From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Premiership of Tony Blair
Premiership of Tony Blair
See also Blair Ministry Profession Lawyer
The Right Honourable
Religion Anglican (Before 2007)
Tony Blair Roman Catholic (2007–present)
Website Tony Blair Office
The Premiership of Tony Blair began on 2 May 1997 and
ended on 27 June 2007. While serving as Prime Minister
of the United Kingdom, Blair concurrently served as the
First Lord of the Treasury, the Minister for the Civil Ser-
vice, the Leader of the Labour Party (until Gordon Brown
was declared Labour leader on 24 June 2007), and a Mem-
ber of Parliament for the constituency of Sedgefield in
County Durham. He remains a Privy Counsellor having
first been appointed in July 1994 when he became Leader
of the Opposition. Blair is the Labour Party’s longest-
serving Prime Minister, and having led the party to three
consecutive general election victories, the only Labour
prime minister to serve two full consecutive terms.
Blair is both credited with and criticised for moving
the Labour Party towards the centre of British politics,
using the term "New Labour" to distinguish his pro-mar-
ket policies from the more collectivist policies which the
party had espoused in the past.
Blair in 2007
In domestic government policy, Blair significantly in-
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom creased public spending on health and education while
also introducing controversial market-based reforms in
In office
2 May 1997 – 27 June 2007 these areas. In addition Blair’s tenure saw the introduc-
tion of a minimum wage, tuition fees for higher educa-
Monarch Elizabeth II tion, constitutional reform such as devolution in Scot-
Deputy John Prescott land and Wales, and progress in the Northern Ireland
peace process. The British economy performed well and
Preceded by John Major the real incomes of Britons grew 18 per cent during
Succeeded by Gordon Brown 1997-2006. Blair kept to Conservative commitments not
to increase income tax in the first term although rates of
Personal details
Employee’s National Insurance (a payroll levy) were in-
Born Anthony Charles Lynton Blair creased. He also presided over a significant expansion of
6 May 1953 (1953-05-06) the welfare state during his time in office, which led to a
Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
significant reduction in poverty.[1]
Political party Labour Blair strongly supported US foreign policy, notably by
participating in the invasions of Afghanistan in 2001 and
Spouse(s) Cherie Booth
Iraq in 2003.
Relations William Blair On 7 September 2006 Blair publicly stated he would
step down as party leader by the time of the TUC confer-
Children Euan, Nicky, Kathryn, Leo
ence in September 2007. On 10 May 2007 he announced
Residence Connaught Square his intention to resign as Prime Minister on 27 June 2007.
Alma mater St John’s College, Oxford
Occupation Envoy
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Premiership of Tony Blair
First term (1997–2001)
Independence for the Bank of England
Immediately after taking office, Chancellor of the Exche-
quer Gordon Brown gave the Bank of England the power
to set the UK base rate of interest autonomously, as
agreed in 1992 in the Treaty of Maastricht. This decision
was popular with the British financial establishment in
London, which the Labour Party had been courting since
the early 1990s. Together with the Government’s deci-
sion to remain within projected Conservative spending
limits for its first two years in office, it helped to reassure
sceptics of the Labour Party’s fiscal "prudence".
The Scottish Parliament Building in Holyrood
Euro
The Blair Government decided against joining the Euro- Blair’s first term saw an extensive programme of
zone, and adopting the Euro as the currency to replace changes to the constitution. The Human Rights Act was
the British Pound. This decision was generally supported introduced in 1998; a Scottish Parliament and a Welsh
by the British public, and by all political parties in Bri- Assembly were set up; most hereditary peers were re-
tain, as well as the media. moved from the House of Lords in 1999; the Greater Lon-
On 24 June 1998, The Sun newspaper had famously don Authority and the post of Mayor of London were es-
ran the front page headline "IS THIS THE MOST tablished in 2000; and the Freedom of Information Act
DANGEROUS MAN IN BRITAIN?" when it was still uncer- was passed later in the same year, with its provisions
tain whether Blair would lead Britain into the Euro or coming into effect over the following decade. This last
stick with the Sterling currency.[2] Act disappointed campaigners[citation needed], whose hopes
had been raised by a 1998 White Paper which had
Domestic politics promised more robust legislation. Also, whether the
House of Lords should be fully appointed, fully elected, or
Styles of be subject to a combination of the two remains a disputed
Tony Blair, question. 2003 saw a series of inconclusive votes on the
British Prime Minister matter in the House of Commons.
