Tony Blair
Tony Blair has had three consecutive terms as UK Prime Minister, in many ways shaping the course of history as a major first world leader.Almost a decade as the elected head of a nation – the UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has much to be proud of. In modern history, it speaks of immense popularity. Over the years he has come to define so many things, there are even those who even wonder what makes him so admired, yet Tony Blair, has quite a stature as a major world leader.
His journey to power began in July 1994, when he led the Labor Party, following the sudden death of John Smith. Over the years, he ironically became a “reformist”, even admiring the vision of Margaret Thatcher. He is credited with bringing the expression, “New Labor" into fore, which saw a radical shift to a more pro-market reform policy. The 1997 election saw Anthony Charles Lynton Blair lead his party into an overwhelming majority. This ended the eighteen-year era of Conservative Party. Ever since, he has led his party into three successful election victories.
He was born in May 6, 1953, in Edinburgh, to Leo and Hazel Blair. His older brother William Blair, is a barrister and a Queen's Counsel and he has a sister Sarah. His father was a learned university man.
After he left Edinburgh, he lived at Stepps near Glasgow and later in Durham. Later, he studied in Durham's Chorister School, and then was a border at Fettes College. We can only imagine this, but the future UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, modeled himself on Mick Jagger and came across the epitome of “cool”! In fact, reports suggest that he was considered quite a troublemaker in those days.
After graduating from Oxford, he joined the Labor Party. His first foray into elections saw him lose pretty badly, having garnered only ten percent of the total votes. But, he did manage to impress the party seniors, especially Michael Foot. It was in 1983 that he was able to win an election, in the new constituent of Sedgefield, near Durham. This had no Labor candidate, and with the backing of John Burton, he was able to stand for elections here. As of yet he still adhered to the traditional Socialist principles of the Labor Party, including supporting nuclear disarmament. In fact, in 1983, after winning the elections, he spoke about his strong belief in the socialism. As an opposition member, Tony Blair was efficient. In 1984, he became the Shadow Governments Treasury Representative, and under this, he was able to insist on an inquiry into the Bank of England, which was involved in an embarrassing rescue of the Johnson Matthey Bank. His politics also became a little more center of the left, when he, associated with Neil Kinnock and his position of reformism. Later, he won an election of the Shadow Government, and that marked him out as a leader.
In October 1987, came the stock market crash, and this saw the stature of the future British Prime Minister Tony Blair rise, when he questioned the morality and ability of the Stock market traders. His shift to center was marked finally, when he supported the European "Social Charter" policies on very sensitive area of employment law. This angered the extreme left of the Labor Party.
Soon enough as Director for Communications, he became the voice of the party. However, his first major platform speech at the party conference was quite a disaster, though his star was on the ascent. Tony Blair, had the task of modernizing the very image of the Labor Party, which by the time the 1992 elections was seen as rather weak and vacillating.
In 1994, after the death of John Smith, he beat and Margaret Beckett and John Prescott to be the Leader of Opposition, and now he could be addressed as “The Right Honorable”. This rise coincided with the increasing unpopularity with the John Major’s Conservative Party, which was then in power. In 1997, came Tony Blair’s moment and his first step as the leader of the nation. Some of his achievements in the First term were:
In the second term, things got tougher. This saw the Iraq war and even a move to impeach him, as he was accused of lying about the reasons of war along many other factors that questioned his moral authority. However, this did not stop him from a rather unexpected victory in the third term. The third term as of yet has been turbulent, with the London Underground bombings and the diverse opinions on the European Union. He is now talking about not seeking the fourth term.
The UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, has not only lived in interesting times, but has stage-managed many of them too.
His journey to power began in July 1994, when he led the Labor Party, following the sudden death of John Smith. Over the years, he ironically became a “reformist”, even admiring the vision of Margaret Thatcher. He is credited with bringing the expression, “New Labor" into fore, which saw a radical shift to a more pro-market reform policy. The 1997 election saw Anthony Charles Lynton Blair lead his party into an overwhelming majority. This ended the eighteen-year era of Conservative Party. Ever since, he has led his party into three successful election victories.
He was born in May 6, 1953, in Edinburgh, to Leo and Hazel Blair. His older brother William Blair, is a barrister and a Queen's Counsel and he has a sister Sarah. His father was a learned university man.
After he left Edinburgh, he lived at Stepps near Glasgow and later in Durham. Later, he studied in Durham's Chorister School, and then was a border at Fettes College. We can only imagine this, but the future UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, modeled himself on Mick Jagger and came across the epitome of “cool”! In fact, reports suggest that he was considered quite a troublemaker in those days.
After graduating from Oxford, he joined the Labor Party. His first foray into elections saw him lose pretty badly, having garnered only ten percent of the total votes. But, he did manage to impress the party seniors, especially Michael Foot. It was in 1983 that he was able to win an election, in the new constituent of Sedgefield, near Durham. This had no Labor candidate, and with the backing of John Burton, he was able to stand for elections here. As of yet he still adhered to the traditional Socialist principles of the Labor Party, including supporting nuclear disarmament. In fact, in 1983, after winning the elections, he spoke about his strong belief in the socialism. As an opposition member, Tony Blair was efficient. In 1984, he became the Shadow Governments Treasury Representative, and under this, he was able to insist on an inquiry into the Bank of England, which was involved in an embarrassing rescue of the Johnson Matthey Bank. His politics also became a little more center of the left, when he, associated with Neil Kinnock and his position of reformism. Later, he won an election of the Shadow Government, and that marked him out as a leader.
In October 1987, came the stock market crash, and this saw the stature of the future British Prime Minister Tony Blair rise, when he questioned the morality and ability of the Stock market traders. His shift to center was marked finally, when he supported the European "Social Charter" policies on very sensitive area of employment law. This angered the extreme left of the Labor Party.
Soon enough as Director for Communications, he became the voice of the party. However, his first major platform speech at the party conference was quite a disaster, though his star was on the ascent. Tony Blair, had the task of modernizing the very image of the Labor Party, which by the time the 1992 elections was seen as rather weak and vacillating.
In 1994, after the death of John Smith, he beat and Margaret Beckett and John Prescott to be the Leader of Opposition, and now he could be addressed as “The Right Honorable”. This rise coincided with the increasing unpopularity with the John Major’s Conservative Party, which was then in power. In 1997, came Tony Blair’s moment and his first step as the leader of the nation. Some of his achievements in the First term were:
- The Bank of England now had the right to set the base rate of interest independently – a move endorsed by the country’s financial experts
- The Belfast Agreement, or the Good Friday Agreement, which brought peace to Northern Ireland
- The Human Rights Act
- The setting up of the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly
- The Greater London Authority with the Mayor of London on the top
- The Freedom of Information Act
- The addressing of gay rights
In the second term, things got tougher. This saw the Iraq war and even a move to impeach him, as he was accused of lying about the reasons of war along many other factors that questioned his moral authority. However, this did not stop him from a rather unexpected victory in the third term. The third term as of yet has been turbulent, with the London Underground bombings and the diverse opinions on the European Union. He is now talking about not seeking the fourth term.
The UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, has not only lived in interesting times, but has stage-managed many of them too.
Tony Blair Facts
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair was born on 6 May, 1953, in Scotland. He is a British politician. He served as British Prime Minister from 1997 to 2007 and led the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
Tony Blair Biography
Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, is one of the notable figures in world politics. Go through the biography of Tony Blair to know him more.
Tony Blair Says Britons Are Ready to Focus On the Future
Although the Labour Party’s majority in the House of Commons was weakened, Tony Blair was elected to a historic third term as Britain’s prime minister.
Setback for Tony Blair's Ambition to Be President of Europe
Former prime minister, who is believed to be considering bidding for the post, faces stiffening opposition from Sweden and Spain
Tony Blair Knew of Secret Policy on Terror Interrogations
Letter reveals former PM was aware of guidance to UK agents which effectively lead to torture
Tony Blair: A Leap of Faith After Downing Street Decade
US sociologist claims Tony Blair has necessary clout to promote understanding between world's major religions
Tony Blair Biopic: Screenwriter of The Deal and The Queen Lines Up Final Instalment
Screenwriter of The Deal and The Queen lines up final instalment of Blair trilogy, focusing on relationship with Clintons
Peter Morgan Returns to Tony Blair for The Special Relationship
After exploring Blair's persona in The Deal and The Queen, the Frost/Nixon writer may make his directorial debut with a film about the transatlantic bond between the former PM and Bill Clinton
Tony Blair's People's Proletarian
Simon Hoggart: With quivering lip he would have gazed into the camera to tell us how Jade Goody had illuminated all our lives
The Greatest Moral Failure of Tony Blair's Premiership
Andrew Rawnsley: Britain's silence when George W Bush sanctioned the use of torture is to the enduring shame of the former prime minister
'Tony's the Kind of Guy Who Looks You Straight in the Eye and Tells the Truth'
George Bush says Tony Blair will 'stand tall in history', awarding him the presidential medal of freedom
Immediate Gaza Ceasefire is Possible, Says Tony Blair
Former British PM and Middle East envoy says quick halt to fighting is possible if deal to end supply of arms from Egypt can be reached
Blair Under Fire As Row Over F1 and Party Donation Resurfaces
Conservative MPs question Blair's account of Ecclestone affair following newly released documents
Politics: A Touch of Nerves As Blair Tackles Yale and Us Tv
Former PM begins term-long series of seminars on faith and globalisation at Ivy League university
Exit Gordon Brown and oh no it's Tony Blair!
My Shares are suffering and this is in part due to the pathetic leadership of one Mr Gordon Brown!
'I Run a Small Business Now. I Love It'
What has the ex-PM actually achieved since leaving Downing Street a year ago?
Blair Firm on Boycott of Hamas
Former PM refuses to visit Gaza Strip until Hamas recognizes Israel and stops firing rockets
Blair Returns to Commons to Face Mps' Questions on Middle East
'Period of calm' is vital for prospects of peace between Israel and Palestinians, former PM tells Commons committee
So Now We Know. God Gave Tony Blair the Strength to Invade Iraq - But He Didn't Say It Was Right
Alexander Chancellor: It feels as if he measures the rightness of his actions by the opposition they provoke
Blair to Be Quizzed By Mps on Middle East
Tony Blair will today take questions in the House of Commons for the first time since he resigned as prime minister when he gives evidence to MPs about his role as a Middle East envoy
Defender of Faiths
Anne Perkins: Tony Blair's new Faith Foundation, launched in the US today, sounds like the religious equivalent of New labor
Blair Does God in Interview to Launch Inter-faith Foundation
Ex-PM declares he wants to devote his life to promoting understanding between the world's religions
Israeli Jets Threaten to Shoot Down Tony Blair's Plane
Two Israeli fighter aircraft threatened to shoot down a private jet transporting Tony Blair after coming under the misapprehension that the aircraft was staging a potential terrorist attack
Bush and Blair Stand Alone
If the US does decide to attack Iraq, Britain is the only country likely to offer support, with potentially disastrous consequences for the rest of the world, writes Simon Tisdall.
Blair Tells Bush: Take Rest of World Into Account
US security must be balanced with justice, says PM at summit.
Sarkozy sees sense on Blair presidency
French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, withdraws his backing of former British prime minister, Tony Blair, as a possible candidate to become the European Union's first president.
Time Hails Blair As Hero
Former PM makes his first appearance on magazine's list of world's 100 most influential people
Brown Did Well in Boston, But Must Avoid the Blair Delusion
Martin Kettle: Here, at least, he's on the right track. But the prime minister must remember that he will never shape US global thinking
Beyond Blair
Leader: Ministers are shuffling away from the educational policies of Tony Blair
Top Blair Aide: We Must Talk to Al-qaida
Former No 10 chief says governments must talk to terror groups if they hope to secure a long-term halt to their violence
This Minister for Fatcats is Stuck in a Blairite Time Warp
Polly Toynbee: A mood of outrage at the hugely rich has gripped the nation - but you'd never know from John Hutton's paean to money
Peace Broker, Bank Adviser and Lecturer, Now Blair Plans to Teach Religion at Yale
Tony Blair to teach God and politics at one of America's most prestigious universities
Blair to Lecture on Faith and Globalisation at Yale
Former prime minister to take role at US university prior to launch of faith foundation
Blair to Teach at Yale University
Tony Blair is to take up a senior academic post in the autumn at one of America's most prestigious universities teaching politics and religion.
Blair's Man in Basra Tells How Coalition Failures Provoked Iraqis
Sir Hilary Synnott publishes indictment of Whitehall and Washington failures following invasion of Iraq
Broken Promises Leave Three Million Children to Die in Africa
As Blair tries to persuade Bush to back aid plans, UN report reveals human cost.
Is the Bbc Full of Hatred of America?
Stephen Moss: Tony Blair thinks so. Or rather, Rupert Murdoch claims that Tony Blair says he thinks so.
As Pm, Blair Opposed an All-powerful Eu. Now He's Changed His Mind - But Only If He Can Run It
Alexander Chancellor: For Blair, nothing less than being a 'key player' in world politics is good enough
I'll Be President of Europe If You Give Me the Power - Blair
Former PM consults old Downing Street allies on campaign for new EU role
Unlike Blair, Brown Doesn't Lust After Lucre - But He is Afraid of It
Polly Toynbee: Daunted by the bully power of big money, the prime minister has yet to show any real courage by reforming our tax system
President Blair Can Make Sarkozy's Dream Come True
Martin Kettle: The French leader has the classic Gaullist vision: Europe, with our former prime minister in the chair, shaping the world
Blair Takes on Unpaid Role As Rwanda Adviser
Tony Blair is widening his post-premiership portfolio by becoming an unpaid adviser to the Rwandan government of President Kagame
Four Capitals, One New Job - Week in Life of Ex-pm Who Can't Unwind
Blair wrote to PM offering advice in December· Renewed speculation that he could take EU role
Blair 'optimistic' on Middle East Peace Deal
Tony Blair 'cautiously optimistic' that peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians will be struck by end of the year
Blair 'owes It to the Middle East'
Tony Blair is determined to dedicate 10 days a month to his unpaid role as Middle East envoy because of the strong sense of obligation he feels following the Iraq war, it emerged today.
Blair Looks to Rome As Catholic Sunday Worshippers Outstrip Anglicans
Cardinal welcomes conversion of ex-PM · Church of England queries congregation figures
Blair's Plan to Convert Started in No 10
Former PM switches to Catholicism · Received faith lessons in February
Blair Never Considered Position After Menezes' Death
Met commissioner says he is too tough to quit· Victim's family angry as no officer to face charges
Stop Fighting Tony Blair and Start Leading the Government
Martin Kettle: In the key battlegrounds of character, competence and consistency, Brown is on the run. He must tell us what he's all about
Blair Unveils Huge Jobs Plan to Bolster Middle East Peace Talks
Tony Blair will announce an array of new economic projects today aimed at generating jobs for tens of thousands of Palestinians, revitalizing the occupied territories and creating momentum for the peace talks due to start next Monday
'Cliched, Stale, Money-raking' - Blair Not Quite the Toast of China
Mixed reviews for ex PM on lucrative lecture tour· Local media criticize six-figure appearance fees
In Search Of The Legacy Of Tony Blair
Article on the accompilshments of former United Kingdom Prime Minister, Tony Blair.
We Were Over-optimistic About Regeneration, Blair Adviser Says
America and Britain failed in the reconstruction of Iraq and were over-optimistic about the ease with which a new society would be formed, Sir David Manning, the outgoing British ambassador to Washington and Tony Blair's chief foreign policy adviser during the Iraq war, has admitted.
Blair Sees Hope After First Talks With Middle East Leaders
Tony Blair said he saw a 'moment of opportunity' in the Middle East as he met Israeli and Palestinian leaders yesterday.
Blair Lands in Middle East
Former British PM begins work as special envoy with meetings in Jordan and Israel.
Mixed Reaction in Middle East As Blair Makes Debut As Envoy
Quartet says there will be no dealings with Hamas - Arab critics attack former PM as 'disastrous choice'
Give Blair Wider Responsibilty, Say Palestinians
Palestinian negotiators have called for Tony Blair to be given a broader role as the international community's Middle East envoy, overseeing both Israeli and Palestinian obligations.
Palestinians Call for Blair's Role to Include Policing Israeli Pledges
Palestinian negotiators have called for Tony Blair to be given a broader role as the international community's Middle East envoy, overseeing both Israeli and Palestinian obligations.
Scepticism Hangs Over Blair's Appointment As Quartet Envoy
Former PM to help build Palestinian institutions - No formal role in finding permanent solution
Blair Accepts Role of Middle East Envoy
Tony Blair accepts job as a Middle East envoy as Israeli forces kill at least 12 Palestinians.
Pinch Yourself: Today Tony Blair Will Go Out With His Head Held High
The debacle of Iraq ought to have made a dignified exit impossible. But if his departure is bizarre, so too is Brown's arrival. By Jonathan Freedland
Odds Stacked Against Blair Mission
Officials fear popular anger will limit leaders' help - Special envoy waits for final terms of reference
From No 10 to the Middle East: Blair Gets a New Job
Support from Bush leads to role as international envoy helping Palestinians.
Blair May Not Be Gold, But He Deserves at Least a Bronze
The outgoing prime minister won't rank with Churchill or Gladstone, but - despite Iraq - he has done good for Britain. By Martin Kettle
Blair Denies Climbdown Over Eu Deal
French president wins agreement to scrap proposed treaty phrase suggesting it was an objective to achieve a market 'where competition is free and undistorted'.
Mixed Reaction for Plan to Make Blair Middle East Envoy
Backing from US, Israel and Fatah leadership - Moscow unlikely to want retiring PM as spokesman
Blair's Zeal Was Not Enough
In his farewell speech to his party conference last October Tony Blair vowed to dedicate his final months in office to trying to secure peace in Palestine, promising to devote as much time and energy as he had used in seeking a solution in Northern Ireland.
Blair Knew Us Had No Post-war Plan for Iraq
PM committed troops despite chaos fears - Bush 'offered to fight without UK'
The Stage is Set for Blair and Brown's Last Argument
Next week's Brussels summit matters because the right outcome offers an opportunity to the government's next leader. By Martin Kettle
Rebellion Needed Against Press That's Damaging National Psyche
Blair's speech omitted the root of the problem with the media - the ownership structure he did nothing to break. By Polly Toynbee
The Line Too Often Taken
Blair's long goodbye has been yet more style over substance. It's time for a more subdued approach. By Roy Hattersley
West 'fearful' of Russia, Says Exasperated Blair
Talks with Putin were frank but fruitless - 'Real issues' will not be resolved easily or soon
Blair Warns Putin Over Business Ties
Tony Blair today issued a stark warning that Europe could start cutting business ties with Russia if president Putin abandoned "shared values" - as the increasingly bitter war of words between the West and Russia threatened to overshadow the G8 summit.
Blair Promises Tough Talk on Litvinenko Case
Tony Blair warned President Putin yesterday that he would see foreign investment in Russia start to dry up unless he made clearer commitments to democracy and human rights.
Blair Tries to Defuse Tension With Russia Over Us Missiles
On the eve of his 11th and final G8 meeting, the prime minister says Kremlin should not feel threatened by nuclear shield.
