Tony Blair: Former advisor on Labour’s ‘faustian bargain’

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Sir Tony received a knighthood in the New Year’s Honours list, 14 years after leaving Downing Street. The former Labour leader has been made a Knight Companion of the Most Notable Order of the Garter, which is England’s most senior order of chivalry. The ceremonial order is a recognition of significant public service and is made without the advice of the Prime Minister.

Sir Tony said: “It’s an immense honour”.

He added that it had been a “great privilege” to have served as Prime Minister, and said: “I would like to thank all those who served alongside me, in politics, public service and all parts of society, for their dedication and commitment to our country.”

Sir Tony led New Labour to a landslide 179 seat majority in 1997, to win power for the party for the first time in almost two decades.

The Labour leader won the subsequent two general elections, and served for 10 years before resigning and handing power to his Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown.

Read More: New Year’s Honours list IN FULL: Every single person honoured by Queen

Throughout his time as party leader Mr Blair adopted a number of centrist policies that were not in line with Labour traditions.

Speaking on BBC documentary ‘Blair & Brown: The New Labour Revolution’ Sir Tony’s former strategy adviser described Labour’s “Faustian bargain” during the former Prime Minister’s tenure.

Mr Taylor said: “Tony was always more centrist than his party. 

“In the early days, the Faustian bargain was we’ll have you as a centrist leader because you can get us into power.

“Then you win the 2005 election, you only get 36 percent, you don’t seem to be as popular as you were.

“People start to drift away.”

Sir Tony’s popularity suffered after the UK joined the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

An official inquiry into the Iraq War was strongly critical of the Government and the UK military chiefs.

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Sir John Chilcot’s official 2016 report found that the former Prime Minister overplayed evidence about Saddam Hussein’s weapons arsenal.

The report concluded that Sir Tony presented the case for war with “a certainty which was not justified” based on “flawed evidence.”

In response, Sir Tony claimed the Iraq inquiry proved there were no lies on his behalf to justify invading the country.

He added he would “take the same decision” to invade the country if he was presented with the same intelligence.

In turn, the honour has been criticised by swathes of people arguing that the legacy of Sir Tony’s invasion of Iraq makes him unsuitable.

A petition to block the former Labour leader from receiving the award reached 25,000 signatures by midday on January 1.

Angus Scott, who launched the petition shortly after news of the award was published, explained: “Tony Blair caused irreparable damage to both the constitution of the United Kingdom and the very fabric of the nation’s society.”

Mr Scott added that he believed Mr Blair should be “held accountable” for the Iraq invasion.

Watch ‘Blair & Brown: The New Labour Revolution’ on BBC iPlayer.

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