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Cherie Blair
Born	Cherie Booth September 23, 1954 (1954-09-23) (age 53) Bury, Lancashire
Education	London School of Economics
Occupation	Barrister
Height	5' 4" (1.63 m)
Religious beliefs	Roman Catholic
Spouse	Tony Blair (1980—)
Children	Euan Nicky Kathryn Leo
Parents	Tony Booth Gale Smith

Cherie Blair (born 23 September 1954), known professionally as Cherie Booth QC, is an English barrister. She is married to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... Image File history File links CherieBooth. ... is the 266th day of the year (267th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar). ... This article is about the town of Bury in North West England. ... Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea. ... Mascot: Beaver Affiliations: University of London Russell Group EUA ACU CEMS APSIA Golden Triangle G5 Group Universities UK Website: http://www. ... For the musician, see Sikiru Ayinde Barrister. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... For other people of the same name, see Tony Blair (disambiguation) Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born May 6, 1953)[1] is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, Leader of the Labour Party, and Member of Parliament for the constituency... Euan Anthony Blair (born January 19, 1984, London), is the eldest son of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. ... Nicholas John Blair (born December 6, 1985) is the second son of British Prime Minister, Tony Blair and his wife Cherie Blair. ... Tony Booth Antony Tony George Booth (born October 9, 1931 – July 5, 2007) in Liverpool, better known as Tony Booth) was an English actor, best known for his role as Mike Rawlins in the BBC series Til Death Us Do Part. ... is the 266th day of the year (267th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar). ... For information about The Times satire Queens Counsel, see Queens Counsel (comic strip). ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... For the musician, see Sikiru Ayinde Barrister. ... The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is, in practice, the political leader of the United Kingdom. ... For other people of the same name, see Tony Blair (disambiguation) Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born May 6, 1953)[1] is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, Leader of the Labour Party, and Member of Parliament for the constituency...

Early life

Born in Bury, (then Lancashire, now) Greater Manchester, England and raised in Ferndale Road, Waterloo, North Liverpool. Her father, the actor Tony Booth, left her mother Gale when Cherie Booth was eight years old. Booth and her younger sister, Lyndsey, were then raised by their mother Gale and their paternal grandmother Vera Booth, a devout Roman Catholic. Cherie and her sister both attended Catholic schools in Crosby in Liverpool. Cherie Booth attended Seafield Convent Grammar which is now part of Sacred Heart Catholic College, where she achieved 4 Grade A GCE A Level passes. Booth has six half sisters, including the journalist Lauren Booth. She professes to be a practising Catholic, although she holds several views on abortion, euthanasia and contraception in conflict with those of the Roman Catholic Church.^[1] This article is about the town of Bury in North West England. ... Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea. ... Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England which has a population of 2. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Waterloo is a locality in Sefton, Merseyside, North West England. ... For other uses, see Liverpool (disambiguation). ... Tony Booth Antony Tony George Booth (born October 9, 1931 – July 5, 2007) in Liverpool, better known as Tony Booth) was an English actor, best known for his role as Mike Rawlins in the BBC series Til Death Us Do Part. ... Catholic Church redirects here. ... For other uses, see Crosby. ... Sacred Heart Catholic College is a school in Crosby, Merseyside, England, with specialist status in Mathematics and ICT. It was created from the amalgamation of Seafield Convent Grammar and St Bedes Secondary Modern and was, until recently, known as Sacred Heart Catholic High School. ... The A-level, short for Advanced Level, is a General Certificate of Education qualification in England, Northern Ireland and Wales, usually taken by students during the optional final two years of secondary school (Years 12 & 13 (usually ages 16-18), commonly called the Sixth Form except for Scotland), or at... Lauren Booth (born Sarah Booth July 22, 1967) is a British journalist. ... For mercy killings not performed on humans, see Animal euthanasia. ... Birth control is the practice of preventing or reducing the probability of pregnancy without abstaining from sexual intercourse; the term is also sometimes used to include abortion, the ending of an unwanted pregnancy, or abstinence. ...

University, marriage, family

She studied law at the London School of Economics and graduated with a First Class degree. She later came at the top of her year in the bar exams,^[2] while teaching law at the University of Westminster. In 1976, while she was studying to become a barrister, she met Tony Blair. She obtained a pupillage in the chambers of Derry Irvine ahead of him, although he was also taken on. Married on 29 March 1980, they have four children: Euan, Nicky, Kathryn and Leo. Mascot: Beaver Affiliations: University of London Russell Group EUA ACU CEMS APSIA Golden Triangle G5 Group Universities UK Website: http://www. ... A First Class Honours degree is an academic degree awarded to students at undergraduate and post-graduate level either by examination, course work or thesis. ... The University of Westminster is a university in London, England, formed in 1992 as a result of the Further and Higher Education Act, 1992, which allowed the London Polytechnic (Polytechnic of Central London or PCL ) