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#OTD 2007. Tony Blair steps down as Prime Minister after his final PMQs.
‘Some people may belittle politics, but we in here know it is where people stand tall. It is still the arena that sets the heart beating a little bit faster'
A look back at the commentary on his departure
‘Some people may belittle politics, but we in here know it is where people stand tall. It is still the arena that sets the heart beating a little bit faster'
A look back at the commentary on his departure
Blair announced in September 2006 that he would step down within a year. The Sun claimed Labour had made a huge mistake:
‘Labour MPs - arrogant and ignorant of the nation's mood - have presented Tory leader David Cameron with all his Christmases at once....
‘Labour MPs - arrogant and ignorant of the nation's mood - have presented Tory leader David Cameron with all his Christmases at once....
Never mind that Mr Blair has won three consecutive general elections for Labour….Labour's history should not be scarred with the shameful knifing of its greatest ever electoral asset’
In November 2006, Blair appeared to endorse Gordon Brown for the first time in the Commons:
‘The next election will be a flyweight versus a heavyweight. However much the right hon Gentleman (Cameron) may dance around the ring beforehand, at some point, he will come...
‘The next election will be a flyweight versus a heavyweight. However much the right hon Gentleman (Cameron) may dance around the ring beforehand, at some point, he will come...
within reach of a big clunking fist.
And you know what, he will be out on his feet, carried out of the ring – the fifth Tory leader to be carried out, and a fourth term Labour Government left standing’.
And you know what, he will be out on his feet, carried out of the ring – the fifth Tory leader to be carried out, and a fourth term Labour Government left standing’.
By 27th June 2007, Brown was ready to take over as Prime Minister after winning an unopposed leadership contest. John McDonnell had failed to get on to the ballot.
Polls showed the Tories with a 5pt lead (37 to 32 with the Lib Dems on 18).
Polls showed the Tories with a 5pt lead (37 to 32 with the Lib Dems on 18).
MPs in the North East gave their verdict on Blair Years
Sunderland South MP @chrismullinexmp 'He made the Labour Party electable again. He dealt with serious problems about poverty and oversaw huge investment in education and health as well as bringing peace to Northern Ireland'
Sunderland South MP @chrismullinexmp 'He made the Labour Party electable again. He dealt with serious problems about poverty and oversaw huge investment in education and health as well as bringing peace to Northern Ireland'
Blyth Valley MP Ronnie Campbell: "He won us three elections in a row. You can't take that a way from him. I suppose he did a great deal for the region of the North East, but not as much as he did for Scotland."
Durham North MP Kevan Jones: "I think the big achievements of the last 10 years in the North East are low unemployment, the minimum wage, big cuts in crime in the region and investment in the NHS, which has brought waiting lists in Durham down to below three months.
Newcastle Central MP, Jim Cousins: 'The minimum wage, tax credits, pension credits, the pensioners' winter fuel allowance, the New Deal and getting people into jobs have been of immense benefit to the North East, which has the lowest average income in mainly and Britain’
Abroad, US leaders paid tribute to Blair standing ‘shoulder to shoulder’ with them in the wake of 9/11
President George Bush claimed: ‘Tony's had a great run and history will judge him kindly. I've heard he's been called Bush's poodle. He's bigger than that.
President George Bush claimed: ‘Tony's had a great run and history will judge him kindly. I've heard he's been called Bush's poodle. He's bigger than that.
In New York, Mayor Rudy Giuliani claimed ‘the people of New York and of America will forever remember how articulately and passionately Mr. Blair stood by America's side. History will see Mr. Blair as a modern-day Churchill’
Others were highly critical of the Blair era.
