Tony Blair, who took office as Prime Minister of Great Britain on May 2, 1997, was the youngest head of the British government since 1812. It ended 18 years of Conservative rule in Britain and cemented Labour's position of power.
During his years in power, Prime Minister Blair carried out highly successful reforms in the areas of health care, school education and the labor market. Under him, the UK economy entered a stage of sustainable growth, and the country has added almost 3 million new jobs over the past decade.
In 1997, in his first year as prime minister, Blair fulfilled his promise to hold referendums in Scotland and Wales to transfer some of the functions of central power to the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly.
The undisputed achievement of Tony Blair was the settlement in Ulster. In October 1997, Blair met with Gerry Adams, the leader of the political wing of the Irish Republican Army, Sinn Féin. In April 1998, Northern Ireland's Catholics and Protestants, who had been at war for decades, signed the Good Friday Agreement, paving the way for a further peace process. And in the fall of 2006, the warring parties came to a historic agreement on the creation of a unified government, which will begin its work on May 15, 2007. On May 8, 2007, Tony Blair said that he considered it a matter of honor to complete “on a high note” the process of forming his own authorities in Ulster, which began in the first year of his premiership.
In 1997 Blair granted independence to the Bank of England, which received the right to set interest rates independently, without consultation with the government.
In May 1998 A successful referendum was held to establish a London Assembly and an elected mayor of the capital.
In 1999 Tony Blair's government carried out a radical reform that changed the centuries-old system of forming the upper house of the British Parliament. As part of the reform of the House of Lords, the number of hereditary peers was reduced to 92.
In January 2004 Blair managed to pass through parliament a package of bills on education reform.
After the terrorist attacks in London July 7, 2005 Blair promised not to make the slightest concession to terrorism, which won him the support of citizens.
In November 2005 In the Labor parliamentary faction, a movement began to impeach Blair: the basis was the prime minister’s actions before the Iraq War, when, according to critics, he deliberately misled parliament.
In February 2006 Blair suffered a setback in parliament: his proposed bill to make incitement to racial hatred a criminal offense was rejected by a majority of one vote.
In 2006 Demands for Blair's resignation began to sound increasingly louder in connection with a whole series of scandals. In March 2006, it emerged that some wealthy entrepreneurs who had made large secret loans to the Labor Party had received seats in the House of Lords, knighthoods or other titles. Journalists called this scandal “money in exchange for titles.” Some people from the prime minister's inner circle were involved in the loud scandal, including Lord Levy, who was responsible for collecting donations in the party. Tony Blair himself was forced to give evidence in this case to the police, becoming the first sitting head of government in British history to be questioned by Scotland Yard.
In foreign policy For Great Britain, during Blair's first term, the main event was the country's participation in the Kosovo conflict. Several thousand British troops were sent to the region as part of a peacekeeping force.
In March 2000 Blair became the first Western leader to visit President-elect Vladimir Putin in Moscow Russian Federation.
In January 2003 Blair released information according to which Iraq continued to create chemical and biological weapons and hatched plans to use them. He declared the need for a speedy solution to the problem of Iraqi disarmament and traveled around European countries, campaigning for the overthrow of Hussein.
March 19, 2003 Britain sent 45,000 troops to participate in the US-led "coalition of goodwill" assembled to invade Iraq. Blair spoke to reporters in defense of his decision to participate in the Iraq campaign.
In March 2006 Anti-war activists criticized Blair for his statement that the decision to go to war with Iraq would be ultimately judged only by God.
He argued that if circumstances had been the same as in 2003, he would have decided to go to war again.
In mid-May 2007 Tony Blair is expected to announce his resignation as leader of the Labor Party, and after the election of a new leader, presumably at the end of June 2007, he will transfer the powers of prime minister to him.
In May 2007 There have been reports that Tony Blair intends to try himself as an actor in a play about the dangers of extremism after retiring.
Tony Blair was born in the Scottish city of Edinburgh into the family of a lawyer. As a child, he lived in Australia for three years.
From 1961 to 1966 he attended the private choir school at Durham Cathedral, together with Rowan Atkinson, the future actor and performer of the role of Mr. Bean. Then Tony Blair entered the privileged private school Fettes College in Edinburgh. In Fettes, Tony was not distinguished by exemplary behavior, he hated the official uniform, which was mandatory for all students, imitating Mick Jagger, he wore jeans and grew long hair. long hair. Teachers constantly complained about him because he interfered with classes.