Significant change took place to legislation relating
to rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people
Style Right Honourable (Rt.Hon.) during Blair’s period in office. During his first term, the
Post nominals MP age of consent for gay sex was equalised at 16 (see Sexual
In the early years of his first term, Blair relied for his po- Offences (Amendment) Act 2000) and the ban on gays
litical advice on a close circle of his staff, among whom in the armed forces was lifted. Subsequently, in 2005,
was his press secretary and official spokesman Alastair a Civil Partnership Act came into effect, allowing gay
Campbell. Campbell was permitted to give orders to civil couples to form legally recognised partnerships. At the
servants, who had previously taken instructions only end of September 2006 more than 30,000 Britons had en-
from ministers. Unlike some of his predecessors, Camp- tered into Civil Partnerships as a result of this law.[3]
bell was a political appointee and had not come up Adoption by gay couples was legalised, and discrimina-
through the Civil Service. Despite his overtly political tion in the workplace (Employment Equality (Sexual Ori-
role, he was paid from public funds as a civil servant. entation) Regulations 2003), and in relation to the pro-
A significant achievement of Blair’s first term was the vision of goods and services (Equality Act (Sexual Orien-
signing, on 10 April 1998, of the Belfast Agreement, gen- tation) Regulations) were both made illegal. Transgender
erally known as the Good Friday Agreement. In the Good people were given the right to change their birth certifi-
Friday Agreement, most Northern Irish political parties, cate to reflect their new gender as a result of the Gen-
together with the British and Irish Governments, agreed der Recognition Act 2004. Tony Blair has, as a result of his
upon an "exclusively peaceful and democratic" frame- achievements, become a popular figure among LGBT peo-
work for the governance of Northern Ireland and a new ple.
set of political institutions for the province. In November
1998 Blair became the first British Prime Minister to ad- Tony Blair’s touch was less sure with regard to the Mil-
dress Dáil Éireann. lennium Dome project. The incoming government great-
ly expanded the size of the project and consequently in-
2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Premiership of Tony Blair
Blair welcomes US President George W. Bush to Chequers, the
Prime Minister’s countryside retreat.
Blair embraces U.S. President Bill Clinton. Conservatives concentrated on opposing British mem-
bership of the Euro, which did little to win over floating
voters. The Labour Party preserved its majority, and Blair
creased expectations of what would be delivered. Just be-
became the first Labour Prime Minister to win a full sec-
fore its opening Blair claimed the Dome would be "a tri-
ond term. However, the election was notable for a large
umph of confidence over cynicism, boldness over bland-
fall in voter turnout.
ness, excellence over mediocrity".[4] In the words of BBC
correspondent Robert Orchard, "the Dome was to be
highlighted as a glittering New Labour achievement in
War in Afghanistan
the next election manifesto".[5] Following the 11 September 2001 attacks on New York
and Washington, Blair was very quick to align the UK
Foreign policy with the United States, engaging in a round of shuttle
diplomacy to help form and maintain an international
In 1999, Blair planned and presided over the declaration
coalition prior to the 2001 war against Afghanistan. He
of the Kosovo War. While in opposition, the Labour Party
maintains his diplomatic activity to this day, showing a
had criticised the Conservatives for their perceived
willingness to visit countries that other world leaders
weakness during the Bosnian war, and Blair was among
might consider too dangerous to visit. In 2003, he became
those urging a strong line by NATO against Slobodan
the first Briton since Winston Churchill to be awarded a
Milošević. Blair was criticised both by those on the Left
Congressional Gold Medal by the United States Congress
who opposed the war[citation needed] in principle and by
for being "a staunch and steadfast ally of the United
some others who believed that the Serbs were fighting a
States of America",[8] although media attention has been
legitimate war of self-defence. One month into the war,
drawn to the fact that Blair has yet to attend the cere-
on 22 April 1999, Blair made a speech in Chicago setting
mony to receive his medal; some commentators pointed
out his "Doctrine of the International Community".[6]
to the unpopularity in Britain of his support for the U.S.
This later became known by the media as the "Blair doc-
as the explanation for the delay. In 2003, Blair was also
trine".
awarded an Ellis Island Medal of Honor for his support of
Another significant change in 1997 was the creation
the United States after 9/11—the first non-American to
of the Department for International Development, shift-
receive the honour.[9]
ing global development policy away from the Foreign
and Commonwealth Office to an independent ministry
with a Cabinet-level minister.[7]
Iraq war
Also in 1999, Blair was awarded the Charlemagne Blair gave strong support to US President George W.
