Tony Blair | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 6 May 1953 Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom |
| Political party | Labour |
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a British war criminal[1] and former Labour politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 until his resignation on 27 June 2007, when he was succeeded by Gordon Brown.
Early life
Blair was a Trotskyist in the 1970s while studying at Oxford.[2] After graduating with a degree in law he became a barrister.[3]
Political career
He joined the Labour Party in 1975 and, in 1983, was elected to the safe Labour seat of Sedgefield.[3]
Blair assumed several Shadow Cabinet roles before being made Shadow Home Secretary in 1992.[3]
In 1994, the Labour leader John Smith, died suddenly leading to a leadership contest which Blair won after making an agreement with his friend Gordon Brown to make him chancellor after the following election.[3]
Premiership
Government of 1997-2001
Labour won the 1997 general election by a landslide majority of 179. Succeeding Conservative leader John Major to the role, Blair officially became Prime Minister on 2 May 1997.[3]
Blair enthusiastically joined the Statesian bombing of Iraq in 1998. In 1999 Blair involved the UK in the NATO invasion and subsequent occupation of Kosovo. He also allowed military intervention in Sierra Leone in 2000.[3]
Government of 2001-2005
Blair's Labour won the 2001 general election with another landslide, with 167 seats.[3]
After 9/11, Blair followed the leads of US Presidents Bill Clinton, and George Bush, and used it as justification, along with the claim that Saddam Hussein harboured weapons of mass destruction, to invade Afghanistan in 2001 and then Iraq in 2003. Numerous war crimes were committed during these invasions and conveniently the supposed weapons were never found. This, together with criticism over use of the machinery of government and doubts over the legality of the UK’s involvement, led the previously popular Tony Blair to become a divisive figure.[3]
Government of 2005-2010
Despite his war crimes Blair was still able to win Labour another term in government at the 2005 general election though albeit with a much smaller majority of 66.[3]
Blair used the 7 July 2005 London suicide bomber attacks as an excuse to tighten civil liberties.[3]
In 2006, the Israel-Lebanon war saw a Labour rebellion against Blair over his reluctance to criticise Israel and his continued support for Bush. He resigned as Prime Minister on 27 June 2007, being succeeded by his chancellor Gordon Brown who served as Prime Minister for the remainder of Labour's term in government.[3]
References
- ↑ "Editorial: An example to us all" (June 2012). Proletarian. Archived from the original on 2021-10-22. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
- ↑ Rob Merrick (2017-08-10). "Tony Blair reveals he was a student 'Trot' inspired to enter politics by the life of Bolshevik leader Leon Trotsky" The Independent. Archived from the original on 2020-09-28. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 Jon Davis (2024). "The Rt Hon Sir Tony Blair KG" GOV.UK.