In 1971–72, Tony Blair went to London to try his hand at rock music before studying law at St John's College, Oxford University. As a student, Tony Blair was the vocalist in the band Ugly Rumors. In 1975 he received a second degree bachelor's degree in law.
After graduating from Oxford, Tony Blair joined the Labor Party. In 1976 he became a member of Lincoln's Inn as an apprentice barrister. In the summer of 1976, Tony traveled to France and worked in a hotel bar in Paris.
Beginning of political activity
In 1975, after graduating from university, he taught law at Oxford, after which he began working in the law firm of Darry Irvine, a close friend and one of the leaders of the Labor Party, John Smith, under whose influence Tony Blair began political activity. In 1983, he took the newly created seat in Parliament, representing the Sidgefield constituency, a mining region in the north. Actively involved in the party struggle, the future prime minister was engaged in journalism and in 1987-1988 wrote his own column in The Times. His career quickly took off, and in 1992 Blair was elected to the party's executive committee.
At the head of the party
An active and ambitious politician, Blair quickly moved up the steps of the party hierarchy. On July 21, 1994, Tony Blair, after 11 years of parliamentary activity, becomes the youngest leader of the Labor Party in its entire history. He was only 41 years old then.
Blair became an ideal political leader for the Labor Party, largely deciding the outcome of the 1997 parliamentary elections in favor of his party.
Premiership
Blair was elected with an overwhelming majority of votes; British social democrats had not seen such a victory for a century. As Prime Minister of Great Britain following the 1997 elections, he replaced the conservative John Major, thus interrupting the 18-year period of rule of the Tory party.
Since May 2, 1997 - Prime Minister of Great Britain. He was re-elected in the elections of 2001 and 2005.
On May 10, 2007, Tony Blair announced that on June 27 he would submit his resignation from the post of Prime Minister to the Queen. Blair's predetermined successor was Scotsman Gordon Brown, Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Known as the prime minister most loyal to the United States.
After resignation
On the day of his resignation, June 27, 2007, he was appointed Quartet special peace envoy for the Middle East settlement.
In January 2008, he was appointed senior advisor and member of the International Affairs Council of JPMorgan Chase. Blair also works as an advisor to the financial group Zurich Financial.
In July 2009, Tony Blair announced a strategic partnership with Durham University. Similar partnerships were formed with Yale University and the National University of Singapore to create a global network of twelve leading research universities to advance its Faith and Globalization Initiative in collaboration with the Tony Blair Faith Foundation.
Since the beginning of 2010, Blair has been an adviser to the owner of the French group of companies LVMH, Bernard Arnault. Since the fall of 2011, Tony Blair has advised Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev on economic reforms.
Interesting facts
* In 1999, Blair received the International Prize named after him for his contribution to resolving the conflict in Northern Ireland and participation in the 1998 Belfast Agreement. Charlemagne.
* On May 22, 2008, Tony Blair received an honorary Doctor of Laws from Queen's University in Belfast for his contribution to resolving the conflict in Northern Ireland.
* In 2009, US President George W. Bush awarded Tony Blair the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
* In 2007, Robert Harris wrote the novel Specter, in which Tony Blair was portrayed as Prime Minister Adam Lang, a British prime minister under the influence of the CIA. In 2010, the premiere of the film “Ghost,” directed by Roman Polanski based on the book, premiered.
* Michael Sheen played the role of Tony Blair three times: in the 2003 TV film The Deal, in the 2006 TV film The Queen and in the 2010 TV film The Special Relationship.
* Blair is the record holder among British Labor members for the longest tenure at the head of the party. In the 20th century, only Blair and Margaret Thatcher remained in power through three general election campaigns.
Tony Blair was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, into the family of a lawyer. As a child, he lived in Australia for three years.
Graduated from two colleges - in Edinburgh (in a privileged private high school Fettes College) and Oxford (St. John's College Oxford). He studied law at Oxford. While studying, he joined the Labor Party. After graduating from college, Tony went to Paris, where he worked as a bartender for a year to “experience life.”
It is known that while studying at school, the future prime minister’s classmate was “Mr. Bean” himself, Rowan Atkinson.
