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Cherie, Lady Blair, (; born 23 September 1954), also known professionally as Cherie Booth, is an English barrister and writer. She is married to the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom,
Sir Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of the ...
.


Early life and education

Booth was born on 23 September 1954 at Fairfield General Hospital,
Bury, Lancashire Bury ( ) is a market town on the River Irwell in Greater Manchester, England. Metropolitan Borough of Bury is administered from the town, which had an estimated population of 78,723 in 2015. The town is within the historic county boundaries ...
, England, and brought up in Ferndale Road, Waterloo, Merseyside, just north of Liverpool. Although her birth was registered as 'Cherie', owing to her maternal grandmother's influence, she was christened 'Theresa Cara' in deference to the requirement that she be given a saint's name. Her father, British actor Tony Booth, left her mother, actress Gale Howard (née Joyce Smith; 14 February 1933 – 5 June 2016), when Cherie was 8 years old. Cherie and her younger sister Lyndsey were then brought up by Gale and their paternal grandmother Vera Booth, a devout Roman Catholic of Irish descent. The sisters attended Catholic schools in Crosby, Merseyside. Cherie Booth attended Seafield Convent Grammar, which is now part of
Sacred Heart Catholic College Sacred Heart Catholic Academy is a Roman Catholic secondary school and sixth form located in Crosby, Merseyside, England. It was created from the amalgamation of Seafield Convent Grammar and St Bede's Secondary Modern in 1977, and was previou ...
, where she achieved four As in her
A Levels The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational aut ...
. She read law at the London School of Economics and graduated with First-Class Honours. Later she was enrolled at the
College of Law A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, l ...
and passed her Bar Vocational Course.West, Karl (26 February 2012)
"Law school's £200m sale"
. ''
Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...
''. Retrieved 2 June 2016 (subscription needed for full access).
She came at the top of her year in the bar exams, while teaching law at the
Polytechnic of Central London , mottoeng = The Lord is our Strength , type = Public , established = 1838: Royal Polytechnic Institution 1891: Polytechnic-Regent Street 1970: Polytechnic of Central London 1992: University of Westminster , endowment = £5.1 million ...
(University of Westminster). She was the Labour candidate for the Conservative safe seat of North Thanet in Kent in the 1983 general election, losing to
Roger Gale Sir Roger James Gale (born 20th August 1943) is a British politician who has served as the member of Parliament (MP) for North Thanet since 1983. He had a career in journalism and broadcasting from 1964, around the same time as he joined the ...
.


Legal career

A member of Lincoln's Inn, she became a barrister in 1976 and
Queen's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel ( post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister ...
in 1995. Until 1988, her head of chambers was
George Carman George Alfred Carman, QC (6 October 1929 – 2 January 2001) was an English leading barrister during the 1980s and 1990s. In 1979, he successfully defended the former Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe after he was charged with conspiracy to murder ...
. In 1999, she was appointed a
recorder Recorder or The Recorder may refer to: Newspapers * ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper * ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US * ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a news ...
(a permanent part-time judge) in the County Court and
Crown Court The Crown Court is the court of first instance of England and Wales responsible for hearing all indictable offences, some either way offences and appeals lied to it by the magistrates' courts. It is one of three Senior Courts of England and Wal ...
. She was a founding member of Matrix Chambers in London but no longer practises there. Matrix was formed in 2000 specialising in human rights law, though members also practise in a range of areas of UK public and private law, the Law of the European Union and
European Convention on Human Rights The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR; formally the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms) is an international convention to protect human rights and political freedoms in Europe. Drafted in 1950 by t ...
, and public international law. She is Founder and chair of law firm Omnia Strategy LLP. She specialises in employment, discrimination, and public law and, in this capacity, has occasionally represented claimants taking cases against the UK Government. Blair has appeared in a number of leading cases. A notable example, ''Lisa Grant v South West Trains Ltd'', before the
European Court of Justice The European Court of Justice (ECJ, french: Cour de Justice européenne), formally just the Court of Justice, is the supreme court of the European Union in matters of European Union law. As a part of the Court of Justice of the European Uni ...
concerned discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. In January 2010, when sentencing a defendant, Shamso Miah, for assault, Blair announced that she would suspend his prison sentence after describing him as a "religious man". The court heard that Miah had been to a mosque shortly before he broke a man's jaw following a row in a bank queue. Blair told Miah: "You are a religious man and you know this is not acceptable behaviour." This was interpreted by some observers as special leniency given on account of the criminal's religiosity. The
Office for Judicial Complaints The Office for Judicial Complaints (OJC) was an office within the Ministry of Justice which, between 2004 and 2013, managed the handling of complaints against the judiciary of England and Wales. On 1 October 2013 it was replaced by the Judicial Co ...
released an initial statement saying they had "received a number of complaints in relation to the comments" that Blair had made when sentencing Shamso Miah and that the matter was under investigation. On 10 June 2010, the OJC released a statement saying that the investigation had "found that Recorder Booth's observations did not constitute judicial misconduct" and accordingly "no disciplinary action is necessary". A private letter to the National Secular Society said, however, that the OJC had taken action in the form of "informal advice" from a more senior judge. In 2015, Blair defended
Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equat ...
n spy chief Emmanuel Karenzi Karake against accusations that he had conspired to murder three Spanish NGO workers and a Canadian priest. Karake had allegedly done so because the workers knew about the
Rwandan Patriotic Front The Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF–Inkotanyi, french: Front patriotique rwandais, FPR) is the ruling political party in Rwanda. Led by President Paul Kagame, the party has governed the country since its armed wing defeated government forces, winn ...
killing Hutu civilians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Blair launched a company called Mee Healthcare with an American business partner Gail Lese in 2011. In June 2015, it ceased trading and all staff were dismissed without notice. In 2021, Blair worked as an ethics adviser for Israeli security firm NSO Group.


