by Chris Mullin
Afghanistan 90
drug policy 14, 27–8, 76–7, 112, 138, 181, 189, 218, 421
Galloway on 23
Rumsfeld on 36
Norine MacDonald on 106–7
Britain locked in an unwinnable war 128
NATO bombing raid 131
comments of EU’s Afghan envoy 138
invasion of 181
corruption and torture 227
Karzai’s attitude to British 227
bombing of a wedding party 255
more civilians killed 263
Hutton on 282
US wants Karzai replaced 307
British casualties 355, 356
improvement in quality of equipment 378
roll-call of the Fallen since July 2009 382
Obama announces extra troops 399, 414
Africa
Africa ministers 4, 83, 453
Wilton Park conference (2005) 8
CM offered Africa envoy post 9–10, 19
US and 10, 269
Commons debate on Africa (2005) 20
and G8 42
first woman president 69
Acton meeting (2006) 75
children denounced as witches 119
‘public interest over family or tribe’ 180
gifts from the British 240
China’s policy 268
African cheerfulness 269
African Union 70, 307
agency workers 229, 454
AIG 265
Ainsworth, Bob 57–8, 80, 86, 89, 133, 153, 173, 189, 215, 340, 355, 356, 421
Aitken, Ian 26
Akaki, Sam 321
al-Qaeda 36, 323, 387
Alanbrooke, Field Marshall Lord 388
Albert, Prince Consort 114
Aldgate tube station, London 22
Alexander, Douglas 112, 201, 225, 315, 334, 411, 412, 424
Alexander, Wendy 217
Ali, Tariq 432
All Party Rendition Group 307
Allen, Alex 386
Allen, Dave 59–60
Allen, Kate 198
Allingham, Henry 285
Almeida theatre, Islington, London 292
Alnwick, Northumberland 228
alternative voting 341, 414
Amnesty 198
Anderson, Janet 13
Andre (Cherie Blair’s hairdresser) 93
Angola 77, 81, 85, 90
Angolans 45, 52, 56, 67, 91
Annabel’s nightclub, London 40
Annan, Kofi 76
Apollo cinema, Lower Regent Street, London 203
Appledore book festival, Devon 378
Arbuthnot, James 138, 331
Arc 150
Ardeche, France 32
arms budget 357
Armstrong, Hilary 24, 44, 61, 202, 230, 243, 248, 344, 384
Ashcroft, Lord (Michael) 132, 140, 158, 200, 202, 428, 433, 436
Ashcroft loophole 218, 224, 276, 353
Ashdown, Paddy 184, 325, 343, 435
Ashton, Cathy 101
Association of Electoral Registration Officers 199
asylum seekers 18, 56, 85, 91, 105, 132, 152
Athenaeum club, Pall Mall, London 17, 434
Atkins, Charlotte 15
Atkinson, Peter 152, 392
Atonement (film) 203
attempted coup (September 2006) 123–4, 282
attendance allowance 323, 325, 326
Attlee, Clement 422, 427
Austin, John 73
aviation industry 15
B
Ba’athists 18
Baghdad, Iraq 102–3, 183
Baghdad university car bombs (2007) 144
Bagram airbase, Afghanistan 181, 312
Bailey, Adrian 222
Baker, Sir John 390
Baker, Kenneth 37, 374
Baker, Norman 328
Baker-Cresswell, Barbara 13, 235
Baker-Cresswell, Charles 13, 190, 235
Baker-Cresswell family 7
Bali bombings 198
Balls, Ed 59, 112, 163, 201, 219–20, 232–3, 245, 336, 338, 340, 341, 344, 408, 427, 429
Bamburgh, Northumberland 235
Bangladeshi families 134, 141, 164–5, 184
Bank of England
‘Quantitative Easing’ 310
Special Liquidity Scheme 272
Bank Recapitalisation Fund 272
Banks, David 436
Banks, Gordon 175, 284
banks, government takes a controlling interest in 2, 451
Banks, Sally 69, 100, 136, 251
Banks, Tony 67, 74, 114
Barbados 122
Barclays 308
Barker, Kate 256
Barking, London 93, 97
Barnard Castle 248
