Cherie Blair#Controversies

Booth was born on 23 September 1954 at Fairfield General Hospital, Bury, Lancashire, England,Blair, Cherie (2008), p. 9. 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.{{Cite book|title=Speaking for Myself: My Life from Liverpool to Downing Street|last=Blair|first=Cherie|publisher=Little, Brown|year=2008}} 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.{{cn|date=December 2024}} The sisters attended Catholic schools in Crosby, Merseyside. Cherie Booth attended Seafield Convent Grammar, which is now part of Sacred Heart Catholic College, where she achieved four As in her A Levels.{{cn|date=December 2024}}

She read law at the London School of Economics and graduated with First-Class Honours. Later she was enrolled at the College of Law and passed her Bar Vocational Course.West, Karl (26 February 2012). [http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/business/Companies/article877602.ece "Law school's £200m sale"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160616213603/http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/business/Companies/article877602.ece |date=16 June 2016 }}. Sunday Times. Retrieved 2 June 2016 (subscription needed for full access). She came at the top of her year in the bar exams,{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2053193.stm|title=Profile: Cherie Blair|work=BBC News|date=19 June 2002|access-date=19 October 2013|url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080726201337/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2053193.stm|archive-date=26 July 2008|df=dmy-all}} while teaching law at the Polytechnic of Central London (University of Westminster).{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}} She was the Labour candidate for the Conservative safe seat of North Thanet in Kent in the 1983 general election, losing to Roger Gale.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/gordon-brown/6183615/Cherie-Blair-plans-to-be-Gordon-Browns-secret-weapon-at-the-election.html|title=Cherie Blair plans to be Gordon Brown's secret weapon at the election|first=Tim|last=Walker|work=Daily Telegraph|publisher=Telegraph Media Group|date=13 September 2009|access-date=1 April 2013|location=London, UK|url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110128014301/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/gordon-brown/6183615/Cherie-Blair-plans-to-be-Gordon-Browns-secret-weapon-at-the-election.html|archive-date=28 January 2011|df=dmy-all}}

A member of Lincoln's Inn, she became a barrister in 1976 and Queen's Counsel in 1995. Until 1988, her head of chambers was George Carman. In 1999, she was appointed a recorder (a permanent part-time judge) in the County Court and Crown Court.{{Cite web|url=http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/3746195.Comment_by_Cherie_about_Tony_is_naive/|title=Comment by Cherie about Tony is naive|website=Lancashire Telegraph|date=10 October 2008 |access-date=15 December 2017|url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215221429/http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/3746195.Comment_by_Cherie_about_Tony_is_naive/|archive-date=15 December 2017|df=dmy-all}}

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, in addition to public international law.{{cite web|url=http://www.matrixlaw.co.uk/AreasOfPractice.aspx|title=Matrix Chambers|work=matrixlaw.co.uk|url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060210002406/http://www.matrixlaw.co.uk/AreasOfPractice.aspx|archive-date=10 February 2006|df=dmy-all}} She is Founder and chair of law firm Omnia Strategy LLP.{{Cite web|title=Omnia Team » Cherie Blair CBE, QC|url=http://omniastrategy.com/15-2|website=omniastrategy.com|access-date=1 September 2015|url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150830102638/http://omniastrategy.com/15-2/|archive-date=30 August 2015|df=dmy-all}} She specialises in employment, discrimination, as well as public law; in this capacity, she has occasionally represented claimants taking cases against the UK Government.{{cite web|url=http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2003/445.html|title=Purja & Ors, R (on the application of) v Ministry of Defence [2003] EWHC 445 (Admin) (21 February 2003) |publisher=Bailii.org|access-date=19 October 2013}}

