Tony Blair was born in Edinburgh in 1953. He became MP for Sedgefield in 1983, leader of the Labour Party in 1994 and prime minister of the United Kingdom from May 1997 to June 2007.
On leaving Downing Street, he was appointed the official envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East on behalf of the United Nations, the European Union, the United States, and Russia. His Tony Blair Faith Foundation, launched in May 2008, promotes respect and understanding between the major religions. He also set up the Faith and Globalisation Initiative, a postgraduate programme with Yale University, Durham University and the National University of Singapore, and the Africa Governance initiative which delivers projects in Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
He is married to Cherie Booth QC, and they have four children.