Beginning of political activity
In 1975, after graduating from university, he taught law at Oxford, after which he began working in the law office of Darry Irvine, a close friend and one of the leaders of the Labor Party, John Smith, under whose influence Tony Blair began his political activities. In 1983 he took the newly created seat in Parliament, representing the Sidgefield constituency, a mining region in the north. Actively involved in the party struggle, the future prime minister was engaged in journalism and in 1987-1988 wrote his own column in The Times. His career quickly took off, and in 1992 Blair was elected to the party's executive committee.
At the head of the party
An active and ambitious politician, Blair quickly moved up the steps of the party hierarchy. On July 21, 1994, Tony Blair, after 11 years of parliamentary activity, becomes the youngest leader of the Labor Party in its entire history. He was only 41 years old then.
Blair became an ideal political leader for the Labor Party, largely deciding the outcome of the 1997 parliamentary elections in favor of his party.
Premiership
Blair was elected with an overwhelming majority; British Social Democrats had not seen a victory like this for a century. As Prime Minister of Great Britain following the 1997 elections, he replaced the conservative John Major, thus interrupting the 18-year period of rule of the Tory party.
Since May 2, 1997 - Prime Minister of Great Britain. He was re-elected in the elections of 2001 and 2005.
On May 10, 2007, Tony Blair announced that on June 27 he would submit his resignation from the post of Prime Minister to the Queen. Blair's predetermined successor was Scotsman Gordon Brown, Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Known as the most loyal prime minister to the United States
Social policy
New Labour's program of social change was aimed at ensuring and maintaining social justice and stability in British society. Theoretical basis Modernization of the country was promoted by the concept of the “Third Way”, developed by Tony Blair’s chief adviser Anthony Giddens. The “third way,” according to Blair, is a search for an alternative, a compromise and a combination of two elements: a market economy and universal social justice, combined with increased attention to the human factor.
One of the main vectors in the social policy of the “New Labour” was the gender program, which was based on the need for equality in society, which would contribute to sustainable democratic development. Labor focused its attention on the problem of women's employment and the problem of gender inequality in the labor market, which is most manifested in the gap in wages between the male and female population (in 1997, women's hourly earnings were 80.2% of men's hourly earnings, and in 2004 they rose to 82%).
In 1997, following the signing of the EU Social Charter, the UK announced new directions in social policy. Thus, British workers received the right to three weeks of paid leave, and since 1999 - four weeks; It was decided that the duration of overtime work should henceforth not exceed 8 hours.
In 2003, the government created the position of Minister for Children, Youth and Families with a wide range of powers. As a result, local authorities the authorities were obliged to provide the necessary assistance to families with children, especially disadvantaged ones. In March 2004, the Children's Bill was adopted, which meant ensuring a decent standard of living for children, as well as measures to provide them with sufficient assistance. Moreover, child benefits for low-income families were increased (in 2004, benefits for the first child were £16.50 per week, for each subsequent child - £11.05) and £6 billion were allocated. Art. to combat child poverty. Also, for children living in the poorest areas of Great Britain, the “Sure Start” program was developed, which included the creation of nurseries, teachers visiting poor families with small children, and informing parents on issues of child education.
In 1998 Blair developed new program development of education. A review of school curricula was announced, with an emphasis on children's individual abilities and a focus on their future professional activities. The education reform was accompanied by the introduction of an additional fee of 1 thousand pounds at universities in Wales and England. Art. (“mentoring fee”); Scotland has abandoned this innovation. In 2000, it was decided to set a course for each school to have a certain specialization, in other words, its own “ethos”. In addition, Great Britain was divided into 25 regional educational action areas and 750 thousand pounds were allocated for each. Art.
Sierra Leone
In 2000, Tony Blair sent 1,500 British troops to Sierra Leone to defend the country's capital, Freetown, from the rebel army of the Revolutionary United Front.
On May 30, 2007, Tony Blair was solemnly proclaimed the Supreme Leader of Sierra Leone. The new title formally gives Tony Blair the right to sit in the parliament of Sierra Leone. Thus, as The Daily Telegraph reports, the country's authorities noted his role in stopping civil war.
After resignation
On the day of his resignation, June 27, 2007, he was appointed Quartet special peace envoy for the Middle East settlement.
In January 2008, he was appointed senior advisor and member of the International Affairs Council of JPMorgan Chase. Blair also works as an advisor to the financial group Zurich Financial.
In January 2010, he began working for the French group of companies LVMH, where he will hold the position of personal advisor to the owner of the French group, Bernard Arnault.