Barnes, Julian 276, 293
Bash, Graham 199
basic rate of tax 323, 453
Basra, Iraq 282, 396
Bayley, Hugh 175
BBC 10, 18, 19, 21, 30, 32, 98, 106, 140, 179, 236, 239, 273, 301, 313, 326, 329, 345, 369, 385, 395, 438–9
BBC2 375, 381, 442
Online 369
Radio Four 106, 196, 443
bearskin imports 83
Beaumont Lodge sheltered housing, Sunderland 351
Beckett, Margaret 74, 79, 97, 98, 114, 116, 137, 155, 186, 269, 284, 286, 287, 340, 343, 345–9, 422
Beefeaters 394
Beijing Olympics (2008) 261
Beirut, Lebanon 116, 385
Beith, Alan 333, 343
Belarus 287
Belfast 413
Belfast Telegraph 413
Belize tax haven 436
Bell, Sir Stuart 332, 380
Bellingham, Henry 393
Bemba, John Pierre 117
Bemersyde House, Scottish Borders 12
Benedict XVI, Pope 133, 236
Benefits Agency 103
Benin immigrant 311, 322
Benn, Hilary 25, 74, 109, 198
on the government reshuffle (2005) 6
Ethiopia election crisis 14–15
Africa debate 20
and Labour leadership 76, 100, 126, 174–8, 242
Benn, Melissa 136
Benn, Stephen 38
Benn, Tony 38, 59, 67, 74, 83, 100, 136, 197, 198, 389
Bennett, Alan 442
Bercow, Mr Speaker John 333, 334, 343–6, 349, 383, 384, 389, 393, 406, 421, 438, 440
Bercow, Sally 383, 393
Berlusconi, Silvio 95, 374
Berry, Tony 50
Bethlehem 280
Better Government Initiative 386
Betts, Clive 123, 152
Bevan, Aneurin 422
Bevin, Ernest 422
Biffen, John 28, 151
Big Ben 439
Big Brother (television programme) 75, 314, 335
Bin Laden, Osama 51, 190
Birch Trees, Coanwood, Haltwhistle 405–6
Birmingham appeal (1988) 173
Birmingham FC 435
Birmingham pub bombing (1974) 53
Birmingham Six 199, 388
Birt, John 179
Black Rod 395
Blair, Cherie 93, 127, 128, 185, 244, 283
Speaking for Myself 361
Blair, Leo 185
Blair, Tony (aka ‘The Man’)
early involvement in politics in Hackney 17
links Britain to George W. Bush 1, 36, 128, 174
attitudes towards 3
government reshuffle (May 2005) 4, 6
bravura performances 5
CM’s farewell audience 9–10
and junior jobs 13, 100
the folly of the Iraq war 17
scattering of vague promises 19
statement on the London bombings 24–5
Labour Party conference (2005) 38, 41
on private medicine 41
critics becomes bolder 45–6
and the Terrorism Bill 48
and education reforms 53–4, 57
proposed as Genera
l Secretary of UN 69, 76
relationship with Brown 74, 111, 156, 310
Parliamentary Labour Party centenary 77
smoking ban issue 80
‘dwells in the stratosphere’ 85
loans-for-peerages crisis 86, 87
doctors’ salaries 93
personality 96, 139, 361–2
on Jack Straw 99
Milburn on 99–100
pensions 102
‘Let’s Talk’ initiative 103
illegal immigrants 104
refuses to name date of his departure 124
Iraq as his monument 126
Labour Party conference (2006) 128
dodges the question of Brown as successor 129–30
damning indictment of 136–7
interviewed as part of police inquiry 140
YouGov approval rating 146–7
plan to make him announce his retirement date 156–7
announces his retirement date (27 June 2007) 174
personality 178, 185, 311, 400
last Cabinet 184
final appearance as Prime Minister 185–6
and ‘sleaze’ 219
lobbies to be Euro president 326
at the Iraq inquiry 418
Blears, Hazel 50, 95, 115, 211, 325, 330, 338, 344
Blizzard, Bob 44
Bloom, Orlando 34
Bloomberg 127
Blunkett, David 84, 325, 342
and the estate agent 40
