Blair ministry the May 1997 election with a 179-seat majority. The Prime Minister Tony Blair, who turned 44 years old days after leading Labour to victory, was the youngest Prime Minister of the twentieth century. Blair quickly wiped away memories of the troubled Labour governments led by Harold Wilson and James Callaghan in the 1960s and 70's as the economic recovery continued and unemployment continued to fall. While other developed countries, notably Japan, were hit by a financial crisis during Blair's first term in office, the British economy remained strong. In September 2000, however, protests against fuel prices intensified across the country
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom who wrote two books, namely, "The Rise of the British Presidency", and "The British Presidency: Tony Blair and the Politics of Public Leadership" that are solely dedicated to the subject of presidentialisation in Britain. Foley writes: "The British Prime Minister has to all intents and purposes turned, not into a British version of an American president, but into an authentically British president". The thesis has been widely applied to the premiership of Tony Blair as many sources such as former ministers have suggested that decision-making was controlled by him and Gordon Brown, and the Cabinet was no longer used for