Award by the German city of Aachen for his contribu- Bush’s invasion of Iraq in 2003. He soon became the face
tions to the European ideal and to peace in Europe. of international support for the war, often clashing with
French President Jacques Chirac, who became the face of
international opposition. Widely regarded as a more per-
Second term (2001–2005) suasive speaker than Bush, Blair gave many speeches ar-
In the 2001 general election campaign, Blair emphasised guing for the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in the days
the theme of improving public services, notably the Na- leading up to the invasion.
tional Health Service and the State education system. The
3
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Premiership of Tony Blair
Blair’s case for war was based on Iraq’s alleged pos- by some in Britain on the grounds that its alleged ulti-
session of weapons of mass destruction and consequent mate purpose was to assist George Bush’s re-election[ci-
violation of UN resolutions. He was wary of making direct tation needed] in the 2004 US presidential election. As of
appeals for regime change, since international law does September 2006, seven thousand and five hundred Bri-
not recognise this as a ground for war. A memorandum tish forces remain in Southern Iraq, around the city of
from a July 2002 meeting that was leaked in April 2005 Basra. After the presidential election, Blair tried to use
showed that Blair believed that the British public would his relationship with President Bush to persuade the US
support regime change in the right political context; the to devote efforts to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian con-
document, however, stated that legal grounds for such flict.
action were weak. On 24 September 2002 the Government In an interview with David Frost on Al Jazeera in
published a dossier based on the intelligence agencies’ November 2006, Blair appeared to agree with Frost’s as-
assessments of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. sessment that the war had been "pretty much of a dis-
Among the items in the dossier was a recently received aster", although a Downing Street spokesperson denied
intelligence report that "the Iraqi military are able to de- that this was an accurate reflection of Blair’s view.[11]
ploy chemical or biological weapons within 45 minutes of
an order to do so". A further briefing paper on Iraq’s al- Domestic politics
leged WMDs was issued to journalists in February 2003. After fighting the 2001 election on the theme of improv-
This document was discovered to have taken a large part ing public services, Blair’s government raised taxes in
of its text without attribution from a PhD thesis available 2002 (described by the Conservatives as "stealth taxes")
on the internet. Where the thesis hypothesised about in order to increase spending on education and health.
possible WMDs, the Downing Street version presented Blair insisted the increased funding would have to be
the ideas as fact. The document subsequently became matched by internal reforms. The government intro-
known as the "Dodgy Dossier".[10] duced the Foundation Hospitals scheme to allow NHS
Forty-six thousand British troops, one-third of the to- hospitals financial autonomy, although the eventual
tal strength of the British Army (land forces), were de- shape of the proposals, after an internal struggle with
ployed to assist with the invasion of Iraq. When after Gordon Brown, allowed for less freedom than Blair had
the war, no WMDs were found in Iraq, the two dossiers, wished. But with the supply of healthcare services in-
together with Blair’s other pre-war statements, became creasing less quickly than demand, benefits from the NHS
an issue of considerable controversy. Many Labour Party have not yet increased to the same degree, and the NHS
members, including a number who had supported the had an £800 million deficit for the 2005/6 financial year.
war, were among the critics. Successive independent in- The peace process in Northern Ireland hit a series of
quiries (including those by the Foreign Affairs Select problems. In October 2002, the Northern Ireland Assem-
Committee of the House of Commons, the senior judge bly established under the Good Friday Agreement was
Lord Hutton, and the former senior civil servant Lord suspended. Attempts to persuade the IRA to decommis-
Butler of Brockwell) have found that Blair honestly stat- sion its weapons were unsuccessful, and, in the second
ed what he believed to be true at the time, though Lord set of elections to the Assembly in November 2003, the
Butler’s report did imply[citation needed] that the Govern- staunchly unionist Democratic Unionist Party replaced
ment’s presentation of the intelligence evidence had the more moderate Ulster Unionist Party as Northern
been subject to some degree of exaggeration. These find- Ireland’s largest unionist party, making a return to de-
ings have not prevented frequent accusations that Blair volved government more difficult. At the same time, Sinn
was deliberately deceitful, and, during the 2005 election Féin replaced the more moderate SDLP as the province’s
campaign, Conservative leader Michael Howard made largest nationalist party.
