Tony Blair
Sir Tony Blair (born 1953) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He was Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and is the longest-serving Labour prime minister, the only Labour leader to win three consecutive general elections. In 2016 he founded the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, where he serves as executive chairman.
Biography
Tony Blair was a barrister who entered Parliament for Labour in 1983. He became party leader in 1994 and rebranded it as "New Labour", dropping its commitment to nationalisation.
He won a landslide in 1997 and two further elections, serving as prime minister until 2007. His government made the Bank of England independent, created devolved parliaments in Scotland and Wales, introduced a minimum wage and helped secure the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland.
He sent British forces to Kosovo, Sierra Leone and Afghanistan, and joined the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, a decision that damaged his reputation. He handed over to Gordon Brown in 2007 and later worked as an envoy to the Middle East and through his own institute.
Offices held
Margaret Beckett Succeeded by
John Major
Margaret Beckett Succeeded by
Gordon Brown
John Major Succeeded by
Gordon Brown
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