Blair and Brown: The New Labour Revolution

Millennium celebrations are tempered by a feeling across the country that New Labour haven’t yet delivered what they promised when they first came to power in 1997. Prime Minister Tony Blair decides to regroup and refocus. He turns his attention to public services, aiming to put choice at the heart of reform and stepping firmly outside of the Old Labour tradition.

Following the catastrophic terror attacks on 11th September 2001, Tony Blair flies to the U.S. and promises to stand beside them no matter what. Blair and his team keep America focused on Afghanistan, where al-Qaeda – the terror group responsible for the attacks – and its leader Osama Bin Laden are based. But soon the Pentagon begins to shift military resources away from Afghanistan and towards Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, which has become a chief threat in George Bush’s ‘War on Terror’.

In 2005, Labour’s General Election campaign was fought against the backdrop of the Iraq war. Tony Blair and New Labour are in a precarious position. Popularity ratings are low and, to top it off, the relationship between Blair and his Chancellor Gordon Brown has hit rock bottom. In order to win a third term in office, they agree to put their differences aside and form a united front.