political capital out of the issue. In its first term, the government had introduced an
Then Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi annual fixed tuition fee of around £1,000 for higher ed-
Annan, stated in September 2004 that the invasion was ucation students (rejecting requests from universities to
"illegal", but did not state the legal basis for this asser- be allowed to vary the fee), with reductions and exemp-
tion. Prior to the war, the UK Attorney General Lord tions for poorer students. At the same time, the remain-
Goldsmith, who acts as the Government’s legal adviser, ing student maintenance grant was replaced with a low-
had advised Blair that the war was legal. interest loan, which was to be repaid once the student
British armed forces were active in southern Iraq to was earning over a certain threshold. In 2003, Blair intro-
stabilise the country in the run-up to the Iraqi elections duced legislation permitting universities to charge vari-
of January 2005. In October 2004, the UK government able fees of up to £3,000 per year. At the same time, the
agreed to a request from US forces to send a battalion of repayment of student loans was delayed until the gradu-
the Black Watch regiment to the American sector in or- ate’s income was much higher, and grants were reintro-
der to free up US troops for an assault on Fallujah. The duced for some students from poorer backgrounds. It was
subsequent deployment of the Black Watch was criticised
4
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Premiership of Tony Blair
claimed the increase in university fees violated a promise port of considering "whether there exist sufficient
in Labour’s 2001 election manifesto, though this claim is grounds to impeach" Blair (a 24th MP signed the motion
arguably unsustainable if the relevant promise is inter- but later withdrew his name). The Early Day Motion has
preted strictly and literally. At its second reading in the now expired.
House of Commons in January 2004, the Higher Education Main article: Impeach Blair campaign
Bill which contained the changes was passed with a ma- In April 2004, Blair announced that a referendum would
jority of only five, due to a large-scale backbench Labour be held on the ratification of the EU Constitution. This
rebellion. A defeat was averted by a last-minute change represented a significant development in British politics:
of intention by a small number of Gordon Brown’s back- only one nationwide referendum had previously been
bench allies[citation needed]. held (in 1975, on whether the UK should remain in the
EEC), though a referendum had been promised if the
Government decided to join the Euro, and referendums
had been held on devolved structures of government in
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It was a dramatic
change of policy for Blair, who had previously dismissed
calls for a referendum unless the constitution fundamen-
tally altered the UK’s relationship with the EU. Michael
Howard seized upon this "EU-turn", reminding Blair of
his declaration to the 2003 Labour Party conference that
"I can only go one way. I haven’t got a reverse gear". The
referendum was expected to be held in early 2006; how-
ever, after the French and Dutch rejections of the consti-
tution, the Blair government announced it was suspend-
ing plans for a referendum for the foreseeable future.
Effigy of Tony Blair from a 2003 anti-war demonstration During his second term, Blair was increasingly the
against the Iraq War target for protests. His speech to the 2004 Labour Party
conference, for example, was interrupted both by a pro-
On 1 August 2003 Blair became the longest continu- tester against the Iraq War and by a group that opposed
ously serving Labour Prime Minister of the United King- the government’s decision to allow the House of Com-
dom, surpassing Clement Attlee’s 1945–1951 term. mons to ban fox hunting.
The Hutton Inquiry into the death of Dr. David Kelly On 15 September 2004 Blair delivered a speech on the
reported on 2 August, ruled that he had committed sui- environment and the ’urgent issue’ of climate change. In
cide, and despite widespread expectations that the re- unusually direct language he concluded that If what the
port would criticise Blair and his government, Hutton science tells us about climate change is correct, then unabated
cleared the Government of deliberately inserting false in- it will result in catastrophic consequences for our world... The
telligence into the September Dossier, while criticising science, almost certainly, is correct. The action he proposed
the BBC editorial process which had allowed unfounded to take appeared to be based on business and investment
allegations to be broadcast. Evidence to the inquiry rather than legislative or tax-based attempts to reduce
raised further questions over the use of intelligence in CO2 emissions: ...it is possible to combine reducing emissions
the run up to the war, and the report did not satisfy op- with economic growth... investment in science and technology
ponents of Blair and of the war. After a similar decision and in the businesses associated with it...[13]
by President Bush, Blair set up another inquiry — the
Butler Review — into the accuracy and presentation of Health problems
the intelligence relating to Iraq’s alleged weapons of
On 19 October 2003 it emerged Blair had received treat-
mass destruction. Opponents of the war, especially the
ment for an irregular heartbeat. Having felt ill the pre-
Liberal Democrats, refused to participate in this inquiry,
vious day, he went to hospital and was diagnosed with
since it did not meet their demands for a full public in-
supraventricular tachycardia. This was treated by car-
quiry into whether the war was justified[citation needed].