Career in academia

Blair was the third
Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University The Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University is the titular head of the university who is appointed on the approval of the board of governors. The duties of the chancellor include the conferring of degrees at graduation ceremonies and bei ...
from 1999 to 2006. On 26 July 2006, she was awarded the honorary title of Emerita Chancellor, as well as the university honorarily naming its new Cherie Booth Building. She is also Governor of the London School of Economics and the Open University. On 2 March 2011, Blair was appointed the Chancellor of the Asian University for Women. Blair is regularly invited to speak at legal and leadership conferences, and has in the past participated in the World Law Forum, ET Women's Forum, Yidan Prize Summit and the Commonwealth Africa Summit, amongst others.


Honours and charity work

In July 1999, Blair was awarded the honorary degree of
Doctor of the University An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad ho ...
(DUniv) from the Open University. Blair is a patron of
Breast Cancer Care Breast Cancer Care is the only specialist UK-wide charity in the UK providing care, support and information to anyone affected by breast cancer. The charity's headquarters are in London, with additional offices in Sheffield, Cardiff, and Glasgow. ...
, a UK breast cancer information and support charity, Jospice, the international hospice organisation based in her home town of Crosby, and disability charity
Scope Scope or scopes may refer to: People with the surname * Jamie Scope (born 1986), English footballer * John T. Scopes (1900–1970), central figure in the Scopes Trial regarding the teaching of evolution Arts, media, and entertainment * Cinema ...
. She is also involved with the British branch of Child in Need India (CINI UK), and is the organisation's patron. In 2008, she launched her foundation, the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, a development organisation that aims to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries. "Our mission is to provide women with the skills, technology, networks and access to capital that they need to become successful small and growing business owners, so that they can contribute to their economies and have a stronger voice in their societies," says its mission statement. In 2010, Blair spoke at
WE Day We Day (stylized as WE Day) was an annual series of stadium-sized youth empowerment events organized by We Charity (formerly known as Free The Children), a Canadian charity founded by brothers Marc and Craig Kielburger. WE Day events host tens ...
, an event held by WE Charity as part of their ongoing effort to empower youth and encourage them to get involved in their communities. She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the
2013 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2013 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrat ...
for services to women's issues and charity. In June 2018, “Cherie Blair Foundation for Women” was inducted into Power Brands LIFE – Hall of Fame at the London International Forum for Equality.