sacked (again) 45, 46
and the Education White Paper 62
loyalty to Blair 99
BNP (British National Party) 93, 97, 152, 305, 385
Boateng, Paul 105
Bolsover 257
Booth, Dan 73
Boulton, Adam 369, 370
Boundary Commission 15, 20, 68
Boy George 61, 419
Boyce, Admiral Lord 215
Boyle, Susan 340
Brandreth, Gyles 388
Branson, Richard 316
Bratt, Claes 266, 270, 296, 407
breakfast clubs 217
Bremner, Ken 393
Brewer, Julia Hartley 388
Brind, Don 114
Britain-Vietnam Business Group 366
British Airways (BA) 433
British Chambers of Commerce 228–9
British Council 160
British Gas 81
British Medical Association 93
British Museum, London 419
Brixton riots, London 181
Brodie, Millie 345–6
Brook Lapping Productions 183
Brooke, Heather 369
Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, Essex 119
Brown, Gordon 26, 31, 62, 93, 297–8
and take-over from Blair 17, 76, 78, 80, 95, 96, 99, 101, 105, 109, 112, 126, 139, 157, 160, 171, 176, 177–8, 183
Labour Party conference (2005) 38
and the rise of Cameron 44
and the 90 days detention clause 49
speeches to parliamentary party 58–9, 159
appearance 59
pre-budget statement 60
and growth rate 60, 61
and Alastair Campbell 74
relationship with Blair 74, 111, 156, 310
personality 96, 97, 133–4, 178, 319, 329, 403, 444
loyalty to his friends 100
pensions 102
Soames on 108
Raynsford’s plan 113
stewardship for the economy 121
Charles Clarke’s attack 124, 125
Labour Party conference (2006) 127
and worldwide immunisation 133
ICM poll 151
and Lords reform 156
Turnbull’s comments 159
budget 159, 231, 235, 323
Straw becomes his campaign manager 161
bullying accusation 162
and John Reid 176–7
wins leadership contest 177
takes over from Blair 186
his Cabinet 186–7
constitutional reform 188
first PMQs 189
Labour Party conference (2007) 197
announces that there will be no election 201, 202–3
tea with Thatcher 212
style of government 225–6, 229–30, 285
‘reviews’ 227
assailed by complaints 234
in Washington 236
U-turn on the 10 per cent tax band 238
low popularity 249
Chinese embassy episode 254, 258
Labour Party conference (2008) 267
reshuffle 269
visits Pakistan and India 293
tribute to David Cameron’s son Ivan 309
call for a ‘global fiscal stimulus’ 315
and Obama 317
and G20 318
and second home allowance 320–21
attendance allowance plan 323, 325, 326
receives standing ovation 329
plan to deal with expenses scandal 333
‘Gordon must go’ 338, 339, 343, 374
‘Building for the Future’ statement 351
annual garden party 356
perception of 374
and Mandelson 376
Brighton conference (2009) 377
rejected condolence letter 392
Hoon/Hewitt coup attempt 409
admits a mistake 433
response to Cameron’s charge list 439
‘bigot’ incident 445
Sunderland incident 446
announces his resignation 448
farewell speech 449
taken to the Palace 449
Brown, Nick 112, 172, 174, 225, 249, 269, 271, 285, 305, 323, 326, 334–5, 375, 420, 435
Brown, Sarah 62, 93, 95, 198, 267, 285, 430, 444, 449
Browne, Des 131, 145, 155, 166, 187, 215, 269, 278
Bruce (CM’s cat) 29, 30, 427
Bryant, Chris 123, 282, 368, 382
BSkyB 369
Buck, Karen 123, 152, 188
Buckingham Palace, London 292, 438, 449
Bullingdon Club 279
Burchett, Wilf 296, 436
Burgon, Colin 84, 85, 86