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 concerned discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.{{cite web |url=http://curia.europa.eu/jurisp/cgi-bin/gettext.pl?lang=en&num=80019782C19960249&doc=T&ouvert=T&seance=ARRET&where= |title=CURIA – Search form |publisher=Curia.europa.eu |access-date=19 October 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070323122357/http://curia.europa.eu/jurisp/cgi-bin/gettext.pl?lang=en |archive-date=23 March 2007 |df=dmy-all }}{{cite news|title=Cherie Booth in plea for gay rights|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/cherie-booth-in-plea-for-gay-rights-1249821.html|access-date=29 April 2018|work=The Independent|date=10 July 1997}}

File:Blair, Al Qasimi (6756578003).jpg in 2011]]

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.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8497365.stm|title=Complaint after Cherie Booth spares religious man jail|work=BBC News|date=4 February 2010|access-date=19 October 2013}}{{cite news|last=Taylor|first=Jerome|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/secular-society-upset-by-judge-cherie-decision-1889792.html|title=Secular society upset by Judge Cherie decision|work=The Independent|date=4 February 2010|access-date=19 October 2013|location=London, UK|url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214210142/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/secular-society-upset-by-judge-cherie-decision-1889792.html|archive-date=14 December 2013|df=dmy-all}} The Office for Judicial Complaints 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.judicialcomplaints.gov.uk/docs/Recorder_Cherie_Booth_QC_-_OJC_Investigation_Statement_-_0210.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101015125209/http://www.judicialcomplaints.gov.uk/docs/Recorder_Cherie_Booth_QC_-_OJC_Investigation_Statement_-_0210.pdf|url-status = dead|archive-date=15 October 2010|title=Statement from the office of judicial complaints|publisher=OJC|date=10 February 2010|access-date=12 February 2010}} 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".{{cite web|url=http://www.judicialcomplaints.gov.uk/docs/Recorder_Cherie_Booth_QC_-_OJC_Investigation_Statement_-_1010.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101015125110/http://www.judicialcomplaints.gov.uk/docs/Recorder_Cherie_Booth_QC_-_OJC_Investigation_Statement_-_1010.pdf|url-status = dead|archive-date=15 October 2010|title=Investigation Statement – Recorder Cherie Booth QC|publisher=Office for Judicial Complaints|date=10 June 2010|access-date=19 October 2013}} 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.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/10358121.stm|title=Cover-up claim over Cherie Blair court remark to Muslim|work=BBC News|date=19 June 2010|access-date=19 October 2013}}

In 2015, Blair defended Rwandan spy chief Emmanuel Karenzi Karake against accusations that he had conspired to murder three Spanish NGO workers and a Canadian priest.{{Cite web|url=https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2017/07/14/spanish-court-revives-case-against-kagames-military-entourage/|title=Spanish Court Revives Case against Kagame's Military Entourage|date=14 July 2017|website=Foreign Policy Journal|language=en-US}} Karake had allegedly done so because the workers knew about the Rwandan Patriotic Front 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.{{cite news|title=Cherie Blair's healthcare company goes bust and staff laid off|url=http://metro.co.uk/2015/06/20/cherie-blairs-healthcare-company-goes-bust-and-staff-laid-off-5254825/|access-date=17 July 2015|publisher=Metro|date=20 June 2015|url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721041716/http://metro.co.uk/2015/06/20/cherie-blairs-healthcare-company-goes-bust-and-staff-laid-off-5254825/|archive-date=21 July 2015|df=dmy-all}}

In 2021, Blair worked as an ethics adviser for Israeli security firm NSO Group.{{cite news |last1=Brown |first1=David |title=Cherie Blair is adviser to NSO, the firm behind Pegasus spyware |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/cherie-blair-is-adviser-to-nso-the-firm-behind-pegasus-spyware-rjdhhvr2s |access-date=22 November 2021 |work=The Times}}

Blair was the third Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cherie-blair-named-chancellor-of-asian-university-for-women-117228643.html|title=Cherie Blair Named Chancellor of Asian University for Women|access-date=1 April 2013|date=2 March 2011|work=PR Newswire|publisher=UBM plc|url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502042619/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cherie-blair-named-chancellor-of-asian-university-for-women-117228643.html|archive-date=2 May 2014|df=dmy-all}}

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.

