
- ^ Grice, Andrew (2 September 2010). "Blair's memoirs: From No10 to No1". The Independent. London: Independent Newspapers Ltd. Archived from the original on 4 September 2010. Retrieved 3 September 2010.
- ^ O'Carroll, Lisa (4 September 2010). "Tony Blair interview greeted by Iraq war protesters and Jedward fans". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 23 February 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
- ^ "Shoes and eggs thrown at Tony Blair as he attends book signing". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 7 September 2010.
- ^ a b c Helm, Toby (2 September 2012). "Tony Blair should face trial over Iraq war, says Desmond Tutu". The Observer. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
- ^ "Pinter demands war crimes trial for Blair". BBC News. 7 December 2005. Archived from the original on 29 August 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
- ^ "Writer says Bush, Blair war criminals". The Age. 3 November 2004. Archived from the original on 16 June 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
- ^ Falk, Richard (20 November 2011). "Kuala Lumpur tribunal: Bush and Blair guilty". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 23 December 2011.
- ^ a b "Desmond Tutu calls for Blair and Bush to be tried over Iraq". BBC News. 2 September 2012. Archived from the original on 2 November 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
- ^ Bowcott, Owen (31 July 2017). "Tony Blair prosecution over Iraq war blocked by judges". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 September 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- ^ Osborne, Samuel (31 July 2017). "High Court rules Tony Blair can't be prosecuted for Iraq war". The Independent. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- ^ Bowcott, Owen (5 July 2017). "Tony Blair should be prosecuted over Iraq war, high court hears". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 31 July 2017. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
- ^ "Iraq War: Bid to prosecute Tony Blair rejected by High Court". BBC News. 31 July 2017. Archived from the original on 17 October 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
- ^ Dale, Iain (20 March 2023). "On the 20th anniversary of UK". Archived from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ Rentoul, John (5 July 2016). "Let's have a serious debate about Chilcot, and stop claiming Blair is a war criminal". Middle East Eye. Archived from the original on 31 January 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
- ^ Harding, Luke (6 June 2016). "Tony Blair unrepentant as Chilcot gives crushing Iraq war verdict". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
- ^ Mason, Rowena (6 July 2016). "Tony Blair: 'I express more sorrow, regret and apology than you can ever believe'". The Guardian. London, UK. Archived from the original on 6 July 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
- ^ Cowburn, Ashley (6 July 2016). "Chilcot report: Tony Blair claims findings show he did not lie over Iraq War". The Independent. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ "Statement from Tony Blair on Chilcot Report". Office of Tony Blair. 6 July 2016. Archived from the original on 6 July 2016.
- ^ Blair, Tony (8 February 2019). "Don't make the mistake of dismissing Iran's ideology". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 11 November 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
- ^ Peachey, Paul (11 February 2019). "Tony Blair Institute: West has not learned lessons of Iran". The National. Archived from the original on 6 August 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
- ^ "Tony Blair Institute confirms donations from Saudi Arabia". Financial Times. 5 September 2018. Archived from the original on 6 August 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
- ^ "Tony Blair is advising the Saudi government under a £9 million deal between the country and his 'institute'". The Daily Telegraph. 21 July 2018. Archived from the original on 4 October 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
- ^ "Tony Blair: Britain and EU should prepare for second Brexit referendum". Euractiv. 14 December 2018. Archived from the original on 16 December 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
- ^ Ferber, Alona (30 January 2020). "Tony Blair: Remainers must accept they lost and now be constructive over Brexit". New Statesman. Archived from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ^ McTague, Tom (24 June 2020). "The Decline of the American World". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 24 June 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
- ^ Bowden, George & Lauren Turner (22 August 2021). "Afghanistan: Blair calls US withdrawal tragic and unnecessary". BBC News. Archived from the original on 22 August 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
- ^ Blair, Tony (13 August 2015). "Tony Blair: Even if you hate me, please don't take Labour over the cliff edge". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 15 September 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
- ^ Syal, Rajeev (18 December 2019). "Ditch Corbyn's 'misguided ideology', Tony Blair urges Labour". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- ^ "Tony Blair: Without total change Labour will die". New Statesman. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- ^ Courea, Eleni (12 May 2021). "Tony Blair: Labour 'needs deconstruction and reconstruction'". The Times. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- ^ Cowburn, Ashley (12 May 2021). "Labour Party needs 'total deconstruction and reconstruction' to revive, Tony Blair says". The Independent. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- ^ Statesman, New (17 May 2023). "The New Statesman's left power list". New Statesman. Archived from the original on 15 November 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
- ^ "Cherie celebrates her 30th Wedding Anniversary this spring". Cherie Blair. Archived from the original on 24 March 2010. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
- ^ "Facts: Life and times of Tony Blair". CNN. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013.
- ^ "Welcome distraction for Tony Blair". BBC News. 20 May 2000. Archived from the original on 17 November 2006. Retrieved 13 July 2010.
- ^ Mcdonagh, Melanie (13 September 2009). "Names that mean trouble". The Sunday Times. London. Archived from the original on 28 July 2011.
