14 memorable photos telling story of the 90s, from Britpop to cyber pets craze
Tony Blair's New Labour stormed to a huge victory in May 1997, to the soundtrack of D:Ream's Things Can Only Get Better, ending 18 years of Tory rule. Blair presided over the flag-waving era of Cool Britannia, modelling himself as a man of the people and courting celebrities including Noel Gallagher. He was hugely popular at first and remained in the hot seat for 10 years, but his legacy was tarnished in many people's eyes by the Iraq war. | JACQUES DEMARTHON/AFP via Getty Images Photo: JACQUES DEMARTHON/AFP via Getty Images
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Times
2 hours ago
- Times
Keir Starmer considered George Osborne for US ambassador
One was a principle architect of New Labour who was instrumental in the rise of Sir Tony Blair. The other was the strategic political brain behind Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton who consigned Labour to fifteen years in the wilderness. Now it has emerged that Sir Keir Starmer came close to appointing George Osborne instead of Lord Mandelson in the high-profile and critical role as Britain's ambassador to the US. In the updated edition of his biography of the prime minister, the journalist Tom Baldwin reveals that Osborne made it to a shortlist of two for the prestigious and diplomatically fraught role as Britain's consigliere to the Trump administration. The former chancellor is understood to have discussed the role with senior Downing Street figures and was prepared to sacrifice his multimillion-pound salary from the financial advisory firm Robey Warshaw to take it. Baldwin said that Osborne's name had been added to the process late after months of speculation over who would replace Dame Karen Pierce, the outgoing and highly respected incumbent. Alongside Mandelson, those publicly in the frame for the job included the former foreign secretary David Miliband and Cathy Ashton, the former EU high representative. But Trump's victory in November's presidential election threw the recruitment process wide open and some in Downing Street questioned whether it would be strategically smart to appoint someone from the right. • Who is the real Peter Mandelson? From New Labour to Washington 'Just days before [Mandelson was appointed] the name of George Osborne [was] added to the final shortlist presented to the prime minister by Downing Street advisers,' Baldwin wrote in The New World magazine. 'They are understood to have invested considerable effort in pushing the former Tory chancellor's application, even though that perhaps unnecessarily complicated what Starmer would ultimately regard as a relatively simple decision.' It is understood that one of those pushing Osborne's candidacy was Morgan McSweeney, Starmer's chief of staff. Baldwin also reveals that Starmer nearly failed in his attempt to flatter Trump in their Oval Office meeting by presenting him with a letter from the King inviting him for a state visit. The letter had been in the hands of an aide, who had refused White House demands for it to be submitted in advance. 'Starmer suddenly realised he would need to present the letter himself but was surrounded by White House staff preparing the president for the media,' Baldwin wrote. 'I'm told that the envelope had to be gently lobbed over their heads to the prime minister who, it turns out, has a reassuringly safe pair of hands.'
Telegraph
6 hours ago
- Telegraph
Did Sir Tony Blair's 12-point plan to tackle terrorists work?