dioversion and he returned home that night. He was re-
The political fallout from the Iraq War continued to
ported to have taken the following day (20 October) more
dog Blair’s premiership after the Butler Review. On 25
gently than usual and returned to a full schedule on 21
August 2004 Plaid Cymru MP Adam Price announced he
October. Downing Street aides later suggested the palpi-
would attempt to impeach Blair,[12] hoping to invoke a
tations had been brought on by drinking lots of strong
Parliamentary procedure that has lain dormant for 150
coffee at an EU summit and then working-out vigorously
years but has never been abolished. However, of 640 MPs
in the gym. However, former minister Lewis Moonie, a
in the House of Commons only 23 backed the Commons
doctor, said the treatment was more serious than Num-
motion—officially known as an Early Day Motion—in sup-
5
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Premiership of Tony Blair
ber 10 had admitted: "Anaesthetising somebody and giv- Chirac held several meetings with Schröder[citation
ing their heart electric shocks is not something you just needed] and the pair pressed for the UK to give up the re-
do in the routine run of medical practice." bate won by Margaret Thatcher in 1984. After verbal con-
In September 2004, in off-the-cuff remarks during an flict over several weeks, Blair, along with the leaders of
interview with ITV news, Lord Bragg said Blair was "un- all 25 member states, descended on Brussels for the EU
der colossal strain" over "considerations of his family" Summit of the 18 June 2005 to attempt to finalise the EU
and that Blair had thought "things over very carefully." budget for 2007–2013. Blair refused to renegotiate the re-
This led to speculation Blair would resign. Although de- bate unless the proposals included a compensating over-
tails of a family problem were known by the press, no pa- haul of EU spending, particularly on the Common Agri-
per reported them because according to one journalist, cultural Policy which composes 44% of the EU budget.
to have done so would have breached "the bounds of pri- The CAP stayed as it was agreed upon in 2002 and no de-
vacy and media responsibility."[14] cision about the budget was reached under the Luxem-
Blair underwent a catheter ablation to correct his ir- bourg presidency.
regular heartbeat on 1 October 2004, after announcing Now it fell to Blair to broker a deal on the EU budget
the procedure on the previous day, in a series of inter- during the UK’s Presidency of the European Union during
views in which he also declared he would seek a third the latter half of 2005. Early international opinion, par-
term but not a fourth.[15] The planned procedure was ticularly in the French press, suggested that Blair held a
carried out at London’s Hammersmith hospital. strong opening position partly on account of the concur-
rence of British presidencies of the EU and G8. Howev-
Connaught Square er, early in the UK’s six-month term the 7 July London
At the same time as Blair’s operation it was disclosed the bombings distracted political attention from the EU de-
Blairs had purchased a house at 29 Connaught Square, spite some ambitious early statements about Blair’s agen-
London, for a reported £3.5 million.[16] Some have specu- da.[18] Domestically, Blair faced further distractions from
lated that part of No. 29 is to be converted into offices for European affairs including a resurgent Conservative Par-
a future Blair Foundation[citation needed]. The purchase also ty under its newly-elected leader David Cameron, and as-
led to more speculation that Blair was preparing for life sessments of the British presidency’s achievements un-
after government. der Blair have been[19] lukewarm in spite of some diplo-
matic success including a last-minute budget deal. One of
the results of which was an agreement to increase Bri-
Third term (2005–2007) tish contributions to the EU Development Budget for new
The Labour Party won the Thursday 5 May 2005 general member countries, which effectively reduced the UK re-
election and a third consecutive term in office. The next bate by 20%[citation needed].
day, Blair was invited to form a Government by Queen
Elizabeth II. The reduction in the Labour majority (from London to host the 2012 Summer
167 to 66) and the low share of the popular vote (35%) led Olympics
to some Labour MPs calling for Blair to leave office soon- On 6 July 2005, during the 117th International Olympic
er rather than later; among them was Frank Dobson, who Committee (IOC) session in Singapore, the IOC an-
had served in Blair’s cabinet during his first term. How- nounced that the 2012 Summer Olympics, the Games of
ever, dissenting voices quickly vanished as Blair in June the XXX Olympiad, were awarded to London over Paris
2005 took on European leaders over the future direction by only four votes. The competition between Paris and
of the European Union. London to host the Games had become increasingly heat-
ed particularly after French President Jacques Chirac
G8 and EU presidencies commented three days before the vote that "one cannot
The rejection by France and the Netherlands of the treaty trust people [ie: the British] whose cuisine are so bad."[20]
to establish a constitution for the European Union pre- The surprise win by London over the perceived frontrun-
sented Blair with an opportunity to postpone a UK refer- ner Paris was said to have been decided by the presence
endum and Foreign Secretary Jack Straw announced that of Blair at the IOC session. Irish IOC member Patrick Hick-
the Parliamentary Bill to enact a referendum was sus- ey said, "This is down to Tony Blair. If he hadn’t come
pended indefinitely. It had previously been agreed that here I’d say that six to eight votes would have been lost
ratification would continue unless the treaty had been and London would not be sitting here today winners".[21]
rejected by at least five of the 25 European Union mem-
ber states who must all ratify it. In an address to the 2005 London bombings
European Parliament, Blair stated: "I believe in Europe as On Thursday 7 July 2005, a series of four bomb explosions
a political project. I believe in Europe with a strong and struck London’s public transport system during the
caring social dimension."[17] morning rush-hour. All four incidents were suicide
6
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Premiership of Tony Blair
A Guardian/ICM poll conducted after the first wave of
attacks found that 64% of the British population believed
that Blair’s decision to wage war in Iraq had led indirect-
ly to the terrorist attacks on London.[23] The public did
however indicate approval of Blair’s handling of the at-
tacks, with his approval rating moving into positive terri-
tory for the first time in five years.[24] In December 2005,
the Prime Minister was presented with the "Statesman of
the Decade" award by the EastWest Institute, a trans-At-
lantic think tank that organises an annual Security Con-
ference in Brussels.