- ^ Rayner, Gordon (7 February 2014). "Euan Blair's mother, not his wife, is partner in marital home". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 9 February 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
- ^ Blair, Cherie (27 October 2016). "Equality between men and women is still 170 years away". The Independent. Archived from the original on 28 October 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
Last week Tony and I were delighted to welcome our first grandchild into the family.
- ^ Mendick, Robert (7 January 2012). "Blair Inc: How Tony Blair makes his fortune". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 16 May 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
- ^ "Tony Blair: I'm worth less than £20 million, and I'm not interested in making money". The Daily Telegraph. 21 July 2014. Archived from the original on 13 October 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
- ^ "New book reveals how MidEast helped Tony Blair earn $90m". Arabian Business. 8 March 2015. Archived from the original on 9 March 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
- ^ "Pandora Papers: Tony and Cherie Blair avoided paying £312,000 in tax on London property by acquiring offshore firm". The Independent. 4 October 2021. Archived from the original on 4 October 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
- ^ "Blair 'prayed to God' over Iraq". BBC News. 3 March 2006. Archived from the original on 28 September 2006. Retrieved 18 November 2006.
- ^ Watt, Nicholas (14 January 2011). "Alastair Campbell diaries: How Blair's Bible reading prompted Iraq 'wobble'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 5 April 2016.
- Third Way Magazine: the modern world through Christian eyes. Archived from the originalon 27 September 2007. Retrieved 22 November 2007.
Since 1993, Third Way has been talking in depth to men and women who help to shape our society or set the tone of our culture. We spoke to Tony Blair on 14 September 1993, before the spin doctors closed around him, when he was still shadow Home Secretary and had a full head of hair.
- ^ Brown, Colin (3 May 2003). "Campbell interrupted Blair as he spoke of his faith: 'We don't do God'". The Daily Telegraph. UK. Archived from the original on 27 March 2009. Retrieved 28 February 2009.
- ^ "The Catherine Deveney Interview: Alastair Campbell: Most people don't know me". Scotland on Sunday. 9 November 2008. Archived from the original on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
- ^ Cohen, Nick (8 December 2002). "Ev'rybody must get stones". The Observer. Archived from the original on 27 December 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ISBN 0-00-714097-5
- ^ "Blair questions Papal gay policy". BBC News. 8 April 2009. Archived from the original on 28 July 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
- ^ Chancellor, Alexander (18 May 2007). "Blair doesn't need intermediaries to communicate with God. So why does he want to become a Catholic?". The Guardian. London, UK. Archived from the original on 25 February 2024. Retrieved 22 November 2007.
- ^ "Tony Blair joins Catholic faith". BBC News. 22 December 2007. Archived from the original on 24 December 2007. Retrieved 22 November 2007.
- ^ "Blair Converts To Catholicism". Sky News. 22 December 2007. Archived from the original on 28 June 2009. Retrieved 22 November 2007.
- ^ Gledhill, Ruth; Austin, Jeremy; Webster, Philip (17 May 2007). "Blair will be welcomed into Catholic fold via his 'baptism of desire'". The Times. UK. Archived from the original on 25 July 2008. Retrieved 22 November 2007.
- ^ "100 Top Catholics". The Tablet. 11 September 2010. Archived from the original on 19 September 2010. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
- ^ "The Regina Monologues". TheSimpsons.com. Archived from the original on 20 March 2007. Retrieved 8 April 2007.
- ^ "Tony Blair a 'Simpsons' guest star". CNN. 24 November 2003. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ "Masterchef Addict's blog". The Stage. 15 March 2007. Archived from the original on 29 September 2008.
- ^ "PREMIERS SERVED A TV DINNER". Daily Mirror. 21 February 2012. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ "Catherine Tate hails Blair's comic skills". The Telegraph. London. 22 March 2007. Archived from the original on 11 January 2008. Retrieved 4 June 2007.
- ^ Nicholson, Rebecca (6 April 2020). "'I was face-to-face with Tony Blair': Michael Sheen on Murdoch, class and giving away his money". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 31 December 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ Aitkenhead, Decca (13 January 2007). "I feel that Blair is a man trapped". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ Pook, Sally (3 November 2005). "Comedy reveals almost all of Blair's early ambitions to be Mick Jagger". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 6 November 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
- ^ a b Seale, Jack (9 May 2017). "The Tony awards: who are the best and worst onscreen Blairs?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ Hibbs, James (10 November 2022). "Who plays Tony Blair in The Crown?". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ Lukowski, Andrzej (9 March 2023). "Harry Hill has written a ridiculous new musical about Tony Blair". Time Out. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
- ^ Holden, Anthony (30 September 2007). "This one's for you, Tony". The Observer. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ Plunkett, John (26 August 2011). "Comic Strip returns with Tony Blair on the run in Channel 4 film noir comedy". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
- ^ Lowry, Brian (14 June 2007). "The Trial of Tony Blair". Variety. Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
- ^ Eidenmuller, Michael E. (18 July 2003). "Tony Blair Addresses Congress Accepting the Congressional Gold Medal Award". American Rhetoric – Online Speech Bank. Archived from the original on 9 January 2011. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
- ^ "Tony Blair the African chief". Metro. UK. 30 May 2007. Archived from the original on 12 January 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
- ^ "Queen's degrees for ex-premiers". BBC News. 22 May 2008. Archived from the original on 15 January 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2008.
