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'''Anthony Charles Lynton Blair''' (born [[6 May]] [[1953]]) is the [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland]], [[First Lord of the Treasury]] and [[Minister for the Civil Service]]. He has led the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] since July 1994, following the death of [[John Smith (UK politician)|John Smith]] in May of that year. Blair brought Labour into power with a [[landslide victory]] in the [[United Kingdom general election, 1997|1997 general election]] replacing [[John Major]] as Prime Minister and ending eighteen years of [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] government. He is now the Labour Party's longest-serving [[Prime Minister]], and the only person to have led the party to three consecutive general election victories. The youngest person to be appointed Prime Minister since [[Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool|Lord Liverpool]] in 1812 [http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page157.asp], he has deployed [[British armed forces]] into four conflicts: in [[Kosovo]], [[Sierra Leone]], [[Afghanistan]] and [[Iraq]].
Blair is credited, along with [[Gordon Brown]] and [[Peter Mandelson]], with moving the Labour Party towards the centre of British politics, using the term "[[Labour Party (UK)#New Labour|New Labour]]" to distinguish his policies of support for the [[free market|market economy]] from the party's older policy of [[nationalisation]]. He has referred to his policy as "modern [[social democracy]]" and "[[Third Way|the third way]]". Supporters on the [[left-wing politics|left]] feel that the Blair places insufficient emphasis on traditional Labour priorities such as the [[income redistribution|redistribution of wealth]] and investment in public services. Although he has not made a public issue of it, some comment on Blair's religious feeling as a high-Church Anglo-Catholic. The Observer noted he is "a committed Christian who keeps the Bible by his bed". [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/politics/story/0,6903,1011460,00.html Observer article]. He also answered "yes" when asked
Since the advent of the [[War on Terrorism|War on Terror]], a significant part of Blair's political agenda has been dominated by foreign affairs, particularly those concerning [[Iraq]]. He supported many aspects of United States President [[George W. Bush]]'s foreign policy, sending British forces to participate in the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the subsequent [[belligerent military occupation|occupation]]. Blair's support for strict domestic anti-terror laws has been controversial. In October 2004, Blair declared his intention to seek a third term but not a fourth. The Labour party won a third term in government at the [[United Kingdom general election, 2005|2005 general election]] for the first time in its history, although its majority in the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] was reduced to 66. The fall in Labour's share of the vote renewed speculation as to how long his leadership will continue. It is widely predicted that he will be succeeded by the [[Chancellor of the Exchequer]] [[Gordon Brown]] at some point before the next General Election (which will occur at the latest on [[June 3]], [[2010]]).
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