In July 1999, Blair was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of the University (DUniv) from the Open University. Blair is a patron of Breast Cancer Care, a UK breast cancer information and support charity, Jospice, the international hospice organisation based in her home town of Crosby,{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Js_5rRFW3A|title=Cherie Blair opens extension at Jospice in Thornton|publisher=YouTube|date=1 June 2009|access-date=19 October 2013|url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310091658/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Js_5rRFW3A|archive-date=10 March 2016|df=dmy-all}} and disability charity Scope.{{cite web|url=http://www.scope.org.uk/people/patrons|title=Our Patrons|publisher=Scope|access-date=27 June 2014|url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140727012237/http://www.scope.org.uk/people/patrons|archive-date=27 July 2014|df=dmy-all}} She is also involved with the British branch of Child in Need India (CINI UK), and is the organisation's patron.{{cite web|url=http://www.cherieblair.org/highlights/2010/01/a-visit-to-the-children-in-nee.html|title=Cherie Blair profile|publisher=Cherie Blair|access-date=11 January 2012|url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120311131201/http://www.cherieblair.org/highlights/2010/01/a-visit-to-the-children-in-nee.html|archive-date=11 March 2012|df=dmy-all}}{{cite web|url=http://www.cini.org.uk/about.html|title=Child in Need India|publisher=CINI|access-date=11 January 2012|url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120120104023/http://www.cini.org.uk/about.html|archive-date=20 January 2012|df=dmy-all}}

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.{{cite web|url=http://www.cherieblairfoundation.org|title=Cherie Blair Foundation for Women|publisher=Cherieblairfoundation.org|access-date=19 October 2013|url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020204640/http://www.cherieblairfoundation.org/|archive-date=20 October 2013|df=dmy-all}}

In 2010, Blair spoke at WE Day, an event held by WE Charity as part of their ongoing effort to empower youth and encourage them to get involved in their communities.{{Cite web|url=https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/students-gather-at-acc-for-we-day-celebration-1.558391|title=Students gather at ACC for 'We Day' celebration|date=30 September 2010|website=Toronto|language=en|access-date=16 February 2020}}

Also in 2010, Blair founded the Africa Justice Foundation alongside barristers Suella Braverman and Philip Riches.{{cite news|last1=Blair|first1=Cherie|last2=Kewley|first2=Jonathan|title=Why good laws hold the key to Africa's transformation|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/why-good-laws-hold-the-key-to-africas-transformation-c0shvr8zb6g|access-date=24 October 2014|work=The Times|date=2 February 2011}}{{cite news|last1=Blair|first1=Cherie|title=Justice, Stability and Prosperity: Building Fair Legal Systems for Africa|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cherie-blair/post_1528_b_804709.html|accessdate=24 October 2014|work=The Huffington Post|date=25 May 2011}}

She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to women's issues and charity.{{London Gazette|issue=60367|date=29 December 2012|page=7 |supp=y}}

In June 2018, "Cherie Blair Foundation for Women" was inducted into Power Brands LIFE – Hall of Fame at the London International Forum for Equality.{{Cite web|url=https://www.powerbrandsglobal.com/|title=Power Brands Global|last=Global|first=Power Brands|website=Power Brands Global|language=en|access-date=29 May 2019}}

In 2002, Blair purchased two flats in Bristol with the assistance, it was alleged but later denied, of Peter Foster, a convicted Australian conman and boyfriend of Blair's friend Carole Caplin, who negotiated a discount for Blair.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2563649.stm "Cherie says 'sorry' for Foster dealings"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060211203247/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2563649.stm |date=11 February 2006 }}, 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.{{cite news |first=Nick |last=Cohen |url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,6903,856064,00.html |title=Nick Cohen: Ev'rybody must get stones |work=The Observer |date=10 December 2002 |access-date=19 October 2013 |location=London |url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080709010054/http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,6903,856064,00.html |archive-date=9 July 2008 |df=dmy-all }} 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, {{ISBN|0-00-714097-5}}