Following the July 7 terrorist outrages 20 years ago, the then government came under intense pressure to prevent similar attacks ever again. In the aftermath of the suicide bombings, it became clear that as well as a series of missed opportunities, counter-terror laws were weak and outdated. A month after the attacks, Sir Tony Blair, the prime minister at the time, set out what was described as a 12-point plan to counter the threat from terrorism. He said it would provide a 'comprehensive framework for action' in tackling the risk posed by extremists. But within weeks, many of the planned policies were starting to unravel in the face of opposition from MPs on all sides of the House and legal critics, who suggested the strategy had been written 'on the back of a fag packet'. While some of the laws did eventually make it onto the statute books, others were defeated in the Commons or the courts, or were simply dropped in the face of widespread opposition. Here we assess what happened to each of Sir Tony's suggestions. New grounds for deporting undesirables, including fostering hatred, advocating violence to further a person's beliefs or justifying or validating such violence. Deportations had previously been blocked because Article 3 of the Human Rights Act prevents people being sent back to countries where they could be subject to torture or inhumane treatment. The Blair government sought to circumvent this by proposing newly negotiated Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) with around a dozen countries. In the end MOUs were signed with just four countries: Jordan, Libya, Lebanon and Algeria. New anti-terrorism legislation to include an offence of condoning or glorifying terrorism in the UK or abroad. The Terrorism Act 2006 created an offence of glorifying terrorism, either in the UK or abroad, with a maximum penalty of seven years' imprisonment. It has been used successfully numerous times particularly in prosecuting those who supported or promoted Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The automatic refusal of asylum for anyone who has participated in terrorism or has anything to do with it anywhere in the world. The government decided against pressing ahead with legislation, preferring to rely instead on the provisions of the 1951 Convention on Refugees. Article 1F of the Convention specifies that refugee status shall not be granted to anyone with 'serious reasons for considering' they have committed crimes against peace, war crimes, crimes against humanity, or serious non-political crimes outside the country of refuge prior to being admitted as a refugee. The exclusion even applies even if the individual is facing persecution in their home country. The government pledged to consult on expanding the power to strip citizenship from individuals with British or dual nationality who were engaged in extremism. The power already existed in other areas of the law and were further enshrined in the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006. The power was exercised most famously in the case of Shamima Begum who was stripped of her citizenship after travelling to Syria and joining Isil in 2015 when she was 15-years-old. In 2019 the then Home Secretary used Section 40(2) of the British Nationality Act 1981 which allows for deprivation of citizenship if it's deemed conducive to the public good and the individual is a dual national. In Begum's case, the decision was made on national security grounds, and the UK government argued she was a dual British and Bangladeshi nationality. The government sought to introduce a maximum time limit for extradition cases involving terrorism. Rather than introduce a time limit for cases the then government decided it would be more effective to speed up the process for all extradition cases. They also secured an agreement from the European Court to give priority to UK cases. It is a matter of debate as to whether those things were successfully enacted. The most controversial of the proposals was the plan to extend the period during which terror suspects could be held without charge from 14 days to 90 days. The government was responding to calls from the police to extend detention without charge, but the proposals were immediately unpalatable with MPs. The law was put to a vote in November 2005, just four months after the bombings, but the Blair government suffered its first Commons defeat since coming to power. In the end the issue was defeated by 322 votes to 291, with 49 Labour MPs rebelling. Parliament later voted for a rebel amendment that increased the period of detention to 28 days. In 2009 Gordon Brown, the then Prime Minister, made a renewed attempt to raise the limit to 42 days but the measure was abandoned after defeat in the Lords. Control orders on British nationals who cannot be deported. The 2005 Prevention of Terrorism Act gave the Home Secretary the power to impose control orders on people suspected of involvement in terrorism but who had not breached the law. The power allowed the authorities to impose restrictions on a person's liberty for the purpose of 'protecting members of the public from a risk of terrorism'. A total of 52 control orders were imposed. All were men and all were suspected of involvement in Islamist terrorism. They were replaced in 2011 by the updated Tpims (Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures). While the details were kept secret only a handful of Tpims are thought to have been imposed. Anticipating a big increase in the number of control orders that were expected to be issued, the government pledged to expand court capacity. They were also plans for the Lord Chancellor to increase the number of special judges to hear such cases. However because in reality there were only ever a small number of control orders applied for, it was decided this measure was unnecessary. The government of the day announced plans to proscribe the international Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir and also the numerous successor organisations of Al Muhajiroun, the UK based terror organisation. Hizb ut-Tahrir was founded in 1953 as an international political movement calling for a single Islamic government across the Muslim world. Despite the Blair government's pledge to ban the group, it was not actually proscribed until 2024 following alleged support for Hamas. Back in the mid 2000s it was felt its influence in the UK was waning and lawyers warned the government that the organisation had not crossed the threshold of breaking terrorism laws. Al-Mujahiroun was banned in 2006 but just kept changing its name. Another of the recommendations was that citizenship ceremonies should be reviewed to make sure they were adequate. A commission was also planned to advise on better integration amongst some parts of the Muslim community. A review of citizenship ceremonies did take place in an attempt to enhance their significance and promote better social integration. But in recent years there has been criticism from those who claim migrants have found it too easy to game the system. The Church of England has been accused of making it easier for failed asylum seekers to stay in the country by allowing them to easily convert to Christianity. The failed Liverpool suicide bomber, Emad Al Swealmeen, claimed to have converted to Christianity after twice having an asylum application rejected. Consultation on a new power to close a place of worship used as a centre for fomenting extremism. This was intended to give the authorities more power to close mosques associated with hate preachers. But this plan was dropped following widespread opposition from community leaders. Bringing forward proposed border security measures, and designate some countries specifically for biometric visas. The government is also compiling an international database of individuals who will be excluded from entering Britain. The UK Border Agency was launched and biometric visas were introduced. All visa applicants are now fingerprinted.