- ^ "Blair to get US Medal of Freedom". BBC News. 5 January 2009. Archived from the original on 8 January 2009. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
- ^ Adetunji, Jo (13 January 2009). "Bush gives Blair highest US civilian honour". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 5 September 2013. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
- ^ Hines, Nico (13 January 2009). "President Bush awards Tony Blair Presidential Medal of Freedom". The Times. Archived from the original on 12 September 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
- ^ "Blair wins Dan David Prize". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 17 February 2009. Archived from the original on 26 November 2010. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
- ^ "Blair's peace-broker prize surreal, say anti-war campaigners". Radio France Internationale. Archived from the original on 2 December 2010. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
- ^ McCarthy, Rory (17 May 2009). "Blair awarded $1m prize for international relations work". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 23 December 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
- ^ "President Sejdiu gives the Golden Medal of Freedom to Prime Minister Blair". president-ksgov.net. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- ^ "Namesakes welcome Tony Blair during Kosovo visit". BBC News. 9 July 2010. Archived from the original on 17 November 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
- ^ Chu, Ben (10 July 2010). "Named after Tony in the land where Blair is king". The Independent. Archived from the original on 6 July 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- ^ a b Tran, Mark (14 September 2010). "Liberty medal awarded to Tony Blair". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 16 September 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
- ^ "Liberty Medal". National Constitution Center. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
- ^ "Blair becomes 'Sir Tony' and joins top royal order". BBC News. 31 December 2021. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
- ^ "New Appointments to the Order of the Garter announced". royal.uk. The British Monarchy. 31 December 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
and The Right Honourable Anthony Charles Lynton Blair to be a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.
- ^ Kite, Melissa (30 December 2007). "Tony Blair spurns honours system". The Daily Telegraph. UK. Archived from the original on 15 July 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2010.
- ^ "Tony Blair: Petition to block knighthood passes one million signatures". BBC News. 7 January 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
- ^ Coughlan, Sean (13 June 2022). "Tony Blair to join Queen's highest chivalry order at Windsor ceremony". BBC News. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
Sources
- Rentoul, John (2001), Tony Blair: Prime Minister, London: Warner, ISBN 0-7515-3082-4
- Jefferys, Kevin (1999), Leading Labour: from Keir Hardie to Tony Blair, London: I.B. Tauris, ISBN 1-86064-453-8
- Rentoul, John (1996), Tony Blair, London: Warner, ISBN 0-7515-1761-5
- Marquand, David (2010), Britain Since 1918: The Strange Career Of British Democracy, Orion, ISBN 978-0-297-85636-8
Further reading
- ISBN 1-86105-364-9.
- ISBN 978-0-571-31422-5.
- Beckett, F.; Hencke, D. (2004). The Blairs and Their Court. Aurum Press. ISBN 1-84513-024-3.
- Bennister, Mark. "The oratory of Tony Blair." in Labour orators from Bevan to Miliband (Manchester University Press, 2016) pp. 156-171.
- Carr, Richard. March of the Moderates: Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, and the Rebirth of Progressive Politics (Bloomsbury, 2019).
- Cook, Jonathan. "Tony Blair-s Tangled Web: The Quartet Representative and the Peace Process." Journal of Palestine Studies 42.2 (2013): 43-60; argues Blair sought rapid self-enrichment and did little for Palestinian state-building).
- Davis, Jon; ISBN 978-0-19-960885-0.
- ISBN 0-349-11177-4.
- Henke, Marina E. "Tony Blair’s gamble: the Middle East peace process and British participation in the Iraq 2003 campaign." British Journal of Politics and International Relations 20.4 (2018): 773-789.
- ISBN 1-84115-473-3.
- ISBN 0-241-14029-3.
- ISBN 1-84275-113-1.
- ISBN 0-7432-3211-9.
- ISBN 0-7432-6392-8.
- Stephens, Philip (2004). Tony Blair: The Making of a World Leader. Viking Books. ISBN 0-670-03300-6.
- ISBN 978-1-84275-206-7.
Primary sources
- Blair, Tony (1998). ISBN 1-86105-139-5.
- Paul Richards, ed. (2004). Tony Blair: In His Own Words. Politico's Publishing. ISBN 1-84275-089-5.
- "Prime Ministers Question Time". Parliament of the United Kingdom. 27 June 2007. Archived from the original on 11 February 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
External links
- The Office of Tony Blair Archived 17 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine – Official website
- Tony Blair Faith Foundation Archived 10 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- Tony Blair collected news and commentary at The Guardian
- Tony Blair collected news and commentary at The New York Times
- The Blair Years – Timeline at BBC News
- Tony Blair at IMDb
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Portraits of Tony Blair at the National Portrait Gallery, London
- The Prime Minister Tony Charles Lynton Blair at the Wayback Machine (archived 7 June 2007) at www.pm.gov.uk
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 1803–2005
- Voting record at Public Whip
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou