John rentoul tony blair biography prime

In this splendid biography, Rentoul begins his tale with Blair's father, a socialist who later became a Conservative.

His son would prove every bit as difficult to pin down ideologically.

John Rentoul's first biography of Tony Blair appeared in , not long after the politician's election as leader of the Labour Party - the culmination of a.

Previously he was chief leader writer for The Independent.

John Rentoul's first biography of Tony Blair appeared in , not long after the politician's election as leader of the Labour Party.

This biography was first published not long after Tony Blair's election as leader of the Labour Party.

Tony Blair: Prime Minister (Paperback) · John Rentoul.

Young Blair, Rentoul says, was a public school rebel "of a strongly anti-Establishment cast of mind." Before attending Oxford, Blair spent a year in London promoting rock 'n' roll acts; while at Oxford, he became the lead singer of the band Ugly Rumours.

He was profoundly influenced by the Christian socialism of an Anglican priest named Peter Thomson. After graduation, Blair became a barrister and joined the Labour Party. He won a seat in Parliament in 1983 and spent the next 14 years, a time when Margaret Thatcher dominated British politics, in opposition.

As a "soft left" member of Parliament, Blair met the two most important acquaintances of his political career: fellow MP Gordon Brown and media "spin master" Peter Mandelson. With Labour losing election after election, Bl