I Can Persuade George Bush on Climate Change - Blair
Exclusive interview with PM on eve of G8 summit - Claim that US will agree to greenhouse gas target
Blair Says G8 Must Do More for Africa
Tony Blair today urged the international community to "step up to the plate" on aid for Africa when the Group of Eight meets in Germany next week.
Blair Winds Up Africa Farewell Tour With Mbeki Meeting
Prime Minister Tony Blair will hold talks with the South African president, Thabo Mbeki, today on the final day of his farewell tour of the continent.
Blair Defends Foreign Intervention
Tony Blair today defended his 'thoroughly interventionist' foreign policy in a farewell speech in Africa.
Blair Arrives in Libya With Praise for Gadafy
Tony Blair today kicked off his farewell tour of Africa by praising the Libyan dictator, Muammar Gadafy, as a man he found 'very easy' to deal with and one who had always kept his word to him.
First Stop of Blair's Farewell Africa Tour: Gadafy's Tent
PM sees energy and arms sales deals signed - Leader once shunned by west is 'easy to deal with'
Blair Embarks on Farewell Trip to Africa
Tony Blair set off on a farewell tour of Africa today, his last major trip before he steps down as prime minister next month.
A Decade of Blair Has Left Society More Segregated, Fearful and Divided
He could have played midwife to a confident, inclusive, hybrid sense of Britishness, but sought to strangle it at birth. By Gary Younge
Blair Backs Darfur Aid Appeal
Tony Blair today called for an end to violence in the Darfur region of Sudan and neighboring Chad as he urged Britons to donate money to an appeal fund for victims.
'I Would Not Be Speaking to You If It Weren't for the Risks Blair Took'
To say Tony Blair is popular in Sierra Leone scarcely does justice to the intensity of feeling towards him in this small tropical corner of west Africa.
Amid the Bombs, Blair Remains Upbeat on Farewell Tour in Iraq
Relaxed PM uses unannounced visit to pay emotional tribute to British troops as fighting continues.
Tony Blair Pays Tribute to World Cup-winner Bobby Moore
Soccer: Never one to jump on the bandwagon, knacked PM Tony Blair today unveiled a statue of England legend Bobby Moore outisde the new Wembley.
Blair to Unveil Moore Statue at Wembley
Digger: Tony Blair will unveil the first ever bronze statue of England's sole World Cup winning captain Bobby Moore outside Wembley stadium. By Paul Kelso
If Blair Didn't Deliver, What Good Will Voting Tory Do?
A mighty thumping in the local elections may seem like a free hit, but revenge is self-defeating if the other side wins. By Polly Toynbee
In the Blair Government There Are No Doubts About the French Presidential Run-off
The race for the Elysee is more of a dilemma for progressives on this side of the Channel than they might care to admit. By Martin Kettle
In Feelbad Britain We Want It All From the Nhs, and We Want It Now
Blair's ideology of choice has fostered unbridled consumerism. But that, and restoring public trust, is now Brown's problem. By Polly Toynbee
We Must Be Honest About Our Past to Be Truly Hopeful About Our Future
Blair had the opportunity to make history last week by laying the groundwork for a new era in British race relations. By Gary Younge
Blair Suspects Iran's Hand in Iraq Attacks
Tony Blair today warned that "elements of the Iranian regime" were arming insurgents in Iraq after it was confirmed four British troops were killed in Basra last night.
Blair's Long Goodbye Does Brown No Favours, Yet Again
The rationale behind tax relief cuts is still perfectly defensible. But blunders and cover-ups have made the chancellor look guilty. By Larry Elliott
Direct Talks With Regime Lift Hopes of Deal
Both sides want an early resolution, says Blair - UK delegation ready to fly out to gain breakthrough
Blair Threatens Force Over Darfur
US and British officials consider punitive air strikes against Sudanese air force bases.
Blair's No-fly Zone Plan Likely to Be Grounded Despite Growing Crisis
Death toll continues to grow but hopes of relieving Darfur tragedy diminished by intervention in Iraq.
Blair Warns Iran Over Captive Sailors
In a sign of increasing British impatience, Tony Blair today warned of a "different phase" if diplomatic efforts fail to secure the release of the 15 British service personnel held by Iran.
Blair Warning to Iran After Failure to Trace Captured Patrol
PM denounces 'unjustified and wrong' seizure - Tehran claims Britons admitted incursion
Bush and Blair Threaten New Sudan Sanctions
US to block transactions involving dollars - Bashir asks to renegotiate deal on peacekeepers
Blair Will Urge Nato Allies to Head Afghan Anti-opium Drive
Tony Blair is to urge Britain's Nato allies to take the lead in fighting the growth of opium production in Afghanistan and will raise the issue at a two-day EU summit in Brussels starting today.
The Impact of Blair's Exit Will Be a Gift to Cameron
Regardless of the details, this strange transition is less a shift from Blair to Brown than a swing from Labour to Tory. By Martin Kettle
Olympic Games: Blair Defends Games As Row Mounts on Spiralling Costs
Tony Blair was yesterday forced to defend the London 2012 Games as the row over the budget intensified during a visit to the capital by leading International Olympic Committee officials.
Blair Lobbies for Uk to Be Launching Pad for Defence System
Downing Street confirms talks have taken place - Backbenchers fear PM trying to cement US ties
Straw Promises Inquiry But Blair 'proud' of War
Investigation will follow British exit from Iraq - PM denies Bush planned attack regardless of WMD
Blair Optimistic Over Fresh Middle East Peace Talks
Britain sees hopes for renewing stalled negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians if 'sensible' members of a Hamas-led national unity government can be persuaded to meet international conditions, Tony Blair said yesterday.
Blair Has Fixed on His Legacy Plan: Tony Saves the World
Life after No 10 is to be devoted to lobbying for a new climate-change deal. Grandstanding? Maybe, but let's hope it works. By Jackie Ashley
For the Sake of the Party, Tony Blair Must Stay
The scandals sapping the control freak's authority are a godsend to MPs rediscovering the joy and power of open debate. By Jackie Ashley
Sarkozy's London Mission: Meet Blair, Polish the Image and Woo the Crucial Expat Vote
Trip to Britain is first in presidential campaign - Some 60,000 people registered to vote in UK
Blair Criticises Manner of Saddam Execution
Prime minister makes his first public comment on the former Iraqi dictator's execution.
Blair Breaks Silence to Condemn Manner of Saddam Hanging
Tony Blair last night broke his 11-day silence on Saddam Hussein's execution by acknowledging that the manner of his death was 'completely wrong'. But he coupled criticism of the chaotic scene of Saddam's hanging with a plea for recognition of the dictator's crimes.
Blair Backs Inquiry But Distances Himself From Prescott Comments
Tony Blair yesterday distanced himself from the response of his deputy, John Prescott, to the manner of the execution of Saddam Hussein.
We Can't Just Blame Our Lack of Trust on Tony Blair's 'lies'
Whether it's about politicians, the media or Europe, our levels of mistrust have become a serious national problem. By Martin Kettle
The Secrets of Blair's Ipod
When Tony Blair appeared on Desert Island Discs during his pre-PM days, there was media teasing about whether his tastes...By Mark Lawson
Now Blair Must Appeal to Iran's Moderates
World Briefing: Tony Blair claimed yesterday that Iran poses a "strategic challenge" to moderate Middle East governments and the west as a whole, in a message that will gratify the ruling hardliners in Tehran.
The Problem is That He Just Doesn't Understand Race
Tony Blair needs to stop lecturing and start listening when it comes to ethnic minorities. Here's what he could say. By Joseph Harker
Iraq Was Terrible Mistake, Thinktank Says
The decision to invade Iraq was a "terrible mistake" that would shape Tony Blair's legacy for years to come, a leading thinktank said today.
Abbas Receives Blair's Backing
Tony Blair today pledged his support for the embattled Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, using a joint news conference in the West Bank to praise his "vision" in peace efforts.
Blair Makes One Last Push in Middle East With Palestinian Funding Plan
PM proposes bypassing Hamas with aid to Abbas - MP warns against funding sides in coming civil war
The Longer Blair Holds On, the Worse It Gets for Labour
The cash-for-honours debacle shows how helplessly entangled the prime minister has become. It's time to let go. By Jackie Ashley
Blair Gets Up Close to His Distant Goals
It is often said that all political careers end in failure. But few end in frenetic failure. By Patrick Wintour
Blow to Blair Mission As Palestinian Pm Vows Never to Recognise Israel
The British prime minister plans final peace push but few believe he will succeed.
Bush-Blair Split Over Report's Key Proposals
President rejects talks with Iran and Syria.
Prime Minister to Visit Israel for Talks in Final Push for Peace
Tony Blair confirmed in Washington that he is to visit Israel and the Palestinian territories before Christmas, in a final push for Middle East peace before he leaves office next year.
Prime Minister Seizes Chance for Progress on Palestinian Crisis
Tony Blair is to take advantage of the Iraq Study Group's advice on the Middle East to press George Bush, in a meeting today, to be more positive towards the formation of a national unity government in Palestine involving Hamas.
Blair Insists Nato is Winning the War in Afghanistan
PM surprisingly upbeat on progress of conflict - Countries agree deal on troop reinforcements
Nato Countries Must Live Up to Pledges on Troops, Says Blair
The battle against the Taliban in Afghanistan is 'winnable', Tony Blair declared today, as Nato allies promised extra forces and greater flexibility in deploying soldiers to combat zones.
No Barrier to Litvinenko Investigation, Says Blair
Tony Blair today said no "diplomatic or political barrier" would stand in the way of the investigation into the death of the former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko.
Blair Calls on Nato Countries to Renew Fight Against Taliban
PM admits reconstruction will take some time - Former forces chief accuses politicians
Blair Urged to Change Course in Afghanistan
Pakistani president says military force not enough - Security tight for PM's visit to war-torn country
Blair Outlines Iran 'partnership' Plan
Tony Blair will tonight set out the terms for a "new partnership" with Iran and Syria as part of a new approach to resolving the crisis in Iraq.
Blair Urges White House to Shift Focus to Israel-palestine Conflict
· Palestinian peace process 'central to Iraq solution' · Syria and Iran also have a role to play, says PM
Bush and Blair Discuss New Policy for Iraq
Transatlantic phone call anticipates top level submissions to influential study group next week.
Blair Will Urge Us to Talk to Syria and Iran
Tony Blair is to urge the US administration next week to open talks with its great adversaries Syria and Iran, as a way to break the impasse in Iraq and the wider middle east.
Blair Plans to Reach Out to Damascus
Tony Blair will attempt to revive the Middle East peace process with a personal visit to the region scheduled before Christmas.
Blair's Syrian Peace Initiative Fails to Impress
· Israel and US sceptical of progress from envoy's trip · Labour conference lunch prompted mission
Britain Will Hold Nerve on Iraq, Says Blair
· Iraqi deputy PM: don't cut and run · Lib Dem leader calls for exit debate · Beckett: Iraq could split into parts
Blair Gives Iraq 12 Months to Be Ready for Handover
· PM to meet Iraqi leaders in Downing St today · Former envoy warns that 'only bad options' remain
Blair Warns of Climate Change 'tipping Points'
Tony Blair will warn today that the world will reach "catastrophic tipping points" on climate change within 15 years, unless serious action is taken to tackle global warming.
Blair: Troops May Quit Iraq in 10-16 Months
· PM adjusts stance as mood changes in US · Security situation will dictate withdrawal date
Blair Meets Turkish Pm to Save Accession Bid
Tony Blair and the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, yesterday discussed a compromise to stop Turkey's bid to join the EU from crashing next month.
Brown Needs to Apologise, and Blair to Call Off the Dogs
The chancellor must offer some contrition today. But forget sugary phrases about the prime minister - no one would believe it. By Jackie Ashley
Blair Tells Nato: Send More Troops to Afghanistan
Tony Blair today called on Nato members to contribute more troops to Afghanistan.
Blair Greeted By Protests in Lebanon
Demonstrations inside and outside Tony Blair's summit with the Lebanese prime minister, Fouad Siniora, marred the first visit by a British prime minister to the country today.
A Brown-johnson Ticket Would Spike the Blairite Guns
Never underestimate the raging passions of a schism. But a proper contest is exactly what 'the New Gordon' needs. By Polly Toynbee
Lebanese Politicians Snub Blair
Tony Blair suffered an immediate snub this morning when he became the first British prime minister to visit Lebanon.
Both Pretenders to Blair's Crown Now Face Hard Choices
Gordon Brown has not had a happy few days. But we need a reality check: the momentum is still with the chancellor. By Jackie Ashley
Blair Offers Support for a Palestinian Coalition
· Offer to bring Hamas into fold aimed at fresh talks · Abbas to meet Israeli PM without preconditions
While Blair Limps On, the Danger Remains for Brown and the Party
It was emphatically not a plot but an instinct for self-preservation that lay behind this week's political drama. By Jackie Ashley
Palestinians Tell Blair: You Are Not Welcome Here
· Hundreds sign advert in advance of Ramallah visit · PM to meet Olmert and Abbas, but not Hamas
Blair's Legacy is a Reckless Adventure
The prime minister sealed his fate by signing up in full to a policy now recognised by most Americans as a disaster. By Jonathan Freedland
Blair Can Go Now. He Can Go With a Timetable. Or He Can Hang on
A period of terminal leadership offers a better space for Labour renewal than does a strong new Brown premiership. By Martin Kettle
Blair Doing Lasting Damage to Uk, Says Iranian Leader
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran has urged British voters to throw Tony Blair's government out of office to prevent Britain being drawn into new foreign policy "disasters" in the Middle East.
Beware Blair Democrats: The Lamon-Lieberman Divide
The primary defeat of Senator Joe Lieberman by Ned Lamont is characterized as a defeat of Democratic moderation. Lamont is no beacon of democratic change. He represents the baseline of an acceptable candidate to the antiwar movement.
Britain Can Still Lead the World - on Climate Change
Having been sidelined over the Middle East crisis, Tony Blair should focus on an area where he can make a difference. By Polly Toynbee
Bush and Blair Complicit in War Crimes, Says Tehran
Tony Blair and George Bush are "co-defendants" in war crimes committed by Israel in Lebanon and should be made to answer for their actions before an international court, a senior Iranian government leader said yesterday.
Blair Delays Holiday to Work on Un Peace Deal
Tony Blair today decided to delay his summer holiday for a few days to help secure a United Nations resolution that would call for an immediate cessation of hostilities in the Israel-Lebanon conflict.
Aid Groups Urge Blair to Back Ceasefire
A coalition of aid agencies has appealed to Tony Blair to reverse his Middle East policy and call for an immediate ceasefire in the Lebanon war.
Some Seethe, Others Are Sanguine
Guardian reporters look at how Tony Blair's policy is viewed in Europe
Blair Begins Fightback Against Backbench Critics
· Hints he will lead Israel Palestine peace drive · Bombing of Lebanon unacceptable, says PM
Former Diplomats Turn on Blair Over Lebanon
Tony Blair was publicly attacked today by two former British ambassadors over his backing for George Bush's stance on the Israel-Lebanon conflict.
Blair Returns to Growing Backlash on Lebanon
Tony Blair flew back to Britain from the United States tonight to face a growing backlash in the Labour Party about his backing of George Bush's stance in the in the Israel-Lebanon conflict.
Blair: You've Misunderstood Me Over the Middle East
· PM to confront critics today at press conference · Dismay at approach spreading through party
UN Tells Blair to Take a Back Seat Over Lebanon
Tony Blair's stance on resolving the Lebanon crisis was under attack on two fronts today, as the UN told him to take a back seat, and the chair of the parliamentary party said the 'vast majority' of his Labour backbenchers want a ceasefire.
Blair Signs Climate Pact With Schwarzenegger
· California deal paves way to joining EU scheme · Agreement represents snub to White House
Blair Hardens Line on Israel After Cabinet Criticism
Tony Blair yesterday responded to a growing backbench and cabinet revolt over his handling of the Middle East crisis by saying the Qana bombing showed that a peace agreement must be reached.
Cabinet in Open Revolt Over Blair's Israel Policy
· Straw joins criticism of Lebanese toll · Rice in Jerusalem to push peace plan
Bono and Blair to Join Murdoch on the Beach
Tony Blair, Bono and the Clintons will be mixing with News Corp executives when the great and the good of Rupert Murdoch's empire meet in California this weekend. By Stephen Brook.
Bush and Blair Call for Lebanon Peace Force
George Bush said today he and Tony Blair had agreed that an international stabilisation force should be quickly inserted in Lebanon and that a plan to halt hostilities was needed on an "urgent basis".
Bush and Blair Lay Out Lebanon Plan But Warn Tehran
· Timetable 'could lead to ceasefire by next week' · Iran nuclear plan will lead to 'confrontation' - Blair
Blair to Fly to Us for Middle East Talks
Tony Blair will fly to Washington tomorrow for talks with President Bush about the deteriorating situation in Israel and Lebanon and increasing sectarian violence in Iraq.
Blair to Tell Bush: We Need a Ceasefire
Drawn out Lebanon crisis will boost militants across Arab world, PM fears.
Blair Promises Middle East Peace Plan Within Days
Tony Blair said today he hoped a plan to bring about a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon would be ready within the next few days.
UN's Rising Star Wants Ambassador Role for Blair
The United Nations should recruit stars such as Bono and Bob Geldof to inject the kind of passion seen in the Make Poverty History campaign, according to one of the leading candidates to succeed Kofi Annan as its secretary general.
It Wasn't the 'yo' That Was Humiliating, It Was the 'no'
Tony Blair wanted Britain to look big in the world. But being a satellite of George Bush is making him and us look small. By Andrew Rawnsley
Blair Dismisses Archbishop's Ceasefire Call
Tony Blair today dismissed increasing demands from the Archbishop of Canterbury and senior Labour MPs to back a UN call for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Lebanon conflict.
The Late Blair Era is Characterised By Cowardice
Under the shadow of the Iraq war Labour has lost its political nerve and its confidence in itself as a force for good. By Polly Toynbee
Blair Calls for Un Force in Lebanon
· Latest Israeli strikes kill at least 23
· 40 British nationals evacuated · French prime minister to visit Beirut
Blair Leads Call for France to Cut Back Farm Subsidies
· Stalled global trade talks enter make-or-break time · G8 leaders could rally in response to Middle East
Why Should London Want Blair to Go Before Next May
Madrid is worried about Barcelona - and vice versa. London and Edinburgh, take note. By Peter Preston
See You All Next Year, Blair Tells G8
At the G8 summit in St Petersburg, when the world's attention was focused on the crisis in the Middle East, the prime minister let slip that he doesn't plan to leave Downing Street - or be driven out - any time soon. By Michael White
The Levy Scandal is an Accidental By-product of Blair's Negligence
Serious constitutional reform is needed to resuscitate politics, but the prime minister has missed his moment. By Polly Toynbee
Sarkozy Seeks Help From Blair
Chirac calls for talks with Anglo-Saxon free marketeer to stop as interior minister seeks PM's advice to boost presidential bid.