In 2002, she apologised after saying within hours of a Jerusalem blast that killed at least 19 people in reference to the Palestinian suicide bombers: "As long as young people feel they have no hope but to blow themselves up, we're never going to make progress, are we?"{{cite news |first=Julian |last=Glover |url=http://politics.guardian.co.uk/cherie/story/0,12713,1409010,00.html |title=Cherie under attack: from fur in flight to freebies |work=The Guardian |date=9 February 2005 |access-date=19 October 2013 |location=London |url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080706024653/http://politics.guardian.co.uk/cherie/story/0,12713,1409010,00.html |archive-date=6 July 2008 |df=dmy-all }}{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2051372.stm |title=PM's wife 'sorry' in suicide bomb row |work=BBC News |date=18 June 2002 |access-date=19 October 2013 |url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060618192900/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2051372.stm |archive-date=18 June 2006 |df=dmy-all }}

On 12 December 2008, Blair gave a lecture alternatively entitled "The Church and Women's Rights: time for a fresh perspective?"{{cite web |url=http://win.scienze-politiche.org/ENG/htnl/rass.html |title=Women and Human Rights |access-date=1 December 2014 |url-status = usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304115120/http://win.scienze-politiche.org/ENG/htnl/rass.html |archive-date=4 March 2016 |df=dmy-all }} accessed 1 December 2014. or "Religion as a Force in protecting Women's Human Rights"{{Cite web|last=Crawley|first=William|date=6 December 2008|title=Pro-life campaigners urge Catholic university to ban Cherie Blair|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/legacy/ni/2008/12/prolife_campaigners.html|website=Will & Testament|publisher=BBC|access-date=1 September 2015|archive-date=1 December 2014|archive-url=https://archive.today/20141201214529/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/legacy/ni/2008/12/prolife_campaigners.html|url-status=dead}}{{cite web |url=http://cherieblair.org/speeches/2008/12/speech-on-human-rights-women-a.html |title=Cherie Blair |access-date=1 December 2014 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141207162203/http://cherieblair.org/speeches/2008/12/speech-on-human-rights-women-a.html |archive-date=7 December 2014 |df=dmy-all }} at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Angelicum, in Rome.{{cite web |url=http://hancaquam.blogspot.com/2008/12/fr-philips-comments-on-cherie-blairs.html |title=Domine, da mihi hanc aquam!: Fr. Philip's comments on Cherie Blair's Angelicum lecture |date=18 December 2008 |access-date=1 December 2014 |url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141225124717/http://hancaquam.blogspot.com/2008/12/fr-philips-comments-on-cherie-blairs.html |archive-date=25 December 2014 |df=dmy-all }} accessed 1 December 2014.

