Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair, commonly known as Tony Blair (born 6 May 1953 in Edinburgh, Scotland), is a British politician, lawyer, and diplomat who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and as Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. Educated at Fettes College in Edinburgh and St John's College, Oxford, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Law in 1975, Blair worked briefly as a barrister before entering politics as a Member of Parliament for Sedgefield in 1983. He rose through shadow cabinet positions from 1987 to 1994 and, following the death of Labour leader John Smith, was elected party leader in 1994, establishing himself as a modernizing force with centrist 'Third Way' policies blending social democracy and market economics. This led to Labour's landslide victories in three consecutive general elections in 1997, 2001, and 2005, making him one of the youngest prime ministers in British history and the first Labour leader to achieve such a feat.

During his decade in office, Blair's government implemented significant domestic reforms, including devolution to Scotland and Wales, the introduction of the national minimum wage, improvements in public services, and the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland (1998). Internationally, his tenure featured close alignment with the United States, making him a key U.S. ally, particularly in the controversial 2003 invasion of Iraq alongside President George W. Bush, based on disputed intelligence about weapons of mass destruction, which sparked widespread protests and ongoing backlash. The Chilcot Inquiry (2016) criticized Blair for misleading Parliament and rushing to war, though no legal charges resulted; additionally, a 2017 High Court ruling allowed lawsuits from Iraqi civilians alleging human rights abuses during the occupation. He was also implicated in the 'cash for honours' scandal (2006-2007), investigated for allegedly nominating donors for peerages, with no charges filed, and maintained close ties to media moguls.

Blair resigned as prime minister in 2007, succeeded by Gordon Brown, and stepped down as an MP later that year. He converted to Roman Catholicism in 2007 and served as the special envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East from 2007 to 2015. Post-politics, he pursued lucrative consulting and speaking roles, advising governments and corporations worldwide (e.g., JPMorgan, Zurich Insurance), earning an estimated net worth in the tens of millions. In 2016, he founded the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, where he currently serves as Executive Chairman, focusing on governance, policy advice, technology, and global challenges. Blair remains influential in centrist politics, advocating for EU ties and global interventions. His legacy is polarizing: praised for economic prosperity and social reforms, but heavily criticized for the Iraq War and related controversies. Married to lawyer Cherie Blair since 1980, they have four children: Euan, Nicholas, Kathryn, and Leo. He was a long-time friend and political associate of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, for whose book he wrote the foreword.