Blair Will Have to Name the Day at Labour's Conference
Brownites and Blairites now believe that if things carry on as they are, they will lose the election. But how to make the change? By Jackie Ashley
PM Calls for Talks on Palestinian State
The prime minister, Tony Blair, today insisted there could only be a negotiated solution to the problems of the middle east but left the door open for Israel to withdraw unilaterally from the West Bank.
Blair Refuses to Back Olmert's West Bank Plan
· Leaders speak after Downing Street meeting · Negotiated settlement 'only way forward'
By Ending the Welfare State Tony Blair May Boost Cameron
If Blair is right that globalisation is the only game in town, then by ending the welfare state he may boost Cameron. By Larry Elliott
Soccer-patriotic Gestures By Cameron and Blair is All About Political Strategy
Soccer World Cup flag-waving by Cameron, Brown and Blair is all about political strategy, not football. By Mark Lawson
Blair's Un Gaffe Sinks Relations With Brazil to New Low
· Diplomatic spat after speech in Washington · Mistake puts important trade talks in jeopardy
Blair Must Put Dull Competence Ahead of Legacy Seeking
Blair must put dull competence ahead of legacy seeking. The rest of us should quit this flirtation with Cameron. By Jonathan Freedland
Bush & Blair: The Last Whimper
Once they were kings, princes and lords of the realm. Now they are fallen to the depths of infamy. Listen carefully: Behind the tired refrain lies the last whimper of a fallen empire.
Blair Calls for Wide-ranging Un Reform
Tony Blair today called for wide-ranging reform of the United Nations, IMF and World Bank to foster a more effective response to global problems such as terrorism, climate change, poverty and unfair trade.
Blair Tells Bush Us Must Back Reformed Un
PM attempts to steer White House towards shift in foreign policy.
A Day for Blair to Shine Again
The prime minister can prove he means what he says by voting to end secondary selection. By Roy Hattersley
Blair Backs Eu Football Reforms
Soccer: Tony Blair is set to throw his weight behind an EU report designed to save European football from the G-14.
Blair's Nuclear Posturing is a Red Herring - Other Choices Matter More
Without subsidies or price fixing, ruled out by the government, the private sector won't invest in an unknowable future. By Polly Toynbee
We'll Always Have Lisbon
At home Tony Blair's popularity is fading fast, but his strong bond with Jose Manuel Barroso means at least one person will miss him when he's gone, says Nicholas Watt.
Blair's Failure is to Think Public Goods Can Be Delivered By Private Means
The limits of New Labour have been exposed. The next stage will be nothing less than a refashioning of the state. By Jonathan Freedland
It's All About the Epitaph for Blair
The prime minister once had a vision, but now he believes in nothing except hanging on. By Roy Hattersley
The Last Days of Limpet Blair Are Already Upon Us
Regardless of what the prime mininster does now, he can't stop the party's centre of gravity moving away from him. By Jackie Ashley
Tony Blair Tells His Foes to Come and Get Him If They Dare
After his aggressive reshuffle, the Prime Minister will not concede to those Labour MPs demanding a date for his departure. By Andrew Rawnsley
At Best, This Reshuffle Will Buy Blair Only a Few Extra Months
The Tories are on the march and if Brown is to reverse Labour losses, he must not drift to the left. By Martin Kettle
What The Apprentice Says About Blair's Britain
Labour came to power dreaming of a different bottom line. Sir Alan's TV show is evidence that that dream has died. By Jonathan Freedland
Labour Mps at Last Seem to Be Ready to Ditch Tony Blair
Party activists meet ridicule on the doorstep. The government's fiascos are letting down good local work. By Polly Toynbee
Right Now, We Need Blair
A disorderly abdication would damage the prospects for a genuine Labour government. By Roy Hattersley
The Blairite Provisional Wing Are Destructive Wreckers
Alan Milburn's hint of a kamikaze leadership bid is part of an attempt to destabilise Brown and mortgage his future. By Polly Toynbee
Daunting Issue Behind Blair-brown Split
Tantalising hints that the Blair-Brown marriage has reached the broken crockery stage again have largely ignored the one aspect of the latest furore which is both indisputably true and important to us all. By Michael White
Iraq Overshadows Blair Visit to Indonesia
Tony Blair was met with a barrage of calls to withdraw from Iraq as he toured Indonesia to promote better links with the world's largest Muslim country.
Blair Criticised Over Jakarta Talks
Tony Blair will today announce plans to share intelligence, defence and police expertise with Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim nation, as part of his drive to tackle Islamist extremism.
Blair Heads for Indonesia
Tony Blair was today heading to Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country in the world, on the final leg of his trip to the southern hemisphere.
Blair: Anti-americanism is Madness
Tony Blair today described anti-Americanism across Europe as "madness", although admitted the US could be a "difficult friend to have".
Blair's Admission of Error is Really a Declaration of War
The prime minister has signalled that he intends to stay as long as he can. If Brown now fails to strike, his moment may pass. By Jackie Ashley
Blair Claims Success at Eu Summit
Tony Blair was today claiming success from the EU summit in Brussels, which agreed to liberalise Europe's energy market from the middle of next year.
After Brown's Masterstroke, Wait for Blair's Next Tiggerish Moment
Labour MPs enjoyed the picture that was painted in the budget, while the Tories were splashed with a hint of class war. By Polly Toynbee
Blair's Luck Has Run Out
Three years of conflict in Iraq has corroded public trust in every aspect of his premiership, both domestic and foreign. By Jonathan Freedland
Blair's Credibility Suffers Body Blow Among Arabs
Britain's self-professed role as an honest broker in the Palestinian conflict has been left badly battered.
US Postwar Iraq Strategy a Mess, Blair Was Told
Senior British diplomatic and military staff gave Tony Blair explicit warnings three years ago that the US was disastrously mishandling the occupation of Iraq.
Blair's Legacy of Sleaze Threatens to Finish Off Brown As Well
Blair's foul legacy of sleaze threatens to stick to Labour and finish off Brown as well. By Peter Preston
BUSH-BLAIR: The Axis of Evangelicals
Tony Blair, the Brits’ version of what we thought was Bill Clinton’s reflection—has undergone a steady metamorphosis into the image of George W. Bush. The latest devolution of the once immensely popular Blair into his evangelical counterpart Bush involves divine intervention into the affairs of Middle Eastern wars—and telling the Brits "In the end, there is a judgment . . . if you believe in God, it’s made by God."
Blair Backs Jowell Over Berlusconi Claims
Tony Blair today gave his culture secretary, Tessa Jowell, his unequivocal backing in the wake of allegations over her husband's financial dealings with Silvio Berlusconi.
Chávez Hits Back at 'pawn of Imperialism' Blair
The Venezuelan president, Hugo Chávez, yesterday described Tony Blair as "a pawn of ...
Blair-Bush Deal Before Iraq War Revealed in Secret Memo
PM promised to be 'solidly behind' US invasion with or without UN backing.
Bush Told Blair We're Going to War, Memo Reveals
· PM backed invasion despite illegality warnings · Plan to disguise US jets as UN planes · Bush: postwar violence unlikely
Blair to Hail 'new Consensus' in Europe
Tony Blair will tonight praise a 'new generation' of centre-right leaders across Europe for helping guide the EU out of a 'darkened room' into a brighter future.
The Pretence at the Heart of the Blair-brown Agreement
The chancellor could have forced the prime minister from office over education reform, but he had good reasons for holding back. By Jackie Ashley
If Blair Fails, Labour Could Be Plunged Into a 1931-style Crisis
The prime minister is heading to defeat over education reform - a quarrel he alone picked.
Blair's Middle-class Mania is Madness on Every Count
These education plans defy belief for political miscalculation - as well as undoing all Labour's good work in schools.
Blair Evades Questions Over British 'spy Ring'
Tony Blair today dodged questions about accusations made by the Russian security service, the FSB, that British spies at the embassy in Moscow had been caught "red handed" using high-tech gadgetry to collect intelligence.
Blair is Discovering That 'our People' Can't Be Wished Away
Party faithful will often put up with anything in the search for victory. But there is a time limit.
Blair: Iran Sanctions Possible Over Nuclear Activity
The prime minister said today it was "likely" that the UK, the US and European allies would seek to refer Iran to the United Nations security council. Tony Blair spoke of his "deep dismay" over Tehran's decision to break the UN seals at its nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz and said...
Impeach Blair on Iraq, Says General
· PM misled public, says UN Bosnia commander · Invasion 'a blunder of enormous significance'
You Don't Shake Off Tony Blair Easily
If you thought of him at all over Christmas and the new year, you probably imagined him lying on some distant beach in the sunshine. But you don't shake off Tony Blair that easily.
Labour Party Must Stand Against Blair's Delusions
The Labour party must make a stand against the prime minister's messianic delusions.
When Tony Blair Leaves Office
When Tony Blair leaves office he will still be a young man, and a factor in the political equation.
Lamy Calls on Blair to Broker Trade Deal
Hopes pinned on fresh talks after failure to deliver but campaign groups say poor have been betrayed.
Cameron's Impact Means Kennedy and Blair Must Go
Labour and the Liberal Democrats both need to change leaders now the Tory party is back as a political force.
Blair Clinches Deal With Offer of Big Rebate Cut
Tony Blair last night brokered an agreement on the EU budget which will see Britain give up £7bn of the rebate negotiated by Margaret Thatcher more than 20 years ago as part of a broad deal to pay the bill for Europe's enlargement to the east.
Blair's £1bn Offer in Frantic Quest for Eu Deal
· PM shifts on rebate at Brussels summit · Upbeat Chirac says budget solution is in sight
Blair to Scupper Eu Budget Unless France Accepts Farm Review
· Chirac demands food subsidies be left alone · Germany coming round to British point of view
Chirac Tells Blair to Try Harder on Eu Budget
Jacques Chirac last night told Tony Blair to give more ground on Britain's £3.8bn rebate if he wanted a deal on the EU budget.
France and Poland Lead Assault on Blair Eu Budget Plan
· Cut is 'unacceptable' and shows 'lack of solidarity' · Commission president joins in criticism of UK
Blair Accused of Sellout Over Eu Rebate Deal
Tony Blair last night abandoned hopes of major reform of the EU budget when he admitted he will unilaterally cut Britain's historic £3bn-a-year budget rebate if it proves necessary to clinch a compromise deal at this month's Brussels summit.
Blair Accused As Summit on Anti-terrorism Ends in Failure
A Spanish foreign policy adviser was caught on an open mike yesterday accusing Tony Blair of preparing to "throw the towel in" and blaming the Israelis for being intractable at a summit on countering terrorism which ended in failure.
Chirac Blames the Blair-brown 'war of Succession' for Failure to Agree Eu Budget
· Mixed messages from PM and chancellor on rebate · French rule out deal during British presidency
Blair Plans Final Push to Settle Eu Budget
· Compromise would slash spending by about £20bn · Surrender of UK rebate linked to subsidy reform
Museveni Remains Defiant As Blair Attacks Arrest of Rival in Uganda
· Opposition leader in court on terrorism charges · Commonwealth row over democracy in Africa
Blair and Brown Need a Common Language
The prime minister will only regain trust by agreeing with Brown a common language and programme of reform.
Blair: Iraq Withdrawal in 2006 Possible
Tony Blair today said suggestions from the Iraqi president that British troops could withdraw from the country at the end of next year were "entirely reasonable".
Blair to Pledge 'monumental Struggle' on Trade
· Prime minister to appeal to G8 in Guildhall speech · WTO's failure would 'echo around the world'
Blair Has to Review His Agenda
Blair has to review his rhetoric and his agenda if there is to be any rapprochement between him and the party's rebels.
The Rebels Can Get Rid of Blair - But That's As Far As It Goes
Even if the left tears Labour apart, it won't change the issues at the heart of modern politics.
Blair is Reckless, But Labour Must Not Add to the Damage
Baying for the prime minister's blood over last night's Commons defeat plays into the opposition's hands.
Blair's Litany of Failures on Iraq - Ambassador's Damning Verdict
Meyer says PM failed to exert any leverage on Bush and was seduced by US power.
The Golden Legacy That Blair Was Hoping for is Crumbling By the Day
With rows over health and education inevitable, the idea of an elegant exit for Labour's leader now looks fanciful.
Tony Blair is Running Out of True Believers
Blunkett's fall is part of a bigger story of seeping authority, as last night's Commons rebellion and climbdown showed.
Cameron As Blair's Heir Would Spell Disaster for Labour
To press ahead with a de facto alliance with the Tories would be seen as stabbing the party in the back.
Blair Rebukes Iran for Threats Against Israel
Tony Blair warned Iran last night in his starkest terms yet that the world would soon start demanding direct action against Tehran if "totally unacceptable" threats to wipe out Israel were repeated by its government.
France and Germany Scupper Blair's Hopes of Budget Deal
· Prime minister upbeat despite rebate demand · Merkel will follow tough line, says chancellor
Spanish Leader Backs Blair's Plan to Tackle Eu Unemployment
Spain offers crucial support to Tony Blair today, on the eve of a European summit in which Britain will try to set in motion painful economic reforms.
Few Parents Will Welcome Blair's Simplistic Model for School Choice
Parents and heads do want choice, but few will welcome Blair's simplistic model.
Blair and Brown Agree on This: Europe Isn't Working
A radical shift in thinking is quietly under way at both No 10 and No 11, to put the nation-state back at the centre of the EU.
Former Communist States to Thwart Blair's Plan for a Reforming Summit
· 'New' Europe's leaders want focus on budget · Mandelson faces French wrath over farm subsidies
Mugabe Uses Un Forum to Compare Blair to Mussolini
· UK attacks presence at conference on hunger · PM and Bush likened to Axis leaders over Iraq war
Bush Told Blair of 'going Beyond Iraq'
George Bush told Tony Blair shortly before the invasion of Iraq that he intended to target other countries, including Saudi Arabia, which, he implied, planned to acquire weapons of mass destruction.
Blair and Chirac Call Truce to Aid Eu Harmony
Tony Blair and Jacques Chirac pledged yesterday to set aside their differences and try to serve as "forces of harmony, not division" for a battered European Union badly in need of a "progressive vision".
Blair Links Iraq Bombings to Row Over Iran's Nuclear Programme
Tony Blair warned yesterday he will not be diverted from the debate over Iran's nuclear programme by Tehran's suspected involvement in a series of deadly bomb attacks on British soldiers this year.
Blair Links Iran to Iraq Blasts
Tony Blair today said new explosive devices used against British troops in Iraq were suspected to have come from "Iranian elements".
Blair Stresses Eu Trade Ties With Russia
Tony Blair today hailed Europe's increasingly close relationship with Russia, saying that the economic ties between the two could only "grow and prosper and strengthen".
Rage at Blair Must Not Damages Labour
Rage at Blair must not become so all-consuming that it damages Labour. Roy Hattersley
Blair is Still in Thrall to the Us President
Canada and the Tories have made the break, but Blair is still in thrall to the US president. Peter Preston
Turkey's Future Lies in Eu, Says Blair
Tony Blair today insisted Turkey's future was in the EU as British officials in Brussels worked to dispel a looming crisis over next week's talks on its membership.
One Sentence That Tells Us So Much About Tony Blair
Murdoch's indiscretion reveals a Labour prime minister whose every instinct is at odds with the party he leads. Jonathan Freedland
Blair Wins the Premier League
Sven's successor must make unpopular decisions, heal old wounds and be used to be photographed on his hols. Who better than Tony Blair, reasons Harry Pearson.
Blair Calls on Un to Unite Against Terrorism
The prime minister, Tony Blair, today told the UN security council that the world must unite to defeat terrorism, which he said had "disfigured countries in every continent".
Blair to Ask Un for Crackdown on Incitement
The United Nations security council is set to adopt on Wednesday a British-sponsored resolution for a worldwide crackdown on incitement to terrorism.
End Eu Secrecy, Meps Urge Blair
A cross-party coalition of MEPS has urged Tony Blair to use the remaining time of his EU presidency to push through reforms lifting the veil of secrecy on Brussels law-making.
Blair Raises 'question Mark' on China's Human Rights
Tony Blair today told the Chinese prime minister the world held a "question mark" over China's human rights record, as he ended a two-day trip to Beijing.
The Danger in Blair's Balderdash
Forget principles, 'outflanking' is the New Labour watchword. Roy Hattersley
Blair Hopes to Unravel Textile Row at Eu-china Summit
Tony Blair was last night flying into Beijing, as president of the European council, for an EU-China summit which will take place under the shadow of the textile row between the two trading blocs. With the so-called bra wars unresolved, despite frantic efforts by Peter Mandelson, the EU's...
Blair's Big Holiday Boob
The PM lost post-7/7 goodwill by going to a secret location abroad. Mark Lawson
Blair's Jack Bauer Syndrome
Blair's programme for fighting terror seems inspired by the TV thriller 24; but real life needs a bit more reflection. Jonathan Freedland
Blair's Plea for Arrested Uzbeks
Tony Blair has written to the newly elected president of Kyrgyzstan urging him not to extradite 15 Uzbeks who fled their country after troops opened fire on demonstrators.
Add Me to the List, Mr. Blair
The terrorists are winning. Gradually but perceptibly, the USA and the United Kingdom (UK) are shedding their liberal democratic veneer, axing their traditions, reinterpreting their constitution (USA) and case law (UK) and, thus, becoming police states.
Paris Mayor Hits Out at Blair and Coe
Olympic Games: The mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoe, has accused Tony Blair and Sebastian Coe of breaking IOC rules by criticising their rivals.
London 2012: Blair Not Guilty of Improper Lobbying
The prime minister has been exonerated after he controversially entertained key IOC members privately in his Singapore hotel suite.
Blair: No Going Back to Kyoto
The prime minister, Tony Blair, today said there was "no point" going back over arguments on Kyoto as a working breakfast with George Bush kicked off a day of leaders' negotiations at the G8 summit.
Chirac's Reheated Food Jokes Bring Blair to the Boil
Take one unpopular president, a brace of struggling statesmen and a couple of global summits. Heat up a hoary national stereotype, leaven with wit, sit back and watch 'les rosbifs' simmer.
Blair Helps London to Hit Bid Targets
Tony and Cherie Blair and mayor of London Ken Livingstone have been pressing the flesh ahead of Wednesday's crucial vote.
Blair Going 'all Out' for London
Tony Blair said today he was going "all out" in Singapore to win support for London's Olympic bid, following a row between London and Paris over negative remarks made about France's main stadium.
Blair in Final Push for Olympics
Prime minister among leaders lobbying IOC members in Singapore as London bid optimism grows.
Blair-Chirac Feud 'could Destroy Europe'
Tony Blair and Jacques Chirac are in danger of 'destroying' Europe after an Anglo-French bust-up led to the collapse of negotiations on the EU budget, said Jose Manuel Barroso, the president of the European commission.
Blair May Snub Us on Climate
Leaked papers reveal huge gulf between Europe and Bush as PM ponders political gamble.
Which Would Blair Prefer - an Id Card or a Windmill?
We are at a tipping point on climate change and ministers can be braver. Polly Toynbee
If He Resists the Siren Voice of Folly, Blair's Legacy is Secure
ID cards might yet prove to be the prime minister's greatest undoing. Martin Kettle
Blair Finds a Little Heaven in Euro Hell
Tony Blair yesterday charmed what should have been the most hostile of crowds.