Controversies

In 2002, Blair purchased two flats in
Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
with the assistance, it was alleged but later denied, of
Peter Foster Peter Clarence Foster (born 1962) is an Australian career criminal who has been imprisoned in Australia, Britain, the United States, and Vanuatu for a variety of offences related to weight loss and other scams as well as absconding from justic ...
, a convicted Australian
conman A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, confidence, irresponsibility, and greed. Researchers have de ...
and boyfriend of Blair's friend
Carole Caplin Carole Caplin (born 8 January 1962) was the style adviser to Cherie Blair and a fitness adviser to Tony Blair, when he was the British prime minister. She was controversial because of her relationship with the convicted conman Peter Foster. Ear ...
, who negotiated a discount for Blair."Cherie says 'sorry' for Foster dealings"
, BBC, 10 December 2002.
Blair publicly apologised for her embarrassing connection to Foster, stating "I did not think it was my business to choose my friends' friends". Her relationship with Caplin gave rise to headlines in some newspapers, as Caplin is credited with introducing Blair to various New Age symbols and beliefs. Reports of Blair's New Age practices included an account of her 2001 holiday in Mexico, when she and her husband, wearing only swimming costumes, privately took part in a rebirthing procedure that involved smearing mud and fruit over each other's bodies while sitting in a steam bath.''How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered the World'', Francis Wheen, Harper Perennial 2004, In 2002, she apologised after saying within hours of a Jerusalem blast that killed at least 19 people in reference to the
Palestinian Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...
suicide bombers A suicide attack is any violent attack, usually entailing the attacker detonating an explosive, where the attacker has accepted their own death as a direct result of the attacking method used. Suicide attacks have occurred throughout histor ...
: "As long as young people feel they have no hope but to blow themselves up, we're never going to make progress, are we?" On 12 December 2008, Blair gave a lecture alternatively entitled "The Church and Women's Rights: time for a fresh perspective?" or "Religion as a Force in protecting Women's Human Rights" at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, ''Angelicum'', in Rome. In summer 2015, in the wake of the Hillary Clinton email controversy, Blair was revealed by '' The Guardian'' to have lobbied Clinton in 2009 on behalf of prominent members of the Qatari monarchy; Clinton was US Secretary of State at the time. In a letter to the newspaper, Blair denied this characterisation of her mediation efforts, describing their story as "sensationalist and inaccurate". Precisely two months later, the release of another batch of Clinton's private emails confirmed that Blair had, indeed, arranged meetings with Clinton for the Qataris outside normal diplomatic channels, with discussions to involve "the US/Qatar relationship generally", not merely joint philanthropic efforts. In one case, Blair herself stated that her purpose was to help the eldest of Sheikha Mosah's sons,
Jassim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani Jassim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani ( ar, جاسم بن حمد بن خليفة آل ثاني; born 25 August 1978) is the former heir apparent of Qatar. He is the third son of the former Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, and the ...
, "build up an international profile". In summer 2015, Blair's law firm accepted a large fee to advise the
Maldives Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipela ...
government as it faced a challenge from former Maldivian president
Mohamed Nasheed Mohamed Nasheed GCSK (; born 17 May 1967) is a Maldivian politician and activist currently serving as the 19th speaker of the People's Majlis since May 2019. A founding member of the Maldivian Democratic Party, he served as President of th ...
over his imprisonment for "terrorism". Nasheed, who served from 2008 to 2012 as his country's first democratically elected leader, had received a 13-year prison sentence after a widely criticised trial.


Personal life


Family

In 1976, while she was studying to become a barrister, she met future prime minister and husband
Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...
. She obtained a
pupillage A pupillage, in England and Wales, Northern Ireland, Kenya, Malaysia, Pakistan and Hong Kong, is the final, vocational stage of training for those wishing to become practising barristers. Pupillage is similar to an apprenticeship, during which ba ...
in the chambers of
Derry Irvine Alexander Andrew Mackay Irvine, Baron Irvine of Lairg, (born 23 June 1940), known as Derry Irvine, is a Scottish lawyer, judge and political figure who served as Lord Chancellor under his former pupil barrister, Tony Blair. Education Irvine w ...
ahead of him, although he was also taken on. Married on 29 March 1980, the Blairs have three sons and one daughter: Euan (born 1984), Nicholas (born 1985), Kathryn (born 1988), and Leo (born 2000). Leo was the first child born to the wife of a serving British prime minister in over 150 years, since Rollo Russell was born to Lady Frances Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound and Lord John Russell on 11 July 1849. Another pregnancy at the age of 47 ended in miscarriage in early August 2002. The Blair children attended Catholic secondary schools, including The London Oratory School. All four children have Irish passports, by virtue of Tony Blair's mother, Hazel Elizabeth Corscadden, a Protestant, the daughter of George Corscadden, a butcher and Orangeman who moved to Glasgow in 1916 but returned to
Ballyshannon Ballyshannon () is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is located at the southern end of the county where the N3 from Dublin ends and the N15 crosses the River Erne. Incorporated in 1613, it is one of the oldest towns in Ireland. Locati ...
in 1923, where Hazel was born to George and Sarah Margaret (née Lipsett), above her family's grocery shop. Via her father, Blair and her younger sister Lyndsey have six half-sisters, including British journalist
Lauren Booth Lauren Booth (born Sarah Jane Booth; 22 July 1967) is an English broadcaster, journalist and activist holding a VIP Palestinian Authority passport as well as a British passport. Early life Sarah Jane Booth was born and grew up in North London. ...
. Her first grandchild (a girl) was born in October 2016.


Political and religious views

Blair has described herself as a socialist and, at times, has appeared to have views further to the left than those of her husband. In March 2008, she chaired the Street Weapons Commission on behalf of the broadcaster
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service in ...
. She toured the UK and took evidence from people affected by street crime and published a report and practical advice in June 2008. She is a practising Roman Catholic. In 2009, Blair urged the Catholic Church to reconsider its opposition to contraception, suggesting it could be holding some women back from pursuing a career. In
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
's 2010 autobiography '' Decision Points'', Blair is briefly described as a fierce opponent of the
death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that ...
.


