Tony Blair general election defeats) the Labour Party had to demonstrate that it had made a decisive break from its left-wing past, in order to win an election again. In May 1997, the Labour Party won a landslide general election victory, the largest in its history. Blair, at 43 years of age, became the youngest Prime Minister since 1812. In September 1997, Blair attained early personal popularity, receiving a 93% public approval rating, after his public response to the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. The Labour Party went on to win two more general elections under his leadership: in 2001, in
Leo Blair Leo Blair Leo Charles Lynton Blair (born Charles Leonard Augustus Parsons; 4 August 192316 November 2012) was a British barrister and law lecturer at Durham University. He was the author of the book "The Commonwealth Public Service". He was the father of Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and of Sir William Blair, a High Court judge. Born Charles Leonard Augustus Parsons in Filey, Yorkshire, England, he was the illegitimate son of two middle class travelling entertainers. His father Charles Parsons (16 July 1887 – 19 January 1970) had the stage name Jimmy Lynton while his