Blair and Chirac in Olympic Face Off
Tony Blair and Jacques Chirac will resume barely concealed hostilities in Singapore next month at the vote to decide the venue for the 2012 summer Olympics.
EU Needs Reality Check, Blair Warns
Tony Blair today told Europe's MEPs it was time for a 'reality check' over the future of Europe, as he addressed an at times hostile European parliament on Britain's plans for its presidency of the EU.
Defiant Blair Takes Battle to European Parliament
Tony Blair will today enter the lion's den of EU politics when he goes to the European parliament to argue the case for far-reaching economic reform which he and Gordon Brown believe essential if 20 million jobless EU citizens are to share in the continent's prosperity.
Blair Reaches Out to the New Europe
PM prepares Brussels speech looking to a future without Chirac or Schröder.
Blair Vows to Break Up Cap for Africa's Sake
Tony Blair will warn his European partners in the final two weeks before the crucial Gleneagles G8 summit that unless they dismantle the £30 billion Common Agricultural Policy, Africa will never free itself from poverty.
Blair to Push Ahead in Drive for Eu Reform
PM 'energised' after bitter summit row.
Blair Faces Fraught Eu Summit
Tony Blair joins the other 24 EU leaders today for one of the most fraught summits in the union's history, with the budget, the British rebate and the constitution all on the negotiating table. The British prime minister is isolated from the rest of Europe on the issue of Britain's...
Blair's Eu Cash Ultimatum
PM admits gulf with Chirac but insists farm subsidy reform is now Europe's priority.
'Sharp Disagreement' at Blair-chirac Talks
Tony Blair tonight emerged from face to face talks with the French president, Jacques Chirac, with no deal in sight over Britain's rebate from the EU budget.
Blair Rejects Eu Rebate Freeze
Britain today rejected a compromise plan to freeze its controversial EU rebate, as Tony Blair headed to Paris to confront the French president, Jacques Chirac, over the vexed negotiations for the EU budget.
Ex-Soviet States Need Help Too, Putin Tells Blair
Vladimir Putin warned Tony Blair yesterday that former Soviet states such as Georgia and Tajikistan needed as much help as Africa if they were not to become a battlefield.
Blair Urges Chirac to Be Realistic on Rebate
Britain's row with France over the £3.2bn EU budget rebate escalated yesterday when Tony Blair called on Jacques Chirac to be 'realistic' about his demands for a British gesture.
Blair Ties Rebate Talks to Cap Reform
Tony Blair today warned European leaders he would not discuss Britain's controversial £3bn rebate without a full debate about the EU budget, including the common agricultural policy.
Blair's Last-ditch Lobby of Olympic Judges
Tony Blair will personally lobby key members of the International Olympic Committee just before they select the 2012 Olympics host city.
Blair Offers Rebate Deal As Bait for Eu Reforms
Plan cuts no ice with Chirac but Schröder looks for compromise.
What Did Blair Achieve?
What was Tony Blair hoping to achieve for Africa with his visit to George Bush in Washington?
Blair: Africa Needs New Trade Deal
Tony Blair today promised to work to reform the world trade rules to help Africa lift itself out of poverty following his agreement yesterday with George Bush to lighten the continent's enormous debt burden.
How Could Cherie Blair Do This Without Blushing?
There is no climate of shame about fabulously undeserved income. Polly Toynbee
Blair Hails Progress Towards Deal With Us on African Aid
The prime minister, Tony Blair, today said Britain had made significant progress towards a deal with the US on aid for Africa ahead of the Gleneagles G8 summit next month.
Blair Close to Africa Deal at Talks With Bush
US ready to back extra payments to meet debts.
The Tories Have Done Better Than Blair on Climate Change
The Tories and the US have done better than Blair on climate change. Michael Howard
Blair Back for Battle on Europe
The Labour government's big three - Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and Jack Straw - will today embark on a frantic 10-day round of high-wire diplomatic manoeuvres in order to rescue the key foreign policy goals of their third term.
Bush Refuses to Give Way on Blair's Plan for Aid
Bush rejects new action plan on Africa that would require a doubling of American aid.
How Crisis Helps Blair - and Brown
Rivals in accord over dealing with EU.
Blair Seeks Us Backing for G8 Programme
Tony Blair will fly to Washington next week to try to persuade the US president, George Bush, to support his plans to tackle climate change and global poverty at the G8 summit in July.
Blair Faces Hard Fight to Keep Reforms on Track
Presidency promises turbulent time for PM.
Europe's Shattered Dream: Blair to Challenge Chirac
· Britain prepares to ditch treaty
· France asked if it plans second poll to save constitution
Berlusconi Backs Blair on G8 Agenda
Tony Blair today declared he had the backing of Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi for his twin G8 agendas of Africa and climate change, as the pair met in Rome.
'Father' of Malaysia Savages Bush and Blair
Mahathir brands US a rogue nation terrorising innocents and stands by claim that Jews 'rule the world by proxy'.
London's 2012 Bid: London Bid Boosted By Blair Backing
Olympic Games: Tony Blair made the government's support clear when he met IOC president Jacques Rogge.
The Veneer of Fraternity Between Blair and Bush
Tony Blair is not the first British prime minister to embrace a US president's mendacity, but he could well be the last. Sidney Blumenthal
The People to Blair: Step Down
In the recent election, despite a flawed parliamentary system, the people of Britain made their distaste for Prime Minister Tony Blair resoundingly clear. Even at risk of empowering the despised Tories, they demanded an end to British support of the Bush Doctrine.
Howard quits and becomes fourth victim of Blair factor
Michael Howard yesterday stunned Tory MPs by becoming his party's fourth leader in eight years to stand down after falling victim to Tony Blair's enduring, if slightly faltering, appeal to Middle Britain.
A Relative Defeat Will in Fact Serve to Strengthen Blairism
Loss of seats will not lead to the adoption of a more leftwing approach. Martin Kettle
On the Bus to Damascus With Blair's Greatest Asset
A guerrilla campaign is reminding women of Labour's real successes. Jackie Ashley
Attorney General Told Blair War Could Be Illegal
Tony Blair was told by the government's most senior law officer in a confidential minute less than two weeks before the war that British participation in the American-led invasion of Iraq could be declared illegal.
Blair's Evasions Will Catch Up With Him
We've had enough of the prime minister's half-truths on Iraq. Let us see his legal advice in full. Richard Norton-Taylor
Why Alastair Campbell Made Blair Eat Humble Pie
Polls proved that only Gordon Brown could deliver a third Labour term. Larry Elliott
Hold Your Nose, Vote Blair and Brown Will Be the Victor
Polly Toynbee: Disillusioned Labour voters should forget Iraq and think of the future.
Mugabe Claims Poll Landslide Has Sent a Message to Blair
Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party claimed election victory yesterday, but the opposition said that voting fraud and intimidation had marred the result.
It's Blair, Iraq and Immigration
Patrick Barkham: Those expecting a Labour election walkover should get out more. From Beeston to Brentwood, the mood is increasingly hostile.
As Blair Falters, Brown Strolls Back Into the Fray
Jackie Ashley: Unlike Labour's election campaign, the budget was confident and clever.
Brown's Ambitions Are Best Served By a Blair Landslide
Martin Kettle: Nothing if not a long-term strategist, the chancellor will now fall into line.
Blair Challenges World to End 'obscenity' of African Poverty
The prime minister, Tony Blair, today challenged the world to help end the poverty, conflict and disease plaguing Africa, as he launched a major international report on how to ease the continent's problems.
Howard's Handful of Men Are Chopping Blair to Pieces
Polly Toynbee: The NHS is Labour terrain, but even here the Tories are gaining ground.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Star in Blair's African Adventure
Simon Tisdall: Togo's 5 million people will finally have a chance to determine their future in the wake of the dictatorship of Gnassingbe Eyadema, who died in February after nearly 40 years in power.
Blair Targets Corruption in Africa Plan
· Banks urged to inform on pilfering leaders · Commission also recommends doubling aid
Blair Hails 'ripple of Change' in Middle East
Syria has one last chance, warns PM.
Blair Meets Abbas at London Summit
Tony Blair opened Middle East peace talks in London today telling international leaders he hoped they would advance the Palestinians' efforts to create a "viable state".
Blair Presses Reluctant Abbas Into London Conference
Downing Street had to put pressure on a reluctant Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, to attend Tony Blair's Middle East conference in London tomorrow after the Palestinian leadership expressed fears that the meeting will serve Israel's interests by raising new hurdles to the revival of political negotiations.
You Don't Need an A-level to Spot the Flaw in Blair's Logic
Jackie Ashley: In education you can be snobbish or progressive - but not both. What a lot we pile on to adolescents.
Blair's Big Tent is Empty
Polly Toynbee: Labour's campaign needs vision, not what's-in-it-for-me bribery. With Labour only 3% ahead, is there panic in the government?
Blair and Bush in Show of Unity
The prime minister, Tony Blair, paid tribute today to George Bush's leadership in the Middle East and said there was a real prospect for peace in the region.
Win This One for Labour, Not for Blair
Roy Hattersley: Blairites are aiming for a landslide to make their project irreversible. You may find it strange that the Conservative party - which holds such strong views on the need to reduce the number of migrant workers in Britain - should import an Australian gastarbeiter to advise on how to win the general election.
Blair Will Fly Out to Fight for 2012 Gold
Olympic Games: Personal plea to IOC members aims to neutralise Chirac intervention.
Blair Hopeful of Boost to Iraq Training Force
Tony Blair tells Commons liaison committee new countries likely to come forward to help train Iraqi security and police forces.
Breakfast With Blair As Rice Starts European Tour
Condoleezza Rice, George Bush's new secretary of state, began her week-long tour of Europe and the Middle East today by holding talks with Tony Blair at Downing Street.
Blair and Brown Cannot Afford to Fail
Both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown have taken a big political risk in setting an ambitious programme on Africa - and will certainly struggle to disguise any failure to make progress in 2005.
Blair Urges 'quantum Leap' on Aid to Africa As Debate About Finance Rages
World's richest countries need to make a "quantum leap forward" in helping Africa in 2005, Tony Blair says as he announces Britain will spend £45m on mosquito nets to prevent malaria.
Blair's Reality Gap
Polly Toynbee: The prime minister has opened his election campaign - and underlined New Labour's problem with delivery.
Palestinians Pour Cold Water on Blair Conference
Tony Blair is being forced to rethink the agenda for his proposed Middle East conference in London after Palestinians questioned its worth and accused him of being pro-Israeli.
The Differences Between Brown and Blair Are Wafer Thin
Polly Toynbee: The two architects of Labour's success - not just winning elections but making real change on the ground - are endangering the future.
Is Blair the Problem or the Solution?
Jonathan Freedland: The Blair-Brown split could yet inflict its most serious damage. Say what you like about the Blairite project, but it's always been bold.
Blair and Allawi Committed to Iraq Election Date
Tony Blair and the Iraqi prime minister, Ayad Allawi, today rejected calls to postpone the election scheduled for the end of this month as at least 20 people were killed in suicide attacks in the north and south of the country.
This Burst of Charity Will Not Fool Blair
Martin Kettle: Unlike Gladstone, he doesn't take us for a nation of global visionaries. Ever since 2001, the comparison between Tony Blair and William Gladstone has become columnar stock in trade.
Blair Back As Uk Death Toll Soars
Government faces growing criticism over response to disaster and hints at new increase in aid.
Blair Bowed to Israel, Say Palestinians
Palestinian officials attacked Tony Blair's planned conference on the conflict with Israel yesterday, saying it was much less than originally promised.
The Blairite Ultras Are at the Door
Jackie Ashley: A thumping election victory will bury old Labour once and for all. The heart sinks. Before the last mince pie has left the hips, we're to be in full-blown election mode. Labour has announced its plans already:
Blair Visit Secures London Talks on Middle East Peace
Tony Blair flew home from the Middle East last night confident that he had secured the twin objectives of his visit.
Blair Praises Iraqi Election Bravery in Flying Visit
The prime minister, Tony Blair, flew into the Iraqi capital today and praised the electoral workers of Iraq for their bravery in risking their lives for democracy.
Why Blair's Trip Will Not Succeed
David Hirst: The US is too partisan to see that the Palestinians cannot give more. Since Yasser Arafat's death, international attention has turned away from Iraq to the other, older, most imperishable of Middle East crises.
Blair Off to Middle East for Palestine and Iraq Talks
Tony Blair will visit the Middle East this week to explore ways of dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the upsurge in violence in Iraq.
Sharon Backs Blair's London Summit Plan
Middle East talks to focus on economy and security.
Blair Holds Key As Eu Opens Door to Turkey
Tony Blair is on course to take charge of historic negotiations designed to pave the way for Turkish membership of the EU after European leaders last night gave the green light to accession talks.
Blair Rejects Call for Count of Iraqi Deaths
Refusal to collect data obscures civilian toll.
Blair's Peace Initiative Dismays Israel
Israel is increasingly wary that Tony Blair will use his impending visit to force the pace of the peace process.
Blair's Kind of Respect
Jonathan Freedland: If Blunkett goes, the prime minister is likely to take over the home secretary's security agenda himself.
It's Not Too Late, Even for Tony Blair
A real assault on poverty would at last secure him his place in history. Loyal to a fault, I persist in the belief that Tony Blair can climb up the league table, published last week, which placed him sixth in the pantheon of modern prime ministers.
Blair May Visit Israel to Revive Peace Process
Downing St irritated as Shalom announces plans.
Blair and Chirac Pledge Unity
Tony Blair and Jacques Chirac today promised to work together on restoring stability in the Middle East while drawing a line under their past differences over the war in Iraq.
Blair Defends Relationship With Bush
Tony Blair will offer a robust defence of Britain's relationship with the US today - and insist it is essential to the spread of democracy and fight against terror. In his annual Mansion House speech, the prime minister will stress the need for Europe and the US to put differences on Iraq...
Blair's Call to Accept Bush Scorned By Chirac
Rifts likely to remain as French president says world is more multi-polar than ever.
Blair is a Foreign Hostage Too
Is there rhyme and reason here amid such horror? Yes, in the crudest terms. Terror deters Iraqis from joining forces to defend themselves, and outsiders from helping them.
Blair's Mission on Africa
15,000-strong European Union force will intervene in conflicts.
Blair's Leadership Challenge
Good governors must come to the fore in Africa if the latest rescue plan is to work, writes Rory Carroll.
Sudan Accepts Blair's Five-point Peace Plan
After two hours of talks and a warning on sanctions, Khartoum agrees to give African Union troops freedom of movement in Darfur.
Blair Outlines Sudan Demands
Tony Blair today said the Sudanese government had agreed to a five-point action plan aimed at ending the conflict in Darfur, which has resulted in what the UN describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis. The prime minister - the highest-level official from a western government to...
Blair Seeks Pledge From Sudan
PM gambles on talks with Bashir to ease refugees' plight.
If You Think Blair is a Tory You Should See the Real Thing
Labour transformed itself: so must the opposition. It may have been Michael Howard's big speech, but the man who towers over this conference is not here.
Blair's Demarche Has Confronted Brown With His Ultimate Dilemma
For Tony Blair this is in all senses the moment of truth. It is literally true that his announced aim to stay as prime minister until shortly before the election after next is also his real and settled intention.
Blair's Pre-announced Resignation Can't Sure-up His Future Ability to Govern
Tony Blair could now begin to look like a lame duck rather earlier than anyone might have expected.
Olympics: Blair Rallies Support for 2012
Tony Blair, addressing the Labour conference in Brighton, urged his party to support London's 2012 Olympic bid.
Blair Can't Break Free From Iraq, But He Won't Crumple
In Brighton, only the expected disaffected want regime change. Did he do it? Did he kill off the leadership question? It was a good speech and an excellent election manifesto.
Hartlepool, Not Brighton, Will Decide Blair's Future
Even a New Labour victory could rock the prime minister's grip on power. As the applause for Gordon Brown's barnstorming speech surged round the Brighton conference centre, up on the platform Tony Blair gave his chancellor a very public and very hefty clap on the back.
' Mr Blair, I Don't Want to Die. Help Me See My Wife and Son Again'
Kidnappers release video of Briton's desperate message.
Blair Calls Hostage's Family As Fears Grow
Tony Blair today telephoned the family of the British hostage Kenneth Bigley as the government said it would not meet his captors' demands. Fears for the 62-year-old and his American colleague Jack Hensley have grown since a video showing the beheading of a third man, Eugene Armstrong, an...
Labour Now Needs a Prosaic Blair
There is a real fear that Iraq could scupper the party's re-election chances. Tony Blair has never appeared more adrift from public opinion on Iraq than he does at this moment.
Leader Rejects Blair 'second Wave' Claim
Iraqi premier insists violence is caused by small minority.
Blair: We Must Win This New Conflict
Britain is embroiled in a fresh conflict with Iraq as it battles to quash global terrorism for ever, Tony Blair declared in a stark relabelling of the situation yesterday. The prime minister used a joint press conference with the Iraqi prime minister, Ayad Allawi, to say: "Whatever the...
Blair's Got a Third Force to Worry About
For a while, the prime minister's crisis seemed to have passed. No longer. There are not many rules in politics. But one is: stuff happens. This autumn had looked fairly predictable as everyone geared up for the pre-election period.
Labour Will Be Elected Again Under Blair
Despite the bitterness of the past days, less has changed than some think. Up here, reports an East Midlands Labour official, we mostly still approve of Tony Blair, some of us strongly.
Tony Blair's Survival is an Affront to Our Constitution
Those with the power to remove the Labour leader must act. Today the political soap opera goes on tour. It's the start of the conference season - four weeks of travelling theatre, farce and melodrama. One storyline will loom larger than all others.
Blair Backs London Bid
London's 2012 bid: Prime Minister Tony Blair has said London's bid to stage the 2012 Games is "strong and getting ever stronger".
One Blairite Who Could Yet Be Labour's Next Leader
Milburn could challenge Brown, but he needs to respect the party's roots. Alan Milburn's prospective return to government, if it happens, would be an event of great and intriguing importance. It might even help to define the shape of British politics for a decade to come. Here's why.
Blair Puts Competition Back Into School Sports
Labour to invest £459m in coaching programme. Senior ministers are planning to restore traditional competitive sports to the centre of school life if Labour wins a third term in another reversal of the party's historic hostility to the competitive ethos.
I Still Say That Blair Must Go
Jackie Ashley: He is an outsider, a rightwinger, and does not belong in Labour ranks.
I've Had Another Think. And I Still Say That Blair Must Go
He is an outsider, a rightwinger, and does not belong in Labour ranks. This has been a summer of reflection. Before the August break, I had been involved in a furious argument - well, several - about the Dear Leader.
Cherie Blair Joins Great and Good on Us Speaking Tour
Cherie Blair has joined a leading and expensive New York speakers' agency for a lecture tour in October, it was disclosed yesterday. Speaking in her professional capacity as barrister Cherie Booth, the prime minister's wife has been signed up by the Harry Walker agency, whose clients...
Intervene in Sudan, Tories Urge Blair
British troops should be sent to Sudan "in a matter of days" unless there is an improvement in the country's humanitarian crisis, the Conservatives urged today. John Bercow, the shadow international development secretary, said diplomatic efforts were "too little ... too late" and...