In October 2011, it was announced that Tony Blair would lead a group of economic advisers to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev
Family
They met in the late 1970s in Paris. They have three sons (Ewan, Nicky and Leo) and a daughter, Catherine. The last child, Leo, was born on May 20, 2000.
Awards
- Presidential Medal of Freedom (USA, January 2009)
- Was a classmate of famous actor Rowan Atkinson
BLAIR, ANTHONY (TONY) CHARLES LINTON(Blair, Anthony (Tony) Charles Lynton) (b. 1953), Prime Minister of Great Britain. Born on May 6, 1953 in Edinburgh (Scotland), he spent his childhood in Durham in northeast England. He studied law at St John's College, Oxford University. In 1975 he joined the Labor Party. Until 1983 he worked as a lawyer, specializing in cases related to labor law.
At the general election in June 1983, Blair was elected Member of Parliament for the constituency of Sedgefield (near Durham). Since 1985 - opposition speaker on finance, trade and industry, energy and employment. After the 1992 elections - Home Secretary in the shadow cabinet of John Smith.
After the unexpected death of J. Smith, who replaced Kinnock after the defeat in the 1992 elections, Blair took over as leader of the Labor Party on July 21, 1994. Blair announced a review of the party's ideological platform and provisions relating to public ownership and the role of trade unions in party decision-making. Blair sought to present Labor as champions of law and order, taking over the traditional Conservative election theme, and also expressed support for Britain's entry into the European Union. When John Major announced the date of parliamentary elections - May 1, 1997, Blair launched a campaign under the slogan "New Labor" and declared about his support for Conservative economic policies. In addition, Labour's platform called for decentralization of government power (devolution) in Scotland and Wales, the elimination of voting rights for hereditary peers in the House of Lords and the introduction of minimum wage legislation, as well as tough measures against child offenders. In the elections, the Labor Party won an impressive victory, receiving 44% of the vote and achieving an overwhelming majority in parliament (419 of 659 seats).
One of Blair's first steps as prime minister was to relieve the Bank of England of its duty to consult with the government on interest rates. Blair took a constructive position regarding peace negotiations in Northern Ireland and Sinn Fein (the political body of the Irish Republican Army). His efforts culminated in a historic peace agreement between the conflicting parties in April 1998. Blair continued to support the peace process despite renewed violence in the region in 1998.
During his first year in office, Blair remained an unpopular figure among British left-wing politicians, who considered him a traitor to the fundamental principles of the Labor Party, but actively pursued the privatization of state-owned enterprises and reform of the social security system.
On the foreign policy front, he acted as an ally of US President Bill Clinton in the peace process in the Middle East and the Balkans. In December 1998, Blair announced the participation of the country's air force in joint actions against Iraq. In March 1999, the RAF took part in the bombing of Yugoslavia. In April 2000, Blair was the first of the G7 leaders to receive the newly elected President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, in London. In 2001 and 2005 he won the elections and was re-elected as prime minister.
On 10 May 2007, Blair announced that he was resigning as Labor leader and would formally submit his resignation as Prime Minister to the Queen on 27 June. In the internal party elections that followed, Gordon Brown won. On June 27, Blair officially resigned and Brown took office as prime minister. On the same day, the UN headquarters officially announced the appointment of Blair as a special representative of the Quartet of international mediators for the Middle East settlement, which includes the United States, the UN, the European Union and Russia.
In January 1999, Blair was awarded the international Charlemagne Prize for his active participation in the Ulster settlement negotiations, and in June 2003 he was awarded one of the most prestigious American awards - the US Congress Gold Medal. He was also honored for his "outstanding and lasting contributions to the security of all freedom-loving nations."
Anthony Charles Linton "Tony" Blair(born 6 May 1953) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was also leader of the Labor Party from 1994 to 2007, and MP for the constituency of Sidgefield from 1983 to 2007. When Blair withdrew his powers as Prime Minister and MP, he was appointed spokesman "Middle Eastern Quartet"– UN, EU, USA and Russia, and in January 2008 he began working as a senior advisor at an American bank JPMorgan Chase.
Blair was elected leader of the Labor Party in July 1994 after the sudden death of his predecessor John Smith. Under Blair's leadership, the party abandoned the policies it had followed for decades and won a decisive victory in the 1997 elections.
Blair was Labour's longest-serving prime minister and the only party leader to lead his party through three consecutive election victories.
