Tony Blair

Was Tony Blair a visionary, impatiently looking ahead, or a leader trapped by his past: Labour’s vote-losing 1980s and the dominance of Margaret Thatcher? Was the party’s move to the right under Blair necessary in order for them to win, or could they, after 18 years of Tory rule, have afforded to be more daring, more left-wing, than their leader wished to recognise? In Steve Richards’ short, provocative and highly engaging biography, he argues that Blair was often the opposite of what we remember him being; perceived as a ‘moderniser,’ he sought to strengthen the traditional institutions that partly define the UK, from the monarchy to the military; while to Margaret Thatcher’s public appreciation he partly cemented her economic legacy rather than move on from it.