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.{{Cite web|last1=Roberts|first1=Dan|last2=Gibson|first2=Owen|date=1 July 2015|title=Hillary Clinton lobbied by Cherie Blair to meet Qatari royal, emails reveal|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jul/01/hillary-clinton-lobbied-by-cherie-blair-qatari-royal-emails|website=theguardian.com|access-date=1 September 2015|url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906080043/http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jul/01/hillary-clinton-lobbied-by-cherie-blair-qatari-royal-emails|archive-date=6 September 2015|df=dmy-all}}[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/hillary-clinton/11837718/Hillary-Clinton-may-have-broken-US-secrecy-rules-with-emails-from-Tony-Blair-and-Downing-Street.html telegraph.co.uk: "Hillary Clinton may have broken US secrecy rules with emails from Tony Blair and Downing Street"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150902210258/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/hillary-clinton/11837718/Hillary-Clinton-may-have-broken-US-secrecy-rules-with-emails-from-Tony-Blair-and-Downing-Street.html |date=2 September 2015 }}, 1 September 2015. In a letter to the newspaper, Blair denied this characterisation of her mediation efforts, describing their story as "sensationalist and inaccurate".{{Cite web|last=Blair|first=Cherie|date=3 July 2015|title=I did not lobby on behalf of Qatari royal|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/jul/03/cherie-blair-i-did-not-lobby-on-behalf-of-qatari-royal|website=theguardian.com|access-date=1 September 2015|url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905232937/http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/jul/03/cherie-blair-i-did-not-lobby-on-behalf-of-qatari-royal|archive-date=5 September 2015|df=dmy-all}} 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, "build up an international profile".{{Cite web|last=Harding|first=Luke|date=1 September 2015|title=Hillary Clinton emails: Cherie Blair lobbied for Qatari crown prince|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/sep/01/hillary-clinton-emails-cherie-blair-lobbied-qatari-royal-family|website=theguardian.com|access-date=1 September 2015|url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905202124/http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/sep/01/hillary-clinton-emails-cherie-blair-lobbied-qatari-royal-family|archive-date=5 September 2015|df=dmy-all}}

In summer 2015, Blair's law firm accepted a large fee to advise the Maldives government as it faced a challenge from former Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed 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.{{Cite web|last=Sherwell|first=Philip|date=9 September 2015|title=Amal Clooney v Cherie Blair: Maldives paradise islands stage battle of UK female lawyers|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/maldives/11854847/Clooney-v-Blair-Maldives-paradise-islands-stage-battle-of-UK-female-lawyers.html|website=telegraph.co.uk|access-date=21 September 2015|url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911205539/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/maldives/11854847/Clooney-v-Blair-Maldives-paradise-islands-stage-battle-of-UK-female-lawyers.html|archive-date=11 September 2015|df=dmy-all}}{{Cite web|title=Conduct of trial of Maldives' ex-President raises serious concerns|url=http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=15712|website=ohchr.org|publisher=United Nations|access-date=21 September 2015|url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170723025233/http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=15712|archive-date=23 July 2017|df=dmy-all}}

File:Cherie and Euan Blair -Red Bull Air Race -London -28July2007 (2).jpg and Cherie Blair at the Red Bull Air Race in 2007 in London]]

In 1976, while she was studying to become a barrister, she met future prime minister and husband Tony Blair. She obtained a pupillage in the chambers of Derry Irvine ahead of him, although he was also taken on. Married on 31 March 1980, the Blairs have three sons and one daughter: Euan (born 1984), Nicholas (born 1985), Kathryn (born 1988), and Leo (born 2000).{{cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/05/10/blair.facts/index.html|title=Facts: Life and times of Tony Blair|publisher=CNN|access-date=19 October 2013|url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020050012/http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/05/10/blair.facts/index.html|archive-date=20 October 2013|df=dmy-all}}{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/822238.stm|work=BBC News|title=Blair's son 'drunk and incapable'|date=6 July 2000|url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090307135804/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/822238.stm|archive-date=7 March 2009|df=dmy-all}}{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/3748947.stm|title=Blairs' family life under spotlight|date=2006|access-date=15 December 2017|language=en-GB|url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215222125/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/3748947.stm|archive-date=15 December 2017|df=dmy-all}}

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.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2176872.stm|title=Cherie Blair suffers miscarriage|work=BBC News|date=6 August 2002|access-date=19 October 2013|url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030124043911/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2176872.stm|archive-date=24 January 2003|df=dmy-all}} 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 in 1923, where Hazel was born to George and Sarah Margaret (née Lipsett), above her family's grocery shop.{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/article6832096.ece|title=Names that mean trouble|first=Melanie|last=Mcdonagh|newspaper=Sunday Times|location=London, UK|date=13 September 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728111942/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/article6832096.ece|archive-date=28 July 2011|url-status = dead|df=dmy-all}} Via her father, Blair and her younger sister Lyndsey have six half-sisters, including British journalist Lauren Booth.{{Citation needed|date=December 2017}}

