He is not from the traditional wing of the Labour Party, or even from a traditional Labour background - a fact that has been enthusiastically used as part of his strategy to widen the appeal of the party he rebranded "New Labour" to reach those voters who would not usually support it.

On his election as an MP in 1983 Mr Blair quickly rose through the parliamentary ranks. But it was as shadow home secretary in the early 1990s that he really made his name, venturing onto traditional Conservative territory with his pledge to be "tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime". He soon became one of the Labour politicians most widely talked of as the next Labour leader.

The opportunity came earlier than expected when he was propelled into the leadership following the untimely death of John Smith in 1994. It was also at this point that his relationship with his one-time mentor Gordon Brown fractured, over who would stand back in favour of whom in the leadership contest.