SNP leader Alex Salmond claimed Blair had lost Scotland due to 'an illegal war; plans to dump a new generation of nuclear weapons on the Clyde and the cash-for-honours scandal all played their part’
SNP leader Alex Salmond claimed Blair had lost Scotland due to 'an illegal war; plans to dump a new generation of nuclear weapons on the Clyde and the cash-for-honours scandal all played their part’
For John McDonnell, Blair’s failures would lead to opposition
‘If we are to prevent the Tories returning to power we need to understand not only how New Labour has failed to live up to the hopes of the country in 1997, but also why’
‘If we are to prevent the Tories returning to power we need to understand not only how New Labour has failed to live up to the hopes of the country in 1997, but also why’
Iraq was the most important:
‘The decision to go to war in Iraq was the worst decision taken by any Prime Minister in living memory. The majority of party members and trade unionists opposed the war and helped to build the biggest anti-war movement in our history’
‘The decision to go to war in Iraq was the worst decision taken by any Prime Minister in living memory. The majority of party members and trade unionists opposed the war and helped to build the biggest anti-war movement in our history’
McDonnell believed Blair had left Labour in terrible shape organisationally
‘We have also lost so much of our membership that in some areas we do not have the machine on the ground to win anymore’.
‘We have also lost so much of our membership that in some areas we do not have the machine on the ground to win anymore’.
In the media, many on the right were critical too:
Peter Oborne's verdict was that 'nobody serious would now doubt this has been a very poor prime minister, ranking alongside the very worst of the past 200 years.
Peter Oborne's verdict was that 'nobody serious would now doubt this has been a very poor prime minister, ranking alongside the very worst of the past 200 years.
Max Hastings argued
‘Exit, pursued by a great national sigh of relief. Seldom has a larger cast of thanksgivers watched a prime minister quit The Office, as we should call it'
‘Exit, pursued by a great national sigh of relief. Seldom has a larger cast of thanksgivers watched a prime minister quit The Office, as we should call it'
A.A.Gill dubbed Blair the ‘three time loser’
‘Blair's administration was branded and packaged by relentless public relations. Everything was first and last about perception and presentation...
‘Blair's administration was branded and packaged by relentless public relations. Everything was first and last about perception and presentation...
....His people cajoled, begged, charmed, bribed, flattered and postured to make the electorate love them. And in return, the electorate hated them even more for being so embarrassingly transparent and shamelessly insincere’
The Daily Mail took aim at Cherie Blair:
‘With little awareness of the sneers she was provoking in the wider world, she basked in her new celebrity status, relished freebie holidays abroad and filled Number 10 with make-up artists’
‘With little awareness of the sneers she was provoking in the wider world, she basked in her new celebrity status, relished freebie holidays abroad and filled Number 10 with make-up artists’
As Blair left office, The Daily Mirror said paid tribute to ‘a Labour leader who rewrote his party’s history books by dragging it kicking and screaming on to the centre ground, ensuring three thumping election victories’
The Morning Star declared ‘Goodbye and Good riddance’
Perhaps the biggest praise came from the Sun newspaper who published a 16 page tribute to his tenure at Number Ten:
‘Love him or loathe him -and there are plenty on both sides -this PM has given Britain a genuine lift in ten years at Number 10..
‘Love him or loathe him -and there are plenty on both sides -this PM has given Britain a genuine lift in ten years at Number 10..
The Sun argued:
'This country is more tolerant and at ease with itself than at any time in its post-war history. We've enjoyed unprecedented prosperity and social stability’
'This country is more tolerant and at ease with itself than at any time in its post-war history. We've enjoyed unprecedented prosperity and social stability’
'The Sun has been critical over plenty of issues, from welfare reform and MRSA superbugs to pensions and the sell-out on Europe. But that is only one side of the balance sheet'
'Tony Blair has plenty to be proud of in his years at the helm - and not just a record three election victories for Labour. He was right on Northern Ireland. He showed immense courage over Kosovo, over Sierra Leone and over Afghanistan’
'President George Bush explains why Tony Blair is America's staunchest ally. In a genuine tribute, he says the PM is the man he'd pick to go into the jungle with. "History will judge him kindly," he adds. This newspaper is happy to agree with the verdict from the White House'
Although Kelvin MacKenzie was on hand to leave an alternative final tribute:
‘He was a lying, deceitful, disingenuous, hopeless, untalented, flatulent, vainglorious, double- dealing, warmongering, blow-hard’
END
‘He was a lying, deceitful, disingenuous, hopeless, untalented, flatulent, vainglorious, double- dealing, warmongering, blow-hard’
END