Scottish Sun
6 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Chelsea's new superstar Estevao Willian SNUBS offer to join team-mates at Club World Cup for heartwarming reason
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) BRAZILIAN sensation Estevao Willian rejected the offer to spend the rest of the Club World Cup with his Chelsea team-mates - because he wanted to say a proper goodbye. Enzo Maresca and the Blues hierarchy urged teenage starlet Estevao to share the Chelsea embrace after the youngster scored against his new side in the quarter-final showdown in Philadelphia. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Palmeiras' Estevao douses himself in in his final game for the club Credit: AP 3 Cole Palmer was seen exchanging words with his soon to be teammate Estevao Willian. Credit: AFP 3 Chelsea players were keen to make him feel welcome Credit: AFP Cole Palmer was just one of a clutch of Chelsea players who spoke to Estevao after the final whistle as they welcomed the youngster. They included Reece James, who spoke his 'welcome to Stamford Bridge' message in Portuguese, Enzo Fernandez, Liam Delap, Moises Caicedo and another new recruit, Dario Essugo. WATCH EVERY MATCH OF THE CLUB WORLD CUP 2025 LIVE ON DAZN Despite being touched by the invitation, Estevao said he had a debt to his pals at Palmeiras that needed to be repaid before he could move on with the next chapter of his life in London. READ MORE FOOTBALL BACK TO ROO IN THE STUDIO Wayne Rooney lands £800,000 deal to be Match of the Day pundit That meant getting on a flight back to Sao Paulo rather than moving on to New York with Maresca's men ahead of their semi-final against Fluminense. The youngster explained: "I had to ask Essugo what Cole had said to me. He laughed a bit before translating, telling me 'Cole said he's excited for you and want you to come with us after the game'." Estevao added: 'I wanted to stay some more time with my team pals. 'I came here with them. And I should go back to Brazil with them. BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS 'My heart is broken because only we know how hard we worked. 'But I leave with pride. And I am happy to have a giant club as Chelsea opening its doors to me. 'He didn't understand a single word' - Cole Palmer reveals what he told Willian Estevao after Chelsea's win vs Palmeiras 'I just wanted to show my new fans in England who I am. That it is all. 'I hope to learn. I am sure I come to London to evolve, and to make history there too. 'Chelsea, though, can wait a few more days. 'I want to say goodbye properly to each and every player, technical staff and working person at our base camp.' Estevao's emotional departure was also a huge signal to Maresca and the Chelsea dressing room that they are getting a gem - and one close, potentially ready, to adorn the team. Enzo told the 19-year-old: 'We'll make history together' while fellow Brazilian new boy Joao Pedro hugged him and said: "This is your new home, little brother.' Delap offered a warm and enthusiastic handshake, Christopher Nkunku, Essugo and Caicedo pushed him gently and messed with his hair, before Brazilian Andrey Santos greeted him in their native tongue and spent a minute locked in an embrace of friendship. There was a final, parting, conversation with Palmeiras coach Abel Ferreira in a quiet hallway. Ferreira said: 'You're leaving through the big door. 'But now it's time to close cycles and believe in your future.'