Proposed laws to cope with the threat of terrorism
proved extremely controversial; an amendment to re-
Tony Blair reads a statement following the 7 July 2005 London
bombings. quire that glorifying terrorism be deliberate in order to
be an offence was rejected in the House of Commons by
just three votes (a result initially announced as a one-
bombings. Fifty-six people were killed and 700 injured.
vote margin, due to a miscount). The proposal to allow
The incident was the deadliest single act of terrorism in
terrorist suspects to be held for questioning for up to 90
the United Kingdom since 270 died in the 1988 bombing
days was defeated on 9 November by a margin of 31[25]
of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland and re-
with 49 Labour MPs voting against the government. In-
placed the 1998 Omagh Bombing (29 dead) as the second
stead, MPs supported an amendment to allow question-
most deadly terrorist attack on British soil. It was also the
ing for 28 days proposed by veteran backbencher David
deadliest bombing in London since World War II.
Winnick. This was Blair’s first defeat on the floor of the
Blair made a statement about the day’s bombings,
House of Commons since he became Prime Minister in
saying that he believed it was "reasonably clear" that it
1997, and most commentators saw this as seriously un-
was an act of terror, and that he hoped the people of Bri-
dermining his authority.[26]
tain could demonstrate that their will to overcome the
events is greater than the terrorists’ wish to cause de-
struction. He also said that his determination to "defend"
Education reforms 2006
the British way of life outweighed "extremist determina- The introduction of further reforms to the education sys-
tion" to destroy it[citation needed]. On 13 July 2005, he told tem, which restricted the involvement of local education
that international cooperation would be needed to "pull authorities in opening new schools, proved controver-
up this evil ideology by its roots".[22] sial. Labour backbenchers opposed to the proposals pro-
On 21 July 2005, a second series of explosions were re- duced a rival manifesto, and the Bill to introduce the
ported in London, two weeks and some hours after the 7 changes was delayed while the government negotiated
July 2005 London bombings. Four controlled explosions, with them. The Conservative Party declared its support
of devices considerably less advanced than those of the for the reforms, making passage certain but increasing
previous attacks, were carried out at Shepherd’s Bush, the likelihood that Labour MPs would vote against them.
Warren Street and Oval underground stations, and on a On 15 March 2006, the Education and Inspections Bill
bus in Shoreditch. Even though the attacks on the 21st passed its second reading, with 52 Labour MPs voting
were less severe than those on the 7th, Blair was report- against; had the Conservative Party also voted against it
ed to have said that the bombings in London today were would have been defeated.
intended "to scare people and to frighten them, to make
them anxious and worried". He went on to say how the Local elections on 4 May 2006 and cabi-
"police have done their very best, and the security ser- net reshuffle
vices too, in the situation, and I think we have just got to The local elections in England on 4 May 2006 dealt a blow
react calmly and continue with our business as much as to Blair, with the loss of 317 seats and 18 councils. This
possible normal". result was thought to be partly continued fallout from
Concerns about terror attacks led to 10 Downing public dissatisfaction over the decision to invade Iraq,
Street requesting media organisations not to identify the and partly due to a scandal concerning the Home Of-
location of Blair’s 2005 summer holiday. After Blair at- fice’s mishandling of foreign criminals’ deportation. At
tended a public function it was acknowledged that the the same time, an affair of the Deputy Prime Minister
holiday was in Barbados, as a guest of the singer Cliff John Prescott with his diary secretary had been made
Richard with whom Blair has stayed before. During a re- public. Further, some Primary Care and Hospital Trust
newed stay there in August 2006, Blair refused to endorse sustained significant deficits and had to release staff,
calls for a ceasefire in Lebanon[citation needed]. which called into question the position of Health Secre-
7
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Premiership of Tony Blair
tary Patricia Hewitt. On 5 May, Blair reshuffled his Cabi-
net. Most significantly, Charles Clarke and Foreign Sec-
retary Jack Straw were relieved of their duties and many
other positions were reassigned.