Her first grandchild (a girl) was born in October 2016.{{cite news|last1=Blair|first1=Cherie|author-link1=Cherie Blair|title=Equality between men and women is still 170 years away|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/world-economic-forum-gender-equality-170-years-away-a7383601.html|newspaper=The Independent|access-date=28 October 2016|date=27 October 2016|quote=Last week Tony and I were delighted to welcome our first grandchild into the family.}}

Blair has described herself as a socialist and, at times, has appeared to have views further to the left than those of her husband.{{cite news |first=Martin |last=Kettle |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2008/may/17/cherieblair.politicalbooks |title=Martin Kettle interviews Cherie Blair |work=The Guardian |date=17 May 2008 |access-date=19 October 2013 |location=London |url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021151317/http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2008/may/17/cherieblair.politicalbooks |archive-date=21 October 2013 |df=dmy-all }} She is a republican and reportedly chooses to handshake rather than curtsy when meeting royals,{{Cite news |last=Wilson |first=Graeme |date=31 August 2006 |title=Blairs' nine-year royal ordeal is almost over |work=The Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1527634/Blairs-nine-year-royal-ordeal-is-almost-over.html |access-date=23 June 2023}}{{Cite news |last=Turner |first=Lauren |date=9 August 2018 |title=Theresa May and the art of the curtsy |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45126243 |access-date=23 June 2023}} including Elizabeth II.{{Cite news |last=Brown |first=Jonathan |date=29 April 2006 |title=Forget the protocols, Cherie has a private chat with the Pope |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/forget-the-protocols-cherie-has-a-private-chat-with-the-pope-476033.html |access-date=25 June 2023}} According to the royal historian Carolyn Harris, Blair's preference for a handshake "attracted controversy as it was seen as making a statement about her republican views". Elizabeth herself was said to take amusement from Blair's refusal to curtsey and has been quoted as stating "I can almost feel Mrs Blair's knees stiffening when I come into the room".{{Cite news |last=Bradford |first=Sarah |date=8 April 2006 |title=The Queen has succeeded simply by being herself: Reflections on the Queen's extraordinary life |pages=12–13 |work=The Spectator |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XEThAAAAMAAJ |access-date=25 June 2023}}

In March 2008, Blair chaired the Street Weapons Commission on behalf of the broadcaster Channel 4. She toured the UK and took evidence from people affected by street crime and published a report and practical advice in June 2008.{{cite news |first=Tara |last=Conlan |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2008/mar/26/channel4.television1 |title=Cherie Booth tackles street crime with Channel 4 |work=The Guardian |date=26 March 2008 |access-date=19 October 2013 |location=London |url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021150015/http://www.theguardian.com/media/2008/mar/26/channel4.television1 |archive-date=21 October 2013 |df=dmy-all }}

She is a practising Roman Catholic.{{cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article2836183.ece |title=Faith |work=The Times |location=London |access-date=19 October 2013 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008043510/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article2836183.ece |archive-date=8 October 2011 |df=dmy-all }} 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.{{cite news |url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/blair-end-church-s-hard-line-on-birth-control-1.917502 |title=Blair: end Church's hard line on birth control |work=Herald Scotland |date=31 August 2009 |url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522070846/http://www.heraldscotland.com/blair-end-church-s-hard-line-on-birth-control-1.917502 |archive-date=22 May 2013 |df=dmy-all }}

In George W. Bush's 2010 autobiography Decision Points, Blair is briefly described as a fierce opponent of the death penalty.{{Cite book|last=Bush|first=George W.|year=2010|title=Decision Points|location=New York, NY|publisher=Crown Publishers|isbn=978-0-307-59061-9|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=syAbvg2McVoC&pg=PA231 231]}}

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, Harold Macmillan, Alec Douglas-Home, Harold Wilson, 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 best-seller. Interviewed about the book by Carole MacNeil 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.CBC Television, 1 June 2008; interview by Carole MacNeil.