Blair Caught in Middle Over China Arms Ban
Bush presses PM to veto Europe's proposed lifting of weapons embargo as People's Liberation Army stages show of strength in Hong Kong.
Is Blair Deceiving Himself About America Yet Again?
Kerry as president will fundamentally alter our alliance. Asked to nominate the foreign country about which Tony Blair has most calamitously deceived himself as prime minister, most of us would, I suppose, select Iraq.
Sudan Warns Blair Against Sending Troops
Britain risks Iraq-style insurgency if it intervenes to aid refugees in Darfur, says foreign minister.
Blair: Nothing is Ruled Out in Sudan
Tony Blair today confirmed that British military involvement in Sudan was an option - but said the government was 'not at that stage yet'.
Blairism is Just Softened Thatcherism
New Labour's successes bear Brown's imprint, not the prime minister's. It's happening again. Peter Mandelson has become the acid-or-alkali test paper for Tony Blair's personal authority at Westminster.
Blair Draws Up Plans to Send Troops to Sudan
Tony Blair has asked Downing Street and Foreign Office officials to draw up plans for possible military intervention in Sudan, where more than a million refugees are at risk from famine and disease.
Blair Trashed the 60s for the Sake of a Tory One-liner
The 'permissive society' heralded a time of unparalleled social activism. The man has a political genius. Public opinion flows in his veins before any report lands on his desk.
There is Now No Doubt That Blair Misled the Commons
After Butler's damning report, he should search his conscience again. Damp squib or smoking gun? The conclusions from Lord Butler's report seem, at first sight, to provide the expected establishment support for the government.
Blair: Wmd 'may Never Be Found'
Tony Blair conceded today that Iraqi weapons of mass destruction "may never be found" but claimed that they could have been "hidden, removed or destroyed". Appearing before a committee of senior MPs, the prime minister said: "I was very, very confident the Iraq Survey Group would find...
Blair Should Quit to Protect His Legacy
Brown's supporters now have no choice but to bring the issue to a head. You just can't avoid it. Leadership talk is everywhere. A eulogy for Gordon Brown in the Daily Mail, this time for his plans to crack down on the work-shy (all those dinners with Paul Dacre bearing fruit, it seems).
Blair Witch Meets Jaws in Film to Make Divers Very Afraid
Open Water, a low-budget horror film that delivers some of the most terrifying scenes ever put on film, is expected to draw big crowds when it opens in America next month.
Nanny Blair Would Win It
New Labour is the children's party - so why are they so afraid of championing the smacking ban?
Does Blair mean what he says?
The prime minister doesn't act like a man who cares about Europe. This column, despite much provocation, has never questioned the prime minister's integrity. It has denigrated his philosophy, denounced his policy and deplored his definition of the good society.
Iraq Gave Al-qaida a Base, Says Blair
Downing Street maintained yesterday that Saddam Hussein had allowed al-Qaida to operate out of Iraq. The claim appeared to contradict the view of British intelligence officials and the US commission investigating the September 11 attacks. A Downing Street spokeswoman said the government...
Chirac Hits Out at Blair Eu Tactics
PM accused of appeasing sceptics.
Blair Hasn't Learned His Lesson
After last week's disaster, more of the same will simply make things worse. A sombre prime minister faced the monthly Downing Street press conference yesterday. There was no bounce, no cockiness, no blokey "y'know"s, which is hardly surprising.
It Will Take a Different Kind of Blair to Stay in Power
The voters' message is clear: focus on domestic issues and tell us the truth. Conventional logic rarely obliges in politics. It is little more than a month since credible reports that Tony Blair would quit if he thought he had become a liability to Labour's chances.
Blair Hails Push on Debt Relief for Poorest
Tony Blair and George Bush were last night dismissing talk of a rift between the world's most powerful states as they hailed a series of initiatives on Iraq, the Middle East and Africa at the close of the G8 summit. The two leaders downplayed the re-emergence of...
Blair Hails G8 Step to Poor Nations Debt Relief
Tony Blair was last night hailing success for the attempt by Britain and America to secure deeper debt relief for the world's poorest nations, after the G8 summit unveiled a package of measures at the end of its three-day meeting. In a summit overshadowed by renewed tensions between the...
Blair Stole My Birthday
I was born on June 6 1944, a day of genuine liberation. I came into this world on D-day, 60 years ago tomorrow, as tens of thousands of British, American and Canadian troops were embarking on an extraordinarily risky invasion.
Blair in a Quandary Over Prodi's Successor
Tony Blair is still looking for an alternative candidate to back for the post of president of the European commission, just two weeks before a crucial EU summit in Brussels. Mr Blair and his major European allies know that Downing Street has an informal veto over the successor to Romano...
Blair Jumps the Gun on Iraqi Veto
PM out of step with Washington on troops.
Iraq to Have Veto on Military Action, Says Blair
The prime minister, Tony Blair, said today that the new Iraqi government will have a full right of veto on future coalition military action such as last month's controversial US assualt on Falluja. In a monthly Downing Street press conference dominated by questions on Iraqi sovereignty...
Blair's Supporters Must Face Reality
Blair's supporters harm him by flinching from reality. The prime minister must be in more trouble than I realised. The best that Gerald Kaufman could manage in his defence on these pages was Hilaire Belloc's advice to hold on to nurse for fear of something worse - not exactly an unqualified encomium.
India Has Rejected Blairite Politics
The Blair protege and outrider for India's ruinous free market experiment has been voted out. Tony Blair has lost the election. It's true he wasn't standing, but we won't split hairs.
Blair Faces an Ultimatum
The trade unions should trigger a showdown in Labour's interest. Nellie Melba and I have more in common than you might think. Like her, I am addicted to farewell appearances. I made one at a European election meeting last week and expect to make several more before polling day on June 10.
Blair Urged to Loosen Ties With Us
Senior figures across the Labour party intensify pressure on Tony Blair to publicly detach himself from the Bush administration.
Oil Prices Have Blair Over a Barrel
The economic fallout from Iraq is now a threat to Labour's future. Air fares are up. Petrol prices are up. The leaders of the fuel protest in 2000 have been making minatory noises.
Blair's Perversity Does Him Harm
A handover to the UN is now the only way to meet this crisis. Iraq is near meltdown. The White House and Downing Street seem transfixed in a state of denial, incapable even of damage limitation. The UN - the last best chance - is on the brink of walking away from Iraq, leaving Bush and Blair to reap the whirlwind they have sown.
Blair Must Listen to Those He Despises
Unless the prime minister now listens to those he despises, he is finished. Listening to Tony Blair, you sometimes have to ask yourself what Britain he now inhabits. It isn't the Britain of the sulphurously hostile focus-group floating voters, about whom I wrote here last week.
Blair and Wen 'to Step Up Bilateral Relations'
Tony Blair announced a range of measures today to improve ties with China, including closer co-operation on immigration to prevent a repeat of the Morecambe Bay tragedy in which 20 cockle pickers died. Mr Blair said he would cement economic and political links between the two countries...
Blair to Discuss Human Rights With Chinese Premier
Tony Blair will raise concerns about democracy in Hong Kong and human rights in Tibet when he meets the Chinese president, Wen Jiabao, this afternoon, a Foreign Office minister said today. Mr Wen's arrival in London for a three-day visit yesterday was greeted with a protest by Free Tibet...
Blair to Press Chirac on Eu Draft Treaty
Call for clarification as poll shows voter apathy.
Cricket: Zimbabwe Tour: Blair Opposes Tour But Will Not Intervene
May 6: Tony Blair repeated his "preference" that England's tour of Zimbabwe should be cancelled but would not order the team to stay at home.
Humiliation Could Make Blair a Labour Leader
Next month's elections may leave the prime minister with no choice. Yesterday the leaders drew up their age-old battle lines on familiar opposing hillsides, ready for what is optimistically billed as Super Thursday.
Blair Hears Un Views on Transfer of Power
Limit on authority for Iraqis is a joke, say critics.
Blair 'appalled' By Iraq Prison Torture
Downing Street today said the prime minister was 'appalled' by pictures that emerged last night of Iraqi prisoners being tortured by American soldiers.
Counties Blame Blair for Tour Farce
April 30: In a Guardian poll, 10 of the 18 county chief executives said the government was most to blame for the crisis over whether to refuse to tour.
Blair Takes Referendum Call to France
Tony Blair took his case for an EU referendum direct to the French people today - with a first-person piece on the front page of a major French newspaper. The piece - which will increase the pressure on the French president, Jacques Chirac, to follow suit and grant a plebiscite on the new...
Blair: 'uk Has Enough Troops in Iraq'
· PM: 'We are determined'
· Spanish troops pull out
· US: mosques 'could be attacked'
Why I'm Right Behind Tony Blair
The important thing about the Europe referendum is winning it. Labour leader humiliated in Commons. Party in disarray. Senior colleagues in revolt. Election prospects jeopardised.
Europe is a Battle Blair Can't Win
Voters will either reject the EU constitution, or the prime minister. History, says Tony Blair, is on his side. Back in 1975, Labour turned public opinion round over Europe, and if Harold Wilson could do it then, Blair sees absolutely no reason why he can't do it now.
Blair Hints at Eu Vote Rerun
Tony Blair yesterday hinted that if Britain votes no in the promised referendum on the EU's new constitution he may seek amendments to its powers - and then ask voters to think again.
Blair Suffers First Europe Defeat
Tony Blair was battling to defend his timetable for the government's proposed referendum on the EU constitution last night as Downing Street faced accusations that its handling of the strategic u-turn had been shambolic. While politicians on all sides welcomed the move, the prime minister...
Blair U-turn on Eu Referendum
Tony Blair will this week put his job on the line when he embarks on the greatest u-turn of his premiership by publicly throwing his weight behind a referendum on the EU constitution. To the delight of the Tories and Rupert Murdoch, who recently threatened to withdraw the Sun's support if...
Blair Refused Offer of Get-out Clause on Iraq
Revelations about run-up to war blight bid to present united front.
UN Iraq Role to Top Bush-blair Meeting
George Bush and Tony Blair are expected to agree on a new UN resolution on Iraq when they meet in Washington this afternoon. The prime minister confirmed that he wanted to see a fresh resolution passed "in the near future" following talks yesterday with the UN secretary general, Kofi...
Sharon's Triumph is Blair's Defeat
By backing Israel's land grab, Bush has humiliated the prime minister. Most observers of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians threw away their rose-coloured spectacles long ago.
Spurned Blair in Plea to Bush
Prime minister urges US president to restore 'even-handed' approach over Middle East peace.
Blair Heads for Crucial Us Talks As Hostage Dies
Tony Blair flies to the US today for one of his most important summits with George Bush, which received added impetus last night when an Italian hostage was brutally killed by his Iraqi captors. The television station al-Jazeera was sent a video showing security guard Fabrizio Quattrocchi...
Milosevic Calls Blair and Clinton to The Hague
Tony Blair and former US president Bill Clinton top the list of more than 1,600 witnesses called by Slobodan Milosevic for his war crimes tribunal in The Hague. The former Yugoslavian president has refused to enter a plea in his ongoing trial, or even recognise the validity of the court...
There is No Alternative to Tony Blair's Iraq Policy
It is vital that the outcome should be freedom, not fundamentalism. No one can possibly accuse Tony Blair of underselling his case as he prepares for his US visit later this week.
Blair's fear of a Bushwhacking
Virtually everyone in Government is desperate for John Kerry to take the White House - everyone except a conflicted Prime Minister
Israel Claims Blair Phoned to Support Sharon Withdrawal
The Israeli government claimed last night that Tony Blair telephoned the Israeli leader, Ariel Sharon, to support his planned withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian territories. This would amount to a turnaround in British Middle East policy, which until now has opposed unilateral...
The End of the Blair Revolution
Labour has rediscovered loyalty to an idea rather than to an individual. For the first time in more than 10 years, there is at least the possibility that the Conservatives will win the next election. The prospect is still happily remote.
We Are Witnessing the End of Blair the Market Radical
The prime minister won last night, but the rebels can smell blood. So they got through. The top-up fees vote was a struggle, but it was enough.
Major Backs Blair's Date With Gadafy
John Major has endorsed Tony Blair's historic handshake with Muammar Gadafy, delivering a blow to Michael Howard.
Blair Draws Battle Lines on Europe
PM pledges quick agreement on EU constitution, saying Euroscepticism is 'dumb'.
Blair Signs New Recruit to War on Terror
For such a momentous event it had a remarkably casual feel to it. With camels grunting in the background, Tony Blair walked into the most famous tent in the world.
Blair Meets Gadafy
The prime minister, Tony Blair, today shook the hand of the Libyan leader, Colonel Muammar Gadafy, ahead of historic talks. Mr Blair was greeted by Col Gadafy in a Bedouin tent on the outskirts of the Libyan capital, Tripoli, bringing an end to three decades of isolation for the country...
Blair's War on Terror is Going Wrong
Government warnings about our vulnerability to terrorism underline how badly its war on terror is going.
Cassani Denies Blair Rift
Olympic 2012 bid: A newspaper claim that the chairman of London's bid for the 2012 Olympics does not much like Tony Blair has been angrily dismissed.
Europe Has Power to Give Blair Nightmares
The EU constitution could yet be catastrophic for his election chances. The conventional view these days is that Europe has become a bit of a non-issue, that the project that fired our most intense public arguments for the past quarter of a century is in eclipse, and that the European Union is...
Iraq: Blair and Bush Seek New Un Backing
The United Nations is to be given a lead role in post-occupation Iraq under British and American plans to shore up crumbling international support for the continuing military presence in the country. UK officials told The Observer there will be a sustained push for a fresh UN resolution...
Spanish Leader Accuses Bush and Blair
Threat to pull troops out of Iraq as row over election result escalates.
Why Blair Won't Admit That Prison Doesn't Work
Labour's tough talk on crime is obscuring the benefits of rehabilitation. This week's epic prison figures symbolise what the government is getting so wrong. It's not just the populist cowardice in letting prison numbers soar despite knowing it does more harm than good. No, this is another sign of Labour's utter ineptitude in getting across its best messages.
Tony Blair is Becoming Ever More Uneasy With the Law
The prime minister's own attitude means that Iraq will still dog politics. A year ago this month, the attorney general set a precedent by publishing a summary of his views on the legality of the Iraq war. Past attorneys had rarely been so publicly forthcoming on such an important and sensitive issue.
Ken's Crucial Lesson for Blair
The story of Ken Livingstone's success contains a crucial lesson for Blair. If Ken Livingstone ever hoped to be a pin-up figure for the political nuts of Westminster, he can forget it now.
My Pact is With Germany, Chirac Tells Blair
Tony Blair's ambition to position Britain as an equal partner with France and Germany at the heart of an expanded Europe was publicly rebuffed last night.
Blair: Social Justice Must Top Eu Agenda
Tony Blair said today that 'social justice' must be at the top of the EU's agenda for the 21st century - although he linked it directly to further economic liberalisation.
Why Tony Blair Fears the Coming of President Kerry
Clinton made Labour credible, now the Democrats threaten Bush's ally. If there is one thing that Tony Blair has never underestimated, it is the importance of an American presidential election in shaping the dynamics of British domestic politics.
Blair Couldn't Have Endorsed Mandelson
Blair couldn't have endorsed Mandelson's dangerous drivel. There is only one backbench member of parliament whose speeches are regularly reported in the national newspapers. His name is Peter Mandelson.
Let Blair Pay the Price
The time has come for New Labour to lance the Iraq boil - before the left is irrevocably split. If, as the saying goes, a week is a long time in politics, what then is a year? An aeon? An age? It certainly feels like it.
Gloom Has Crept Like a Fog Even Under Blair's Door
This is Labour's crisis - ousting the leader wouldn't solve the problem. In all, there have now been six periods of Labour government in British history. The most striking common fact about them is that each has been relatively short-lived.
Blair in Trouble? Call Major Joyce
Backbench MPs who defend the indefensible turn voters off politics. Pessimists predict that the turnout at the next general election will be below 50%. Learned papers have been written about the growing disenchantment with party politics and...
Palestinian Pm Urges Blair to Play Fair
Qureia accuses British government of double standards over security.
Blair Will Meet Libyan Minister in High-level Talks
Libya is to send its foreign minister, Abdulrahman Shalgam, to Britain on Monday for the highest-level meeting between the two countries since relations began to deteriorate in 1969. The Foreign Office confirmed yesterday that Mr Shalgam was to meet Tony Blair and the foreign secretary,...
Blair's Moral Authority is in Tatters
Post-Hutton, the prime minister's moral authority is in tatters. Two things were obvious from yesterday's Commons debate on the Hutton report. The first was Tony Blair's unshakeable self-belief that he was right over Iraq and his critics were 100% wrong.
Blair, Last of the Wmd Believers
Only Blair now insists there were Iraqi WMDs. But even claiming an honest mistake will no longer wash.
For Blair This is a Week of Failure
It is clear that the government cannot go on like this much longer. Four different outcomes are possible to the dramas of the next 48 hours. First, Tony Blair can win the vote on tuition fees tonight and he can also be exonerated by Lord Hutton tomorrow - the prime minister's dream scenario.
Blair Can Win the Vote, Not the Argument
Higher education's future has been deftly confused with his survival. If, as now seems possible, tomorrow's top-up fee rebellion fails, do not believe that ministers have won the argument as well as the vote. Neither Charles Clarke's concessions nor Tony Blair's eloquence will have turned defeat into victory.
New Wmd Blow for Blair
Survey chief resigns saying Iraq never had stockpiles.
This Isn't a Revolt on Tuition Fees, It's a Revolt Against Blair
Labour MPs' destructive defiance could bring down the prime minister. Everyone at this moment asks the three same great political questions, and for the next week these three will comprise the only game in town.
Duncan Mackay: Blair Gives London Quality Overtime
Duncan Mackay reports on the prime minister's appearance at the official launch of London's Olympic bid.
Blair Launches 2012 Olympics Bid
London's bid to host the 2012 Olympic games was officially launched today with Tony Blair calling for the "most special sporting event" to be held in the "world's greatest capital city". The prime minister lined up with an array of Britain's top Olympic athletes, both past and present, at...
Democrat Dream is Blair's Nightmare
It has come to this - a Labour leader rooting for a US Republican victory. Could anything expose the oddness of Tony Blair's politics more starkly?
Olympic Games: Blair to Attend Olympic Bid's Official Launch
January 15: Tony Blair is set to give London's bid for the 2012 Olympics a shot in the arm by attending its official launch in Covent Garden.
Dean's Bid for White House Alarms Blair Allies
Alliance could be strained by anti-war stance. New Labour allies of Tony Blair are becoming alarmed at the prospect of a Howard Dean US presidential candidacy, fearing it will create formidable tensions in the traditional transatlantic Democrat-Labour alliance.
Blair's Eu Deals Now Void, Warns Ahern
Bertie Ahern, the Irish prime minister, has warned that Tony Blair will have to fight to protect Britain's 'red lines' on foreign policy, tax and defence if talks on the EU constitution resume.