Darfur
Blair urged his fellow EU members on 20 October 2006 to
send a strong message to the Sudanese government that
it must allow a UN force into Darfur, arguing that it is
a critical time for Darfur and therefore a chance for the
EU to strengthen the pressure on the Sudanese govern-
ment.[27]
Debate over Muslim women wearing
veils
A debate over Muslim women wearing veils developed
after Leader of the Commons Jack Straw said he asked
women in his constituency to remove them when they
visited him. The Prime Minister believed that this was a
"mark of separation" and made some "outside the com-
munity feel uncomfortable". He also backed Kirklees
Council, which suspended a classroom assistant Aishah
Azmi for refusing to remove her full face veil at
school.[28]
Cash for honours
Blair was interviewed in connection with the cash for ho-
nours investigation by the police in December 2006, the
first time that a serving Prime Minister has been ques- Tony Blair in March 2007.
tioned by police regarding a criminal investigation.[29]
He was interviewed for a second time on 26 January 2007
terror attacks also reduced the likelihood of an early de-
after the arrest of Downing Street official Ruth Turner.
parture. Speculation as to the likely timing of Blair’s de-
An embargo was placed on this news at the request of the
parture increased in May 2006, following Labour’s poor
Metropolitan Police until 1 February.[30]
results in English local elections.
It was reported on 30 July 2006 that Blair had agreed
Resignation as Labour Party leader and
to a £4m deal, in exchange his personal diaries, with a
Prime Minister publishing firm owned by Rupert Murdoch.[32]
See also: Labour Party (UK) leadership election, 2007 On 5 September 2006, a letter signed by 17 Labour
After Labour’s 2004 conference, on 30 September 2004, MPs called for Tony Blair to resign. On the same day 49
Blair announced in a BBC interview[31] that he would other Labour MPs signed a statement supporting Blair’s
serve a "full third term" but would not fight a fourth gen- departure timetable.[33] The next day The Sun reported
eral election. No term limits exist in British politics, and that Blair would step down as Labour leader on 31 May
such an announcement was historically unprecedented. 2007, and as Prime Minister when a new leader is elected.
Blair said he would give "ample time" for his successor to That same day, seven of the MPs who signed the letter re-
establish himself before the next general election, likely signed as Parliamentary Private Secretaries (unpaid and
to be held in 2009 or 2010. unofficial posts assisting Government ministers).
Following the 2005 election, there was constant spec- On 7 September 2006, Blair announced that the 2006
ulation over the date of Blair’s departure. At Westmin- Labour Party conference would be his last as leader (in
ster, he was expected to retire after the proposed UK ref- other words, he planned to resign by September 2007).
erendum on the European Union Constitution, but the He did not announce a specific timetable for either his
constitution being thwarted at referendum in other departure or the election of a new leader, but he did
countries negated any need for one in the UK (such a ma- state that he would "set a precise date" at some point
jor issue as a union-wide constitution would require una- in the future. On 26 September 2006, he restated this at
nimity amongst the EU’s member states). The July 2005
8
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Premiership of Tony Blair
Labour’s annual conference "this is my last conference as al when Kofi Annan stepped down on 31 December 2006,
leader".[34][35] but Blair did not pursue that position.[44]
On 24 November, Tony Blair addressed the Scottish Blair was appointed envoy for the Quartet on the
Labour conference as Labour Party leader and Prime Middle East.[45]
Minister for the last time.[36]
His successor was widely expected to be Gordon
Brown, the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, who
Allegations over death of Diana
launched his leadership bid on 11 May 2007. The only On 18 February 2008, Blair was accused - along with MI5,
other politician to formally declare himself a contender MI6, the British ambassador to France, Prince Charles
for Labour leadership following Blair’s departure was and Prince Philip - by Mohamed Al-Fayed of conspiring
left-wing Labour MP John McDonnell, who launched his to murder Diana, Princess of Wales and Fayed’s son Dodi
campaign on 14 July 2006.[37] To stand in the leadership when they met their deaths in a Paris car crash on 31 Au-
contest, candidates required the nominations of 12.5% of gust 1997, less than four months after Blair became prime
sitting Labour MPs - then 44 MPs.[38] minister.[46] At the end of the following month, however,
On 2 May 2007, Tony Blair announced that he would the inquest at which Fayed made the allegations estab-
be stepping down as Prime Minister in a matter of weeks. lished that there was "not a shred of evidence" that any
He further encouraged Gordon Brown as his successor as of the parties accused by him had been involved in the
leader of the Labour Party. On 3 May, it was further clari- deaths.[47]
fied by Downing Street that the exact date of resignation
would be announced on 10 May. The following election of
a new leader of the Labour Party was expected to take 48
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he told his ministers about his resignation plans and later [2] [1]
making a speech at the Trimdon Labour Club in his [3] "Civil Partnerships: Over 18,000 formed by
Sedgefield constituency before announcing at a press December 2006". Office for National Statistics.
