Tony Blair

Blair joined the Labour Party in 1975, but in 1982, he failed to represent the Labour Party in a traditional Conservative constituency, Beaconsfield, as a member of parliament. In the early 1980s, Blair was considered a soft left within the Labour Party. Blair officially became the Prime Minister of the UK on May 2, 1997, and later held positions including the First Chancellor of the Exchequer, Minister of Civil Service Affairs, Labour Party leader, and a member of Parliament for the Southfield constituency in northeastern England. As a cabinet minister in the UK, he is also an advisory officer to the Privy Council. After Blair stepped down, the positions of Prime Minister and Party Leader were taken over by his Finance Minister Brown, and Blair was immediately appointed as the Special Envoy for the Middle East by the Quartet. On December 26, 1998, Blair became the first British Prime Minister to deliver a speech to the Irish Parliament. In the 2001 British election, Blair became the first Labour Prime Minister to win a second term. On August 1, 2003, Blair became the longest serving Labour Prime Minister in history.