Writings, portrayals, and coverage in books, film and theatre

Blair co-authored, with Cate Haste, the 2004 book ''The Goldfish Bowl: Married to the Prime Minister''. The book is a compilation history of the lives of spouses of British prime ministers for most of the second half of the 20th century. It covers the spouses of former prime ministers
Anthony Eden Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, (12 June 1897 – 14 January 1977) was a British Conservative Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1955 until his resignation in 1957. Achieving rapid prom ...
, Harold Macmillan,
Alec Douglas-Home Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, Baron Home of the Hirsel (; 2 July 1903 – 9 October 1995), styled as Lord Dunglass between 1918 and 1951 and being The 14th Earl of Home from 1951 till 1963, was a British Conservative politician who se ...
,
Harold Wilson James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, (11 March 1916 – 24 May 1995) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from October 1964 to June 1970, and again from March 1974 to April 1976. He ...
, James Callaghan, Margaret Thatcher, and John Major. Blair wrote a book of her memoirs, published in late May 2008, entitled ''Speaking for Myself: The Autobiography'',Blair, Cherie (2008). Book cover. and the book was listed as a ''
Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...
'' best-seller. Interviewed about the book by
Carole MacNeil Carole MacNeil is a Canadian television journalist, known for her work with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation which spanned over thirty years. MacNeil began her career anchoring local news programs in New Brunswick and Ontario in the early ...
on the Canadian network CBC Television on 1 June 2008, Blair stated that she felt most of the controversy about her in the British media was due to her pioneering role as the first wife of a British prime minister who had her own career, with the media simply not knowing how to treat her fairly and objectively. Played by Helen McCrory, Blair features as a character in ''
The Queen In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to: * Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death The Queen may also refer to: * Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...
'' (2006), starring
Helen Mirren Dame Helen Mirren (born Helen Lydia Mironoff; born 26 July 1945) is an English actor. The recipient of numerous accolades, she is the only performer to have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting in both the United States and the United Kingdom. ...
, about the aftermath of the
death of Diana, Princess of Wales In the early hours of 31 August 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales died from injuries sustained earlier that day in a car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris, France. Dodi Fayed, Diana's partner, and Henri Paul, their chauffeur, were found ...
in 1997, and is portrayed as a fierce anti-monarchist. McCrory played her again in the 2010
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television, premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office busi ...
film '' The Special Relationship''. Blair also features as a character in Chris Bush and Ian McCluskey's production '' TONY! The Blair Musical''.
Phoebe Nicholls Phoebe Sarah Nicholls (born 1957) is an English film, television, and stage actress. She is known for her roles as Cordelia Flyte in ''Brideshead Revisited'' and as the mother of John Merrick in ''The Elephant Man''. Personal life Nicholls i ...
played her in ''
The Trial of Tony Blair ''The Trial of Tony Blair'' is a satirical drama recounting war crimes proceedings brought against former British Prime Minister Tony Blair by an international tribunal, following his departure from 10 Downing Street. Directed by Simon Cellan ...
'' (2007). She was also a subject in "
Shoot the Dog "Shoot the Dog" is a song by British singer-songwriter George Michael, released as the second single from his fifth and final studio album, '' Patience'', though released a year and a half prior to the album. It was his last release for Polydor ...
", a song by
George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the most significant cultural icons of the MTV generation and is one of the best-selling music ...
that was critical of the Iraq War. In June 2019, Blair signed on as an executive producer for Jerusalem-set drama feature film ''The Rock Pile'', a first try into film production for her.


Recognition

She was recognized as one of the BBC's 100 women of 2013.


References


Cited texts

*


External links

*
Cherie Blair – Omnia Strategy LLP
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Blair, Cherie 1954 births Living people
Cherie Cherie is an English female given name. It comes from the French ''chérie'', meaning ''darling'' (from the past participle of the verb ''chérir'', ''to cherish''). Notable people with the name or stage name include: * Cherie, one of the stage ...
Spouses of prime ministers of the United Kingdom People from Bury, Greater Manchester People from Crosby, Merseyside British women lawyers Labour lawyers Human rights lawyers English King's Counsel English barristers English memoirists English historians English people of Irish descent English Roman Catholics Labour Party (UK) politicians Members of Lincoln's Inn 20th-century King's Counsel Labour Party (UK) parliamentary candidates BBC 100 Women People named in the Pandora Papers Wives of knights Academics of the University of Westminster Alumni of the London School of Economics Alumni of The University of Law Honorary Fellows of the London School of Economics People associated with Liverpool John Moores University Commanders of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century women lawyers 21st-century women lawyers 20th-century Roman Catholics 21st-century Roman Catholics