conference that he would step down as Prime Minister on 2007-06-28. http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/
27 June 2007 and that he would be asking the NEC to be- nugget.asp?id=1685. Retrieved 2007-06-30.
gin seeking a successor as Labour leader immediately. His [4] "Countdown of controversy". BBC News.
deputy, John Prescott, announced that he was also step- 2002-05-29. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/
ping down as Deputy Prime Minister later in the day at uk_politics/1009660.stm. Retrieved 2006-11-18.
his local meeting in Hull. Blair began a world tour with [5] "Dome woes haunt Blair". BBC News. 2001-02-15.
a visit to Paris on 11 May to visit newly elected French http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/
president Nicolas Sarkozy. Prior to the speech at Trim- 1172367.stm. Retrieved 2006-11-18.
don, Blair had. His last two major events were the 33rd G8 [6] "The Blair Doctrine". Online Focus. MacNeil/Lehrer
summit in Heiligendamm and the European Council sum- Productions. 1999-04-22. http://www.pbs.org/
mit from 21 and 22 June 2007.[39] newshour/bb/international/jan-june99/
Gordon Brown was duly elected Labour leader as the blair_doctrine4-23.html. Retrieved 2006-11-18.
only successfully nominated candidate with 313 nomina- [7] http://www.cgdev.org/files/4371_file_WP_70.pdf
tions compared to John McDonnell’s 29 at close of nom- [8] "Award of a Congressional Gold Medal to Tony
inations on 17 May 2007, the result being declared for- Blair". Congressional Record—Senate. 2003-05-14.
mally and coming into effect on 24 June 2007 with Tony http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/
Blair resigning as Prime Minister on 27 June 2007 and getpage.cgi?dbname=2003_record&page=S6405&position=all.
Gordon Brown being asked to form a government by the Retrieved 2006-11-18.
Queen later that day.[40][41] Blair stepped down as an MP [9] "US to award Blair for leadership". BBC News.
immediately triggering a by-election.[42] He has declined 2003-04-16. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/
the traditional seat in the House of Lords offered to for- 2954567.stm. Retrieved 2006-11-18.
mer prime ministers, commenting that it is, "...not my [10] "Downing St apologises for dodgy dossier".
scene"[43] Channel 4. 2003-06-08. http://www.channel4.com/
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2006-11-18. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/
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stand for the position of United Nations Secretary-Gener-
9
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uk_politics/3705684.stm. Retrieved 2006-11-18. index.htm. Retrieved 2006-11-21.
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does a Thatcher to the EU, only ruder". Daily [31] Marr, Andrew (interviewer) (2004). BBC Interview
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ixnewstop.html. Retrieved 2006-11-18. American Dream". The Independent (London:
[18] "Blair urges debate on EU’s future". BBC News. Independent News and Media Ltd.).
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http://telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/
10
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Premiership of Tony Blair
Preceded by British Premierships Succeeded by
John Major 1997-2007 Gordon Brown
[40] "Labour leader election timetable". BBC News. [46] "Diana murdered, Al Fayed claims". BBC News.
2007-05-09. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/ 2008-02-18. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/
politics/6457597.stm. 7250002.stm.
[41] "Labour leadership, close of nominations". Labour [47] "Duke ’did not order Diana death’". BBC News.
Party website. 2007-05-17. 2008-03-31. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/
http://www.labour.org.uk/leadership/ 7322204.stm.
nominations_close_-_1230_thursday_17_may.
[42] [2] Persondata
[43] Oonagh Blackman The Blair interview: I won’t be
Name Blair, Premiership Of Tony
Lord Blair Mirror 14 December 2005
[44] "BBC: Clinton backs Blair as UN chief". BBC News. Alternative names
2006-01-14. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/ Short description
uk_politics/4611836.stm. Retrieved 2006-11-18. Date of birth 6 May 1953
[45] "Blair becomes Middle East envoy". BBC News. 27
Place of birth Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
June 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/
uk_politics/6244358.stm. Retrieved 2007-06-30. Date of death
Place of death
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Premiership_of_Tony_Blair&oldid=460434346"
Categories:
• Tony Blair
• Living people
• British premierships
• 1990s in the United Kingdom
• 2000s in the United Kingdom
• 1997 establishments in the United Kingdom
• 2007 disestablishments
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