Played by Helen McCrory, Blair features as a character in The Queen (2006), starring Helen Mirren, about the aftermath of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997, and is portrayed as a fierce anti-monarchist.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-queen-2006|title=The Queen Movie Review & Film Summary (2006) {{!}} Roger Ebert|last=Ebert|first=Roger|website=www.rogerebert.com|language=en|access-date=15 December 2017|url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170725004546/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-queen-2006|archive-date=25 July 2017|df=dmy-all}} McCrory played her again in the 2010 HBO film The Special Relationship. Blair also features as a character in Chris Bush and Ian McCluskey's production TONY! The Blair Musical.{{cite web |url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/theatre/article2229186.ece |title=TLS - Times Literary Supplement |access-date=31 May 2008 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090508152033/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/theatre/article2229186.ece |archive-date=8 May 2009 |df=dmy-all }} {{subscription required}} Phoebe Nicholls played her in The Trial of Tony Blair (2007). She was also portrayed in the music video of "Shoot the Dog", a song by George Michael that is critical of Tony Blair and George W. Bush.{{cite news |last1=Tempest |first1=Matthew |title=George Michael lampoons 'poodle' Blair |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2002/jul/01/politicalnews.redbox |access-date=16 November 2023 |agency=The Guardian |date=1 July 2002}} Blair is portrayed by Lydia Leonard in the fifth and sixth seasons of ''The Crown.{{cite web |title=Who plays Cherie Blair in The Crown? |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/the-crown-cherie-blair-actor/ |website=Radio Times |access-date=16 November 2023}}

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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.screendaily.com/news/cherie-blair-signs-on-as-executive-producer-for-jerusalem-set-drama-the-rock-pile/5140528.article|title=Cherie Blair signs on as executive producer for Jerusalem-set drama 'The Rock Pile'|last=Goodfellow|first=Melanie|date=19 June 2019|website=Screen|language=en|access-date=30 April 2020}}

She was recognised as one of the BBC's 100 women of 2013.{{Cite news |date=2013-10-20 |title=100 Women: Who took part? |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-24579511 |access-date=2022-12-18}} In 2023, she was awarded the 40 over 40 award by Monaco Voice.{{Cite web |last=Voice |first=Monaco |title=Cherie Blair, CBE KC |url=https://monacovoice.com/en/article/cherie-blair-cbe-kc |access-date=2023-06-26 |website=Monaco Voice |language=en-US}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book|title=Speaking for Myself: The Autobiography|first=Cherie|last=Blair|publisher=Little Brown|isbn=978-1-4087-0098-3|year=2008|url=https://archive.org/details/speakingformysel0000blai}}

{{Commonscat}}

{{Wikiquote}}

• {{Official website|http://www.cherieblair.org}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20141028172640/http://omniastrategy.com/15-2/ Cherie Blair – Omnia Strategy LLP]
• {{IMDb name|1193867}}

{{external media

|video1= [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hTeF4Yx1Pc&t=930s 'Twiggy' Forrest and Cherie Blaire call for tougher modern slavery laws], Matter Of Fact With Stan Grant, ABC News

}}

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{{s-other|Unofficial roles}}

{{s-bef|before=Norma Major}}

{{s-ttl|title=Spouse of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|years=1997–2007}}

{{s-aft|after=Sarah Jane Brown}}

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{{s-bef|before=John Moores Jr.}}

{{s-ttl|title=Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University|years=1999–2007}}

{{s-aft|after=Brian May}}

{{s-prec|uk}}

{{s-bef|before=Tessa, Lady Brewer}}

{{s-ttl|title=Wife of a Knight of the Garter}}

{{s-aft|after=Poppy, Lady Anderson}}

{{s-end}}

{{Tony Blair}}

{{Spouses of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom}}

{{Chancellors of Liverpool John Moores University}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Blair, Cherie}}

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Cherie