Blair Denies Olympic Lobbying Charge
Downing Street denied today that Tony Blair used a Commonwealth meeting to lobby support for London's 2012 Olympic bid. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has claimed in a letter to UK Olympic chiefs that Mr Blair contravened its code of ethics by canvassing for votes from the...
Blair Hails Libya Deal on Arms
Secret negotiations end with Gadafy giving up weapons of mass destruction.
Blair May Be Riding for a Fall
The prime minister is more confident than ever that he can get his way, but he may just be riding for a fall.
Blair Backs Move to Punish Spain and Poland
Britain has joined forces with France and Germany to demand cuts in the EU's budget that will punish Poland and Spain for blocking agreement on the draft constitution.
Disarray in the Eu Gives Blair a Respite
Power deal unlikely before election.
Blair Digs in His Heels on Zimbabwe
Tony Blair pledged yesterday to stand firm against Zimbabwe at the Commonwealth summit which starts today in the Nigerian city of Abuja. The opening session was expected be dominated by a dispute about the suspension of Robert Mugabe's regime from the organisation. President Mugabe has...
New, Listening Blair? Reckless, More Like
Whatever the arguments over tuition fees, the tactics are barmy. Chortle, chortle, chortle. I run into a Tory MP this week - a former senior member of Mrs Thatcher's cabinet - who tells me happily that...
A Lesson for Blair, Actually
As cinemagoers confirm, we feel more affinity with Europe than the US. Love Actually is a Christmas confection that's all icing and marzipan and no cake - not the kind of movie rabid anti-American lefties frequent.
Blair Would Do Well to Ditch This Legislative Laundry List
The tired pomp of the Queen's Speech misrepresents Labour's true values. It is not a Labour event, new or old. The clatter of the gilded royal coach through streets which have been cleared for fear of terrorism;
Blair is a Wounded Leader Now
The prime minister can no longer afford to ignore his backbenchers. George Bush's visit closed a chapter - and perhaps even ended an entire volume - in the Labour government's story.
Blair and Chirac Mend Some Fences
Tony Blair and Jacques Chirac took first steps to repair Anglo-French relations yesterday by signalling plans to widen the scope of the European Union defence force.
Blair's Black Day
Bombs, demos and serious mid-term drift - and all the direct result of the prime minister's own decisions. The prime minister has waited for months now with a deadly certainty that the terror attacks would come.
Blair and Bush Condemn Istanbul Bombings
· Vow to continue fighting terror
· Guantánamo issue 'will be resolved'
· Protesters prepare for major demonstration
Iraq is Bush and Blair's Only Bond
Bush and Blair could not be further apart on all aspects of social reform. The spectacle over the next few days of Tony Blair and George Bush beaming and backslapping remains as puzzling as ever.
Is Blair Really There for the Taking?
The Tories have refound their confidence, but it could be premature. For two years, Tony Blair's political life was dominated by the relationship with George Bush.
Blair Ally in Poll Threat to Bush
George Bush will be served notice today that the deep hostility towards him in Britain has reached the Blair inner circle, as former minister Stephen Byers launches a bid to destabilise the president's re-election campaign.
Bush and Blair Agree Iraq Exit Plan to End Occupation
· Troops to stay until 2006 as power shifts to Baghdad
· Row over security for state visit
Bush and Blair Are Key to Secure World, Says Rice
Common vision on Middle East will be at centre of state visit talks.
Dilemma for Blair in Landmark Us Case
Court to hear Guantanamo Bay inmates' demand for civilian trial.
Tony Blair's New Friend
Britain and the US claim a moral mandate - and back a dictator who boils victims to death. The British and US governments gave three reasons for going to war with Iraq. The first was to extend the war on terrorism.
A Cruel Blow to Blair's Youthful Image
The prime minister has taken a cruel blow to his youthful image. Tony Blair may be the consummate television performer, but just this once he will be glad the cameras were not there.
Cookites and Blairites Must Make Common Cause
Robin Cook's memoir has put him in the vanguard of Labour's debate. Robin Cook's new book of memoirs always had the potential to present a serious challenge to Tony Blair.
Blair Must Be Held to Account
We now know that he was not honest about the outing of Kelly. A few days after David Kelly's suicide, the prime minister was confronted by journalists on his aircraft as it prepared to land in Hong Kong. "Why did you authorise the naming of David Kelly?" he was asked. "That is completely untrue," replied Tony Blair.
What the Party Faithful Really Want is a Better Blair
The PM is out of step, but there is scant appetite to remove him. Forget the barnstorming balderdash of the Big Speeches by the two big beasts. By tomorrow they will be gone with the wind, blown away by the gusts of their own absurd rhetoric. Boastful anachronisms, they require Talmudic close study to decode.
Croatian Pm Lobbies Blair for Softer Line on Wanted War Crimes Suspect
The Croatian prime minister Ivica Racan is being blocked from taking his country into EU membership by a British ultimatum to hand over a war crimes suspect.
Blair Gets the Cold Shoulder at Berlin Summit
Tony Blair's efforts to seek agreement with France and Germany over Iraq suffered an embarrassing setback yesterday when French President Jacques Chirac bluntly insisted that power should be handed back to Iraqis in a 'few months'. Speaking after a meeting with Chirac and German...
Blair Euro Poll Hopes Dashed By Swedes
56% say no as sympathy vote fails to materialise.
There is a dark cabal around Blair
If post-Hutton wounds are to heal, then John Scarlett must go. Lord Hutton's journey into the heart of Britain's secret government is about to resume. The recall of witnesses to his inquiry into Dr David Kelly's death will be announced tomorrow, following today's report by the...
Blair talks of 'terrible virus'
Tony Blair has told the Palestinians that "the terrible virus of terrorism" has to be ended if they want the international community to help resolve the Middle East conflict.
Tony Blair will be reminded daily that you only live once
How much longer can the prime minister take the pressures of the job? Like nothing else, death changes perspective. I know. My wonderful mother died this summer, suddenly and unexpectedly.
Blair All Alone
Tony Blair and Gordon Brown are now the sole surviving members of British politics' most exclusive, and garlanded, club: the men who founded New Labour.
Why Didn't Blair Prepare for Post-saddam Iraq?
Another day, another soldier dead - and still no end to the chaos in sight. With the latest death of a serviceman in Iraq, the number of British troops killed by hostile fire since George Bush declared major combat operations to be over now exceeds the wartime toll.
New broom at NYT after Blair scandal
The New York Times moved to restore its battered image in the wake of a journalistic scandal that claimed the jobs of its two most senior editors in June by pledging a review of its journalistic policies and creating the first ombudsman's job in its 152-year history.
Blair Praise for Hong Kong Chief
Tony Blair yesterday praised Hong Kong's chief executive, Tung Chee-hwa, for postponing a controversial anti-subversion bill after 500,000 people took to the streets in protest. After a meeting, he described their talks as "very good", saying the authorities "are very much listening to...
Blair rallies to cause of Hong Kong democracy
Tony Blair flew into Hong Kong last night with a declaration that he would act as a guardian of democracy in the former British colony where liberals are fighting attempts by the Chinese government to restrict free speech.
An Uncertain Ending for Blair's Role
The war was a mistake. A terrible, self-deluding, self-destructive mistake. It may be the kind of mistake you never recover from.
Blair Accepts Military Trial for Britons
US warnings shift view on Guantanamo Bay prisoners. Tony Blair indicated yesterday that two of the British men being detained at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba will still stand trial before a US military court because national security would be at risk if they were returned to Britain.
A Futon on Fuji Helps Blair's Recovery
A night's sleep in the foothills of Mount Fuji on a futon lying on a specially woven straw mat appeared to revive Tony Blair yesterday as he resumed his round-the-world tour after one of the most wretched days of his premiership.
Bush Aids Blair By Halting Trial of Britons in Guantanamo Bay
Legal proceedings against the two Britons facing a military trial in Guantanamo Bay were suspended last night to allow talks between British and US legal officials. In a minor concession to Tony Blair, who is facing a growing row at home on the issue, George Bush personally authorised the...
US Row Casts Shadow Over Blair
Tony Blair is facing mounting pressure to urge President Bush to give the UN a greater role inside Iraq as a way of calming the security situation and indirectly helping ease the mounting political pressure over the government's handling of the Iraq crisis. With Mr Blair due to fly to...
Blair Ignored Cia Weapons Warning
Intelligence breakdown after Britain dismissed US doubts over Iraq nuclear link to Niger.
Frantic Efforts to Bring Home Britons Held in Cuba As Blair's Us Trip Looms
Tony Blair wants President Bush to agree by the middle of next week to repatriate two British terrorist suspects facing a secret US military trial - before his rare address to a joint meeting of the Senate and the House of Representatives in Washington. Downing Street fears Mr Blair's...
Forget Armchair Generals - Blair Needs His Foot Soldiers
Swanky conferences can't help - the prime minister must listen to the party. Remember those middle-middle class, aspirational, hard-working female voters of moderate views who swung over to Labour in the 1997 election?
Keep to the Law, Blair Tells Bush
Tony Blair gave George Bush a strong warning yesterday that he must follow proper legal procedures in the military trial of two Britons held at Guantanamo Bay who face the prospect of a death sentence. As 163 MPs signed a motion calling for the men to be repatriated, the prime minister...
Rock Safe Blair Can Come Out As Authentic Labour
A third term is certain, so now he can do social democracy in the open. Masterly and magisterial, deft and fleet of foot, Tony Blair returned every ace question with an ace reply. Up before yesterday's formidable heads of all the parliamentary select committees, he commanded the...
Security Comes First, Blair Told
July 8: Tony Blair has been warned that security must be the No1 priority if London's bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games is to be successful.
Did We Really Expect Blair's Bruiser to Get Pummelled?
Alastair Campbell admitted one error to MPs, then went on the attack. It never lived up to the billing. Alastair Campbell's appearance before the foreign affairs select committee was predicted to be a moment of New Labour nemesis, bringing together in one glorious afternoon's drama all the themes which threaten to undermine Tony Blair.
You Can't Have Blairism Without Any Blairites
The PM has few friends left - even Alastair Campbell might jump ship. Where are Tony Blair's people? Who are Tony Blair's people? These are the questions that are ultimately behind Peter Hain's deliberately provocative suggestion of a new higher rate of income tax and...
Putin's Brief Encounter With Blair Seen As Snub
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, will get only half an hour of private 'face time' with Tony Blair during a three-day state visit to Britain next week.
US Oilmen Fight Blair on Transparency
US oil companies were fighting yesterday to prevent an anti-corruption initiative being made mandatory at an industry forum meeting in London assembled by Tony Blair. ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips and ChevronTexaco made clear they wanted a proposed code on the transparency of payments made...
Blair must try to win back the trust of his supporters
This has clearly not been the reshuffle that Tony Blair had in his mind at the start of the week. If Blair had had his way, Alan Milburn would still have been sitting round the cabinet table today, perhaps even in his old job;
There is a Deal: Blair Gets the Euro, Brown Gets No 10
WMD have destroyed the PM's credibility and empowered the chancellor. There was, so far as I know, no rocket salad, no seared tuna or lightly oiled pasta, perhaps not even any pinot grigio. But if there was not a second Granita deal, there has certainly been a deal.
Blow to Blair Over 'mobile Labs'
Saddam's trucks were for balloons, not germs. Tony Blair faces a fresh crisis over Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction, as evidence emerges that two vehicles that he has repeatedly claimed to be Iraqi mobile biological warfare production units are nothing of the sort.
Blair Urged to Ban Pinochet Torture Ship
Blair urged to ban training vessel from Britain until Chile admits its use as floating jail after 1973 coup.
Ten killer questions to put to Blair
Did Downing Street ask the joint intelligence committee to add to, or change the wording of, the September dossier on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction?
Blair: I Have Secret Proof of Weapons
Prime Minister Tony Blair last night insisted he had secret proof that weapons of mass destruction will be found in Iraq.
Blair's Rallying Cry: No Little England, No Fortress Europe
Tony Blair yesterday launched a two-pronged offensive to promote his vision of a 21st century European Union.
Blair in All-out Attack on Eurosceptics
Tony Blair launched a blistering fightback against his British Eurosceptic critics today, with a speech declaring that cutting EU ties was an "act of self-mutiliation". Speaking in Warsaw, the prime minister held out an olive branch to the French, praising their efforts to help...
Did Blair Lie to Us?
The PM's warning that Iraq could strike in 45 minutes now looks bogus, and we may never trust him again, says Polly Toynbee.
Time to Decide on Europe, Says Blair
Tony Blair agrees with Eurosceptics that it is time for Britain to decide whether to be in or out.
Blair Faces Revolt As Us Admits Doubts
Rumsfeld: 'It is possible that Iraqi leaders had decided to destroy the weapons of mass destruction prior to conflict'
New Sticking Points for Blair in Draft Text
Rows lie ahead before EU summit
David Walker: Blair Needs German Lessons
Schröder hasn't let economic worries ruin his commitment to social justice. German unemployment is nearly 5m; job ads for cleaners get 40 applicants. Growth this year is going to be a pitiful 0.75% at best.
Patten Attacks Blair Over Euro Decision
The EU commissioner, Chris Patten, today accused Tony Blair of "patronising prevarication" over the government's decision on whether to join the single currency. Piling on the pressure ahead of this month's expected decision from the chancellor on the self-imposed five economic tests, one...
It's Not Another Leader We Want, It's a Better Blair
Clare Short was right to voice her discontent, but the attack misfired. Goodness knows, it's sad to see her go, leaving behind an ever greyer cabinet. There are not many left with the political charm of a Clare or a Mo, who make people smile when they walk into the room.
'Bush and Blair Must Come to Zimbabwe'
David Beresford finds that gardeners, like taxi drivers, can be a great foreign correspondents' source.
Blair Could Destroy Euro Support
Britain in Europe campaign director warns of mass resignations if the PM offers nothing but 'warm words' in his forthcoming statement.
Blair to Join Churchill on Us Roll of Honour
Tony Blair is set to receive America's Congressional Gold Medal, one of the nation's highest honours, for his "outstanding and enduring contributions to maintaining security of all freedom-loving nations". The prime minister will be only the second Briton to receive the award, after...
Ten Things Tony Blair Should Do Before He is 55
So far he has done little that can't be undone. Now it is time for real bravery. Tony Blair has had a warm welcome to the wrong side of 50. A life so frenetic may ward off existential tremors - if it's Tuesday it's Belfast, Wednesday it's foundation hospitals - and keep intimations of political mortality at bay on a manic treadmill.
Blair Warns France of Cold War With Us
Tony Blair yesterday warned critics of the war in Iraq that any attempt to create "rival centres of power" would restore the disastrous divisions of the cold war era.
Blair: I Don't Want to Be President
Tony Blair today categorically ruled out taking a future job as EU president, a post he has been linked with in any deal to allow Gordon Brown to become prime minister. Mr Blair again stated his support for the creation of an EU presidency, a concept backed by the recent convention of the...
Will Blair Listen to the Good Angel or the Bad Angel?
The PM could now ignore his party - or try to re-engage with it. Was it really just a few weeks ago when the Westminster cognoscenti were muttering that Gordon's hour was coming, and Tony might have to step down before the year's end?
Blair joins last push for Palestinian cabinet
Tony Blair joined an international push to rescue the Israeli-Palestinian peace process yesterday by urging Yasser Arafat to make every effort to help his prime minister designate, Mahmoud Abbas, form a cabinet.
Blair in Talks With Arafat
Tony Blair today spoke to the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, in an attempt to prevent the latest efforts to restart the Middle East peace process dissolving in chaos. Mr Blair's intervention came amid reports that the Palestinian prime minister-designate, Mahmoud Abbas, could be...
Blair: I Was Ready to Quit Over Iraq
· Ba'ath party leader captured
· Arab ministers hold Iraq talks
· Blix: UN inspectors will not work under US
Blair Mends Fences With Chirac on Iraq
Britain last night urged France and Russia to return to the United Nations security council to forge an agreement on the vexed question of the world body's precise role in post-war Iraq. Tony Blair used the EU's Athens summit to mend fences with a pragmatic-sounding Jacques Chirac and...
Blair's Doctrine Peters Out in the Wreckage of Baghdad
His electrifying vision was just a garland of rhetoric on the war chariot. War is dangerously thrilling, victory intoxicating. No matter what your view, all were transfixed as cities fell, tanks raced to the capital, a live action movie unfolding on the hour, every hour.
Blair: No Plans to Invade Syria
· Major combat in Iraq 'over'
· 'Iraqis are rejoicing'
· Two aircraft carriers to return home
Blair Survived Because His Possible Challengers Blinked
The PM now provokes as much visceral dislike as Mrs Thatcher did. There are some, me included, who thought Tony Blair might not make it to the Easter recess as prime minister. There are certainly some, me not included, who positively hoped he might not do so.
Blair and Bush Broadcast Tv Messages to Iraqis
Britain and the United States projected a post-Saddam television service towards the homes of millions of Iraqis yesterday.
Blair Tells Bush: Take Rest of World Into Account
Tony Blair last night appealed to George Bush to combine America's quest for its own security with the wider needs of international justice.
Blair Leaflet Pledges Early Self-rule
Tony Blair is to deploy his persuasive powers in southern Iraq with hundreds of thousands of leaflets containing a personal promise in Arabic that the country will be given self government.
Bush-Blair Talks on Big Three Peace Issues
President George Bush and Tony Blair are to hold an ambitious emergency summit in Belfast next week to address three different world conflicts. The talks on Monday and Tuesday will be the second time the two leaders have met in 10 days, and the discussions will cover the gamut of military...
Even If He Wins the War, Blair Has Been Humiliated
It may not be time to write the PM's obituary, but he has had a truly disastrous week. Tony Blair could still get his Churchill moment. Basra might fall, Baghdad could follow, with the British and Americans finally winning their long-promised tears-and-cheers welcome from a grateful Iraqi nation...
Blair Warns of 'difficult' War
8.30am: Iraqi troops 'fire at civilians'
· Bunker-busting bombs hit Baghdad
· Rumsfeld: US may lay siege to capital
Blair Expresses 'horror' at Al-jazeera
Tony Blair and the commander of UK forces in the Gulf have expressed outrage at Arab satellite TV network al Jazeera's decision to broadcast footage of what are believed to be dead British soldiers. By Jason Deans
Coughs and Stam'rs help Blair say it clearly, again and again
The history of modern warfare can be summarised as a reversal of two numbers. In the second world war the aim was to kill as many people as you could with as few as possible watching what you were doing.
Blair Pleads for Us and Europe to End Rift Over Iraq
Tony Blair yesterday pleaded with Europe and the United States to heal their diplomatic rift over Iraq to prevent the replacement of their historic friendly partnership with a bipolar rivalry which would be disastrous for world stability. Delivering an upbeat assessment of the first five...
Blair: War Going to Plan
· 2nd UK soldier dies in combat
· Clashes with Republican Guard
· More US pilots on Iraqi TV
Blair: Forces 60 Miles From Baghdad
· PM pays tribute to servicemen
· Patriot stalls missile
· Saddam: Cut their throats
'Blair is a Symbol of Braveness'
Jalal Talabani, head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, believes that American and British forces have come to liberate the Iraqi people, reports Helena Smith.
Blair Tries to End European Rift
Post-war aid plea to France and Germany.
Polly Tonybee: Will War Be Blair's Lbj Moment?
The real conflict is over who runs the world - and on what authority. War makes and breaks careers, brings out the best or worst, leaving no refuge for grey doubt. "A tough and stark choice," as the prime minister said yesterday.
Blair Appeals for Commons Support As War Looms
· Blair opens crunch debate
· Short stays but two ministers resign
· Saddam rejects Bush's ultimatum
Bush and Blair Head for 'war Council'
· US, UK and Spain in last-ditch effort for peace
· Bush ultimatum may come tomorrow
· Powell: second resolution not needed
Final play in Blair's diplomatic gamble
A desperate eleventh-hour effort to secure UN backing for war is under way and the PM is steeling himself to fight Iraq - and members of his party.
Blair Plans for War As Un is Given 24 Hours
Downing Street says peace prospects are bleak as Blair prepares for high-level resignations.
Seumas Milne: Blair is plunging Britain into a crisis of democracy
This has already been a desperate week for Tony Blair. First, his handling of the Iraq crisis was openly denounced as "reckless" by a member of his own cabinet, Clare Short.
Blair Won't Be Forgiven
War leaders must sound adamant, but he didn't listen from the start. Yet again Tony Blair was left bleeding. The audience of anti-war women who slow-handclapped him at the end of Tonight with Trevor McDonald was wickedly selected.
US May Go It Alone As Blair is Caught in Diplomatic Deadlock
· Rumsfeld raises doubts over British military role
· Prospect of no UN resolution prompts crisis
· PM facing most crucial 72 hours of premiership
Blair is certain he is right, but worries about the cost
Faced with the question of how they intend to get out of all this, Tony Blair and his praetorian guard exhibit icy sang froid. From a leader who has put his premiership, his party and his government all on the line over Iraq, it is a stance that many of his colleagues find unnerving.
Blair Condemns Un Veto Threat
An increasingly isolated Tony Blair today hit back at France and Russia, saying that pledging to veto a second resolution on Iraq would let Saddam Hussein "off the hook". The prime minister repeated his vow to work "night and day" to find common ground among UN security council members to...
Blair Sets Out Final Terms to Avoid War
·Saddam ordered to destroy hundreds of Scud and chemicals missiles ·PM 'will get backing' for Iraq ultimatum ·Ministers threaten to quit
Blair: vetoes no obstacle to war
Tony Blair has told an MTV audience he would be willing to wage war on Iraq even if more than one country vetoes a second UN resolution at the security council next week.
Blair presses for 'road map' to be published
Britain expressed frustration yesterday at the continuing delay in publishing the internationally agreed "road-map" for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Blair's High Wire Act
It began with a pager message and escalated into the biggest Commons rebellion for 100 years. Kamal Ahmed examines the PM's greatest gamble.
Blair Dismisses Saddam's 'games'
Tony Blair today dismissed Saddam Hussein's announcement that Iraq will destroy its al-Samoud 2 missile system as an attempt to play "games". The prime minister was speaking in Madrid following talks with his Spanish counterpart, Jose Maria Aznar, and hours before chief weapons inspector...
Rebel Vote Stuns Blair
· 121 Labour members vote against war
· Biggest ever revolt against a government
· Tory support helps save PM
War rebels challenge Blair
Tony Blair tonight faces the most dangerous challenge to his authority during his six-year premiership as opponents of his "rush to war" policy on Iraq organise frantically to muster the Commons votes that may slow his momentum.
Blair Urges Mps to Back Resolution
· Saddam refuses to destroy missiles
· Blair delivers his case for war to MPs
· UN in diplomatic crisis
Blair tries to head off Iraq revolt
Tony Blair will move to avert a potentially crippling Labour backbench revolt over Iraq this week by heralding a new joint US-UK resolution to be tabled in the next 24 hours as part of "a push for peace".
Blair in Italy to Bolster Support
Tony Blair today arrived in Rome for talks with both the Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, and the Pope, as the US announced it was ready for war with Iraq. Mr Blair will face two very different audiences, with Mr Berlusconi sharing the US-UK enthusiasm for military action, while...
Get real, Blair tells European critics of America
Tony Blair yesterday complained that much of Europe's anti-American rhetoric is a "parody" of reality and warned critics of his Iraqi policy that those seeking to divide the EU from the US were "playing the most dangerous game of international politics I know".
Blair to Have Private Audience With Pope
Tony Blair is to have a private audience with the Pope, the religious leader most obdurate in his opposition to war with Iraq, during a visit to Rome on Saturday. Although Downing Street would not confirm the details of the audience, the prime minister's chances of convincing the world's...
Blair denies rushing to war
· Saddam in 'material breach'
· EU attempts to heal divisions
· Kurds fear chemical attack
Blair's Case for War is Shot Full of Holes
As public opposition mounts, the PM is forced to play his last card. Downing Street is at panic stations as the full implications of Hans Blix's inspections report sink in. The two main US-British arguments in favour of launching a war on Iraq next month - that Saddam currently possesses deployable weapons of mass destruction and poses an...
Blair stakes his political future on beating Iraq
Tony Blair laid his political future on the line yesterday as he spelt out the moral case for waging war on Iraq, warning peace marchers that there would be 'consequences paid in blood' for showing weakness now.
Blair Should Beware of Regime Change in Britain
The government must come up with an alternative policy on Iraq. In the circle around Tony Blair a certain air of unreality now rules. This is not unreality on the scale of Louis XVI, writing "Rien" in his diary entry on the day the Bastille fell. But it is not negligible unreality either.
Blair: we will not be put off by UN
An impassioned Tony Blair went on the offensive last night in a fresh attempt to persuade a sceptical British public that an American-led war against Iraq would be justifiable if Saddam Hussein refuses to cooperate fully with the United Nations weapons inspectors.
Blair Certain of Iraq's Al-qaida Links
Tony Blair insisted today that evidence of Iraq's links with the al-Qaida terrorist network did exist, but acknowledged "exactly how far they go is uncertain". His comments came after the Liberal Democrat leader, Charles Kennedy, challenged the prime minister at his weekly Commons...
I will risk all on Iraq, says Blair
Tony Blair yesterday admitted he was risking everything politically on his determination to rid Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, as he briefed MPs on his belief that President George Bush and the rest of the UN security council will endorse a second resolution backing the claim that Iraq is breaching UN resolutions.
Blair Pressed to Back Final Deadline for War
George Bush will today try to persuade Tony Blair to take the next step towards war by setting a deadline for Iraq to disarm or face a military attack.
Blair: North Korea is Next
Tony Blair today pledged that after dealing with Iraq, the UN would confront North Korea about its nuclear weapons programme. The prime minister was giving an impassioned defence of the government's position on Iraq during his weekly question time when an anti-war MP shouted: "Who's...
Will Blair Speak for England?
The prime minister's global strategy has now been tested to destruction. It says something about the fashions of intellectual life that there are more books in print these days about the historian AJP Taylor than by him.
Blair: War Can Start Without Un Arms Find
Tony Blair has raised the temperature in the confrontation with Iraq by insisting there is no need for United Nations weapons inspectors to find a 'smoking gun'.
Blair Plans to Strike Defence Deals to Heal Rift With France
Tony Blair is to make a concerted bid to avert a disastrous diplomatic split with France, fuelled by divisions over Iraq, by reaching a wide ranging set of deals covering terrorism and defence at an Anglo-French summit within 10 days. With the US administration hurling insults at the...
Ramallah Mission for Blair's Envoy
Tony Blair dispatched his special Middle East envoy, Lord Michael Levy, to Ramallah yesterday in an attempt to revive talks with the Palestinians aimed at restoring the peace process. The Israelis were more muted in their criticism of the meeting than earlier this month when Ariel Sharon...
Blair denies ending Mugabe ban
The prime minister denied today that the Foreign Office had agreed to the lifting of a travel ban on Zimbabwe's leader, Robert Mugabe.
No Way Out for Saddam - Blair
Tony Blair today refused to rule out using nuclear weapons in a conflict against Iraq, as MPs grilled the prime minister for two and a half hours on the subject of Saddam Hussein. The prime minister said Britain and the US would deal with the threat from Iraq by "any way necessary"...
Can Blair really hope to sway Bush?
Tony Blair's Camp David summit with George Bush at the end of the month could be the last time they look each other in the eye before plunging their alliance into a new war with Iraq. It will be a tense scene.
Blair is Dangerously Wrong About This Us Government
The prime minister has a case on Iraq. But Washington isn't listening. Tony Blair is neither wicked nor stupid. This puts those of us who disagree with his Iraq policy under an obligation.
We Must Act Now or Pay the Price, Says Blair
PM warns that weapons of mass destruction will reach terrorists.
Blair Ready to Act Without New Un Resolution
The prime minister, Tony Blair, said today he believed "passionately" that Saddam Hussein must be stripped of his weapons of mass destruction, with or without a new UN resolution. Mr Blair stressed that his preference was to "take the UN route", but did not rule out support for military...
Blair steps up war of words
Tony Blair will today go as close as he dares to predicting that the US and Britain will not attack Iraq without the authority of the UN because Saddam Hussein will be exposed sooner or later for flouting the UN's insistence that he give up his illegal weaponry.
Blair Says Meeting Must Go Ahead
The prime minister, Tony Blair, issued a defiant response to Israel yesterday by pushing ahead with his plan for a Middle East peace conference next Tuesday, even though it has been reduced to a skeleton of the original proposal. He promised a further conference once the Palestinians were...
Blair pressed to announce troop deployment
Tony Blair was under pressure last night to announce the deployment of a British armoured force to the Gulf, as defence sources disclosed that the government had secretly chartered more than 30 ships to transport tanks and heavy guns for a possible invasion of Iraq.
Blair backs cricket into a corner
Tony Blair increased the pressure on the England and Wales Cricket Board to pull out of its controversial World Cup match in Zimbabwe yesterday when, in the House of Commons, he called for a boycott of the game.
Blair Calls for Boycott
January 9:Tony Blair increased the pressure on the ECB by calling for a boycott of England's controversial match in Zimbabwe.
Blair pleads for talks to go ahead
Tony Blair has written to Ariel Sharon asking him to lift the bar on Palestinian delegates travelling to London next week for the latest British attempt to revive the Middle East peace process.
Listen to the World's Fears, Blair Tells Us
Tony Blair yesterday warned President George Bush to "listen back" to the international community's fears over Iraq and other global concerns or risk "pent-up feelings of injustice and alienation" pushing mainstream world opinion into the anti-US corner. In a major foreign policy speech,...
Blair Pleads With Israel to Save Summit
Prime minister Tony Blair has today written to his Israeli counterpart Ariel Sharon, urging him to allow Palestinian leaders to attend No 10 summit next week. The prime minister's personal intervention reflects the government's hope that the meeting, to discuss reforms of the Palestinian...
Neither Jenkins Nor Blair Could Unite the Centre-left
The search for a historic compromise in British politics has failed. For more than 40 years, the career of Roy Jenkins posed a big question. That question can be expressed in different ways, but in whatever guise it comes it was an important and a powerful one.
Sharon snubs Blair's peace summit
Ariel Sharon accused Tony Blair of "legitimising terrorists" by hosting a meeting of Palestinian leaders in London next week. Mr Blair called the summit last month in an attempt to breathe life into the Middle East peace process.
This Could Be Blair's Finest Hour
Britain's envoys want the PM to stall Bush's plans for war. Telegrams from British embassies and missions around the world are urging Tony Blair to step up pressure on President Bush to pull back from a war against Iraq.
Blair to Host New Palestinian Talks
Tony Blair is to meet Palestinian leaders to press them into making widespread reforms of the Palestinian Authority as part of international efforts to kick-start the moribund Middle East peace process. Amid a new escalation of violence in the Occupied Territories ahead of Israel's...
Blair's Holy War on the Home Front
The new archbishop is set to lead opposition to attacking Iraq. Margaret Thatcher, who fancied herself as an amateur theologian, once offered an unusual gloss on the story of the Good Samaritan.
Blair Breaks Holiday for Jordan Talks
Tony Blair last night turned his winter holiday in Egypt into a mini-political mission to the Middle East, with a flying visit to Jordan for an informal summit with King Abdullah II. The prime minister, accompanied by his wife Cherie, left their children at the Red Sea resort of Sharm...
Three Resolutions to Help Blair Win Back Lost Friends
After his gloomy new year message, some tips for shoring up defences. The prime minister's new year message of doom could hardly foretell a more inauspicious year.
Blair Calls for Zimbabwe Cricket Tour Boycott
Tony Blair last night stepped into the deepening row over plans for England cricketers to play in the World Cup in Zimbabwe, saying the team should not take part in the match in Robert Mugabe's famine-stricken country. As the Conservatives yesterday accused the government of a woeful lack...
Why Tony Blair Objected to Rhodri Morgan
Now we know why Tony Blair objected to Rhodri Morgan. He's a thinking socialist. At last the mystery is solved. Why, we all wondered, was the prime minister so determined that - after the sad fall of Ron Davies - Alun Michael, rather than the obviously more able Rhodri Morgan, should become the...
Blair prepares troops for Iraq action
Tony Blair today delivered a direct message to British forces to be prepared for action against Iraq if Saddam Hussein fails to comply with demands to disarm.
Assad Calls Blair Conference Irrelevant
The Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, dismissed as irrelevant Tony Blair's planned Middle East peace conference yesterday less than 24 hours after Downing Street announced it. He predicted that the conference, to be held in Britain next month, will fail because it does not address the...
Blair Plan for Arab Summit
Tony Blair is to intervene directly in the moribund Middle East peace process by hosting a conference in Britain next month.
Blair and Assad agree to disagree
The Syrian president Bashar Assad today insisted his talks with Tony Blair in Downing Street had been "realistic and constructive", despite clear differences over a war on Iraq.
Seumas Milne: Blair gives modernity a bad name
After years of relative industrial peace, establishment outrage at trade unionists who dare to withdraw their labour to protect jobs and living standards shows no signs of dimming. For politicians and journalists who cut their teeth during the 1980s, the fire dispute has offered a perfect opportunity to revive the archaic battle cries of their youth.
Blair Courts Controversy to Meet New Israeli Leader
Tony Blair is to risk the accusation of interfering in Israeli domestic politics by inviting Amram Mitzna, the leftwing challenger in next month's prime ministerial election, to Downing Street. Mr Mitzna's spokesman, On Levey, told the Guardian that although no date had been fixed the...
Blair Showers Chirac With Birthday Honours
French president receives effusive 'Happy 70th' greeting as London tries to mend fences.
Blair Struggles to Salvage Plan for Middle East Talks
No 10's idea left Foreign Office holding the baby.
Blair Meets Chief Un Weapons Inspector
Tony Blair today told the UN's chief arms inspector, Hans Blix, that Iraq must be disarmed of its weapons of mass destruction - and it was "Saddam's choice" as to how this was achieved. During a 30-minute meeting at Downing Street, Blix briefed Mr Blair on his two-day visit to Iraq -...
To Beat Blair, Brown Must Offer an Alternative
To seize Blair's crown, Brown must offer an alternative. Hence the rows over top-up fees and hospitals. At last it's in the open. After eight years of dark whispers, coded messages and plain guesswork, the legendary Blair-Brown split is finally emerging into the daylight.
We Don't Want Your Oil, Blair Tells Iraqis
The prime minister, Tony Blair, last night told a popular radio station broadcasting to Iraq that the country's standard of living would be "infinitely greater" if Saddam Hussein was not in power. Interviewed on Radio Monte Carlo - a station that counts the Iraqi leader among its...
Hugo Young: Blair has not been a poodle, but poodleism still beckons
George Bush and Tony Blair are beginning to look alike. There is even a resemblance of gesture and demeanour, but more important is the similarity of their situations. When Bush was first elected, this was impossible to envisage.
We are not traitors, says Blair
Tony Blair yesterday defended his government's economic, social and geostrategic policies as thousands of potential critics gathered in Florence to campaign for a more just and human-centred management of the globalisation process.
The Queen Comes Through for Blair Every Day
The prime minister knows that his powers depend on the monarchy. Say what you like about our prime minister, he does not have a suspicious mind. When the Queen remembered, extraordinarily late but just in the nick of time, about her five-year-old conversation with Paul Burrell, Diana's butler, a lesser man might have had doubts.
Why Blair is an Appeaser
Britain plays poodle partly because the US is stitching up the world's oil supplies. Tony Blair's loyalty to George Bush looks like slow political suicide. His preparedness to follow him over every precipice jeopardises Britain's relationships with its allies, conjures up enemies all over the world and infuriates voters of all political colours.
Franco-German Axis Threatens Blair
The prime minister could be isolated by a revived alliance in Europe and Chirac's accusations of his unprecedented rudeness.
Chirac Furious After Row With Blair
Chirac cancels summit after row with 'very rude' Blair. An enraged Jacques Chirac has cancelled the next Anglo-French summit after he accused Tony Blair of speaking to him with unprecedented rudeness over the future of the common agriculture policy and Africa.
Chirac Turns on 'rude' Blair in Finance Row
Tony Blair will make a Commons statement on this weekend's Brussels summit at 3.30pm, when Conservatives will question him on claims that he was involved in a stand-up row with the French president over farm subsidies. The Brussels meeting was intended to re-organise EU finances to make...
How Blair Tried to Sell Jets and Peace to India
Tony Blair personally lobbied the Indian prime minister to buy British Hawk jets during a recent Chequers meeting despite the continuing crisis with Pakistan over Kashmir.
Kennedy warns Blair over Iraq
Labour critics of Tony Blair's anti-terrorism strategy yesterday made common cause with the Liberal Democrats in warning the prime minister that the global coalition arraigned against al Qaida - and the Bali bombers - could "fracture" if Britain and the United States launch a unilateral attack on Iraq.
Blair backs US taking on Iraq and terrorists
Tony Blair yesterday endorsed the Bush administration's insistence that the US-led campaign against Saddam Hussein's military arsenal is not a "distraction" from the fight to destroy the al-Qaida network which may have organised - or inspired - the terrorist bombing in Bali.
Blair to Order Invasion Force This Month
Tony Blair is expected to order defence chiefs by the end of the month to prepare a British force for an attack on Iraq, Whitehall sources said yesterday.
Blair: Saddam Must Open Palaces to Un
The Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein, must open his presidential palaces to UN weapons inspectors without restriction, Tony Blair said today. Under the current arrangements, the inspectors would be required to give advance notice of visits to the palaces. But in his monthly...
Clinton tells party Blair's the man to trust
Bill Clinton yesterday used a mesmerising oration to Labour's conference to urge his successor George Bush to honour his obligations to an integrated world and persevere with the United Nations as the safest route to solving the deepening Iraqi crisis.
Business As Usual for Blair Amid the Global Hurricanes
The PM talks of hope but his party remains deeply uneasy. Once the soufflé was eaten, they went away pleased yet mildly dissatisfied. Was that lunch or just a starter? Is the beef to follow, or not? Elegance, eloquence and intelligence, yes. But this haute cuisine prime ministerial speech was strong on flavour, light on substance.
Blair: there must be readiness for war
The prime minister, Tony Blair, today told the Labour party, the country and the watching world there must be a "readiness for war" if Saddam Hussein was to be successfully dealt with.
Schröder Seeks Blair's Help in Making Up With Washington
The newly re-elected German chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, flew to London last night for urgent talks with Tony Blair on how to repair Berlin's stricken relationship with the United States. A Downing Street spokesman said Mr Schröder asked for the meeting when Mr Blair rang him...
Blair Makes His Case As Us Puts Squeeze on Iraq
As Blair wins parliament's qualified endorsement for a UN-led campaign in Iraq, Bush plans to table a tough security council resolution to step up pressure on Saddam Hussein.
Barrister Blair Fights His Most Difficult Case
Sometimes the purest logic leads us down the path to perdition. It was a bravura performance - it almost always is. With eloquence, reason and deftness of foot, the prime minister silenced the war wobblers - at least for now.
Blair Defends Dossier to Commons
· Blair: Iraq's weapon' programme is active
· Dossier a damp squib says rebel MP
· Iraq dismisses dossier as baseless
Blair: we have the evidence
Tony Blair is convinced new sources of intelligence from inside Iraq provide "persuasive and overwhelming" evidence that Saddam Hussein is reassembling and expanding his weapons programme.
Blair prepares cabinet for action on Iraq
Tony Blair tonight told the cabinet that the policy of "containing" Saddam Hussein had failed and that the Iraqi dictator had to be stopped. Briefing senior ministers on the government's long-awaited dossier on Iraq, the prime minister said it was clear from intelligence reports that the Iraqi leader was continuing to build his arsenal of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
Blair may be First Buddy, but it's time he faced the facts
Everyone but the prime minister knows the US has trashed the rules. No one who has ever seriously believed in any cause finds it easy to criticise that same cause in public. The doubter's life can be hard, lonely and insecure.
Blair treads a fine line on UN role in talks with Bush
As Tony Blair and his 15-strong entourage took the half-hour flight in two helicopters from a sweltering St Andrews air force base to the President's Camp David retreat in the Catoctin mountains, the prime minister knew he was preparing for perhaps the most delicate diplomatic meeting of his premiership.
Britain and US ready to fight alone - Blair
Tony Blair issued a stark warning last night that he was ready to commit British troops to fight alongside US forces in a war against Iraq - even if other members of the United Nations were opposed to military action.
Blair has to talk up war in order to make it less likely
Iraq is not Kosovo or Afghanistan and the prime minister knows it. What else could, or should, Tony Blair have said at yesterday's first press conference of the political season? All week the press retinue following his travels to Mozambique and Johannesburg kept asking about Iraq. All week they were told:
Blair: Saddam Has to Go
Tony Blair yesterday prepared Britain for a war to remove Saddam Hussein from power claiming "Iraq poses a real and unique threat to the security of the region and the rest of the world". Speaking at a 90-minute press conference in his Sedgefield constituency, the prime minister also said...
Blair Promises to Publish Iraq Evidence
The prime minister, Tony Blair, today promised to publish a dossier within the next few weeks on Iraqi attempts to develop weapons of mass destruction in defiance of UN security council resolutions. He said that Saddam Hussein was actively pursuing these weapons programmes and that to sit...
Blair Witnesses Mozambique's Struggle With Aids
Tony Blair saw misery and despair yesterday in the children's ward of a Mozambique hospital, where young patients dying from malaria are crammed three to a bed. "I saw things which for someone from my country are pretty shocking," the prime minister said later. "You see children ill from...
Blair's Summit Rebuff to Bush
Tony Blair last night launched an unexpected broadside against George Bush over climate change and said the leader of the world's most polluting nation must be persuaded to change his ways. In a speech in Maputo, Mozambique, delivered 12 hours before arriving in Johannesburg for the earth...
EU Closes Ranks As Blair Avoids the Issue
Tony Blair faced renewed pressure at home yesterday to hold back over Iraq as European states closed ranks against the US call for "regime change".
Blair Losing Influence on Us Over Iraq
Tony Blair was last night struggling to formulate an effective policy on Iraq, amid fears in Downing Street over the prime minister's ability to exert any influence at all on the US administration's policy towards Saddam Hussein. As the prime minister prepared to fly out tomorrow to the...
Blair's Salesman
Jack Straw's one-man-band euro campaign may be more significant than it seems. There is always some big-beast politician who ends the long, lazy summer of British politics and turns our minds back to the argument that will dominate the conference season.
Blair faces big problem in currency debate
Well, has it happened? Did you experience a Damascene conversion when you paid for your drinks in euros rather than francs or pesetas? Are you convinced that it is time for Britain to join the single currency?
Blair's eco record under fire
Chief government adviser attacks Prime Minister's 'deplorable' performance on environment. Tony Blair's chief adviser on sustainable development has attacked the Prime Minister's record on key environmental issues on the eve of the Earth Summit in Johannesburg.
Blair must take a stand on Mugabe
Next week's earth summit will have to call Zimbabwe to account. The earth summit, which begins in Johannesburg on Monday, is essentially about the need to forestall our planet's destruction by human avarice and neglect.
Blair's Earth Summit plea to Bush
President George Bush has snubbed repeated efforts by Tony Blair to get him to attend the crucial Earth Summit in South Africa.
Blair Must Not Get the Iraq Issue Wrong
Secret government polling has exposed the risks of the Bush embrace. Last month, unannounced and unreported, Tony Blair ordered a political operation that could have sweeping implications. Just how important could it be? Put it this way. Blair's handling of what he has now set in motion will determine whether 2002 will be his last summer holiday as prime minister.
Blair is our last hope, says Iraq
UK rejects move to split alliance. Iraq is making an increasingly desperate round of diplomatic moves aimed at staving off an American invasion, focusing its efforts on Britain which it believes holds the key to preventing war.
Archbishop Lobbies Blair on Iraq
· US dismisses Saddam's offer
· UN cautions against war
· Arms inspection talks continue
Hugo Young: Blair is jumping the gun in backing Bush's war on logic
The body of opposition to a campaign against Iraq is too great to ignore. If President George W Bush goes to war against Iraq, the ensuing conflict will be without a close modern precedent.
Blair given 'devastating' warning on attack
King Abdullah of Jordan yesterday warned Tony Blair that US-led military action to remove Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq "would have devastating effects" on the Middle East.
Blair boost to Murdoch TV takeover
Tony Blair is to face a major row over his relations with Rupert Murdoch this week when a powerful Parliamentary committee says that plans to allow the media mogul to extend his powers in Britain should be blocked.
Bush and Blair agree terms for Iraq attack
Military hatch new option for invasion. Tony Blair has privately told George Bush that Britain will support an American attack on Iraq if Saddam Hussein refuses to accept resumed UN weapons inspections.
No Iraq attack without evidence, pledges Blair
Tony Blair insists that if there is a military attack on Iraq 'evidence' of Saddam Hussein's weapons programme will be made public.
Hugo Young: Blair's anti-union hardness looks increasingly out of date
New Labour needs the support of the workforce to deliver better services. The first time I met Tony Blair was at the Labour party conference in 1984, when the miners' strike was blazing its way through all of politics.
Poor Must Get More Debt Relief, Says Blair
Tony Blair called last night for G8 countries to boost the fund available for the world's poorest countries after the downturn in the global economy left some worse off despite the debt relief they had received. With summit leaders discussing the state of the global economy after last...
Public Spat Over Arafat Widens Blair and Bush Rift
Tony Blair had his first public row with George Bush yesterday after the prime minister stuck to his guns at the G8 summit in Canada and refused to back the president's call for the removal of Yasser Arafat as the Palestinian leader.
Blair Losing Struggle to Get New G8 Deal for Africa
Leaders of the world's eight most powerful economies were coming under mounting pressure last night to convene an emergency summit on Africa, as hopes faded that rich countries will deliver a big aid boost to the world's poorest continent at their meeting in Canada today.
Blair Expects New Eu Asylum Laws
Tony Blair expressed confidence yesterday that this week's EU summit in Seville would produce tight deadlines and concrete actions to address concerns about illegal immigration.
Spain Backs Blair Over Eu Policy-making Reforms
Spain is due to endorse Tony Blair's agenda for reforming the EU today when it recommends that summits be slimmed down, decision making simplified and legislation enacted in public. Proposals being submittted by Jose Maria Aznar, the Spanish prime minister, to next week's Seville summit -...
'Blair Learnt the Hard Way That Sport Can Bite Back'
Frank Keating expects Downing Street to hitch itself to England - if they ever win a game that is.
David Clark: Blair will have to go further if he wants a lasting legacy
Peter Mandelson has raised the unspoken question at New Labour's heart.
Blair Threatens Aid Cut to Control Immigration
Tony Blair will today warn Turkey and countries in the former Yugoslavia that Britain will cut off aid if they fail to crack down on illegal immigrants passing through their borders. In a sign of his determination to toughen up immigration controls in the wake of the far right's success...
Blair Needs Brown's Approval to Kill Pound
One way or another, the question of whether to hold a euro referendum is going to be resolved by the government over the next few months.
Blair Drafted Into 'battle of Sangatte'
Tony Blair is to be asked by French Socialists to help defuse the 'Battle of Sangatte', which threatens to become the most explosive issue in next month's general elections.
Blair's Image is Now Tainted With Porn and Big Money
There is deep unease about the government's attitude to cash donations.
David Clark: It is time for Tony Blair to embrace the prodigal son
Last week's elections showed Labour must make peace with Livingstone.
Blair pulls out of rally following shooting
Tony Blair is expected to cancel plans to travel to the Netherlands today where he was due to take part in a campaign rally against Pim Fortuyn in Rotterdam, the political stronghold of his party and centre of a large immigrant community.
Hugo Young: The terrifying naivety of Blair the great intervener
The prime minister risks turning Britain into the Pentagon's useful idiot.
Blair's Message is Lost in the Modern Media Scrummage
It is getting ever harder for politicians to speak freely and openly.
Andrew Rawnsley: This Time Blair Must Not Follow Europe
Fascism isn't defeated by ignoring the menace - nor by appeasing the extremists. That's where the continental Left went wrong.
Business is Taking Blair for a Ride
The objection to privatising the NHS is practical, not ideological.
Will the euro be a casualty of Blair's Iraq war?
For Tony Blair to help to take out Saddam, fix the public services and end Britain's historic ambivalence towards Europe would take a feat of leadership unparalleled in British politics since 1945, says a leading pro-European thinker.
Hugo Young: Blair talks big on Iraq, but Washington calls the shots
Hawks in America have set the prime minister his biggest test.
Blair Sees No Need for New Un Mandate to Attack Iraq
Tony Blair will refuse to commit Britain to seeking a fresh UN mandate before any escalation of military action against Iraq, Labour MPs were warned last night.
Tension Grows As Iraq Dismisses Blair Demands
The rhetoric between Britain, the US and Iraq increased last night when Baghdad rejected a demand from Tony Blair to allow UN weapons inspectors to return to the country "any time, any place" or risk military action.
Blair to Back Us War on Iraq
Tony Blair will today give the clearest signal yet that Britain is ready to back the United States and go to war against Iraq in a high-risk strategy that could create damaging splits in his own party. In his clearest statement yet that he backs America's stance that 'inaction against...
New Bush line heartens Blair
US visit No 10 hints PM had influence on key speech.
Blair Steps Back From Iraq Fight
The government has indefinitely delayed publishing a dossier revealing damning evidence against Saddam Hussein, just days before Tony Blair meets President George Bush to discuss a possible military strike on Iraq.
Blair opts for delay on Iraq
U-turn on Saddam: No 10 postpones 'damning dossier' to avert a Labour backbench backlash, reports Kamel Ahmed.
Bush 'n' Blair are a two-man band
The British and American governments lack support and justification for an attack on Iraq, and risk destabilising the entire region if they go ahead with the campaign, writes Simon Tisdall.
Blair's life as a leader in the real world is just beginning
Hugo Young: He's had it easy for too long. Hard times could be the making of him. The past five years have been the weirdest in British politics for decades.
Bush and Blair Stand Alone
If the US does decide to attack Iraq, Britain is the only country likely to offer support, with potentially disastrous consequences for the rest of the world, writes Simon Tisdall.
The man who will topple Tony Blair? It's Tony Blair
Talk of a leadership challenge is premature, but there is an alternative. Ah memories! Sir Marcus Fox, former chairman of the Conservative 1922 committee who died earlier this week, might not stick large in the public mind.
Berlusconi warms to Forza Blaira
Tony Blair has more in common with his new friend than we think. Nobody does Italophilia better than the British. What could be more natural than that a British prime minister and an Italian one should get on?
Blair Wears His Faith on His Shirt Cuff
Roy Hattersley: Once upon a time the governance of Britain involved two distinct functions - one executive and the other legislative. There is now a third. It is declaratory and it takes precedence over the others.
Army fear over Blair war plans
Military chiefs slam lack of strategy to topple Saddam. Britain's military leaders issued a stark warning to Tony Blair last night that any war against Iraq is doomed to fail and would lead to the loss of lives for little political gain.
Blair woos summit amid fears of split
There was mounting nervousness over the potential of the Iraq issue to cause divisions within the EU when Tony Blair canvassed the mood of his colleagues at the Barcelona summit last night.
Blair Allied With European Right in Summit Labour Talks
EU talks in Barcelona pit prime minister's vision against concerns of British unions and continental leaders.
Michael Byers: What Tony Blair needs to know
An attack on Iraq without UN authorisation would be illegal. The prime minister has been talking to his lawyers. George Bush has decided to attack Iraq, and Blair wants to join in.
A lesson on chutzpah from President Blair
The prime minister was just back from the Commonwealth conference in Australia. He brought grim news of a ruthless regime which holds its people in contempt, rewards its friends and financial backers even if this brings misery and unemployment at home, spends vital cash on...
Blair Warning Over Zimbabwe Elections
March 6: The prime minister warned today that Commonwealth 'fudging' over Zimbabwe would have to stop if widespread evidence of intimidation and violence in the run-up to the presidential elections there was discovered.
Blair Condemns Us Steel Tariffs
Tony Blair today condemned the US decision to impose punitive tariffs on steel imports as "unacceptable and wrong" in a rare attack on the Bush administration. Despite "standing shoulder to shoulder" with the US on most issues, Mr Blair did not mince his words during prime minister's...
Blair Dismayed By Zimbabwe Compromise
Commonwealth credibility sinks after African members block tough action against Mugabe regime.
Blair Gives Strongest Hint Yet on Taking War to Iraq
Tony Blair yesterday gave the biggest hint yet that Britain will line up with the US in any military confrontation to depose the Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein. In contrast with other European leaders who have signalled that they will not back a US military strike to depose Saddam, Mr Blair...
Commonwealth still has a role, says Blair
Tony Blair yesterday insisted the organisation was more than a quaint but redundant remnant of the British Empire.
Commonwealth Defies Blair Call for Suspension
African leaders attending the Commonwealth conference in Australia yesterday defied Tony Blair's call to suspend Zimbabwe.
Blair Shuns Mugabe's Treason Claim
Tony Blair yesterday expressed revulsion at the behaviour of Robert Mugabe and dismissed treason charges against his rival, Morgan Tsvangirai, as "deeply suspect".
The Blairites have wrecked the best of the civil service
Hugo Young: Whitehall must restore its impartiality or kowtow to ministerial liars.
Blair's Robot Stumbles
Stephen Byers's departure, when it comes, will prove that loyalty and bland managerialism are not enough.
Blair-Schröder Plan to Open Up Eu
Britain and Germany yesterday launched a bid to reform and open up EU decision-making on the eve of a great debate about the future of Europe.
Blair and Bush to Plot War on Iraq
Tony Blair and the United States President George Bush are to hold a specially convened summit in April to finalise details of military action to overthrow Saddam Hussein. Blair will travel to Washington in six weeks' time in a clear signal that Downing Street fully backs Bush's plans to...
Blair and Berlusconi Frame Deal to Free Up Eu Markets
Tony Blair and Silvio Berlusconi sealed an alliance yesterday by making a joint declaration to champion economic liberalisation in the European Union. The British and Italian prime ministers promised to form a united front in pursuing more flexible labour and energy markets - a goal...
Blair is Obsessed By Privacy, But It's Openness We Need
Princess Margaret could have told him all about living in goldfish bowls.
Blair Backs End to Africa Trade Block
Tony Blair was given a hero's welcome in Sierra Leone yesterday. He is more popular in this West African country, where British forces are widely credited with helping to end a decade-long civil war, than in a Britain engrossed in health, education and transport problems. The Prime...
Blair Gets First Sight of African Poverty
Tony Blair saw rural Africa, where the bulk of the continent's population live, for the first time yesterday.
Blair Scorns 'globetrotting' Cynics
PM attempts to set new African partnership agenda for west.
Blair Confronts 'scar on World's Conscience'
As he arrives in Nigeria today on a tour to promote a 'Marshall Plan' for Africa, the prime minister will begin to realise the size of his task.
Blair Leads Recovery Plan With Africa Trip
Tony Blair arrived in Nigeria last night on the first leg of a potentially fraught four-day trip to west Africa to help flesh out an ambitious plan for African recovery. The package is being put together by Britain, France, Canada and other western countries for presentation to the Group...
On-trial Milosevic May Call on Clinton and Blair
Slobodan Milosevic may try to call Bill Clinton, Tony Blair and other Nato leaders to testify before the Hague war crimes tribunal, lawyers for the former Yugoslav president indicated yesterday.
Shoulder to Shoulder, Blair and Bush Nominated for Peace Prize
Tony Blair and George Bush have received international recognition for their unswerving willingness to use force: a nomination for the 2002 Nobel peace prize.
Blair Reaffirms Commitment to Afghanistan
The prime minister, Tony Blair, today said that Britain had a "complete and continuing commitment" to Afghanistan, but made no mention of expanding Britain's role in the international peacekeeping force. Hamid Karzai, the country's interim leader, said an extension of the force was a...
Blair keeps cleaning up at the polls
It's a requirement of political journalism that a leader must every so often deliver "the most important speech of his life". In its most pure form, the conceit is that the politician's whole future depends on this hour of rhetoric. Between 1992 and 1997, John Major would deliver the speech of his...
Blair braced for a long haul in Africa
Tony Blair and his ministers are preparing for long-term involvement in Africa to try to fulfil the prime minister's promise last year to heal "a scar on the conscience of the world". Ministers and officials are working on a plan to put to a meeting of the G8 group, the world's...
Blair challenges Pakistan
Tony Blair flies to Pakistan today to deliver an uncompromising message to Islamabad that it must do more to crack down on Islamist militants before India can be expected to join talks on the disputed territory. In the wake of a fruitless encounter between the leaders of India and...
Nobody is listening to Clinton or Blair
They once ruled the world like two masters of the universe. During the closing years of the 20th century, they were comrades on a shared, global mission: Bill and Tony's excellent adventure. Today Bill Clinton and Tony Blair - the men who transformed their parties and won election and re-election...
Tony Blair's very brief conversion
Listening to Tony Blair speaking to the Labour party conference and later to the general assembly of the United Nations, I dubbed him "Columbus". Columbus discovered America and Tony Blair discovered Palestine. From 1997 to 2001, apart from a single trip to Tel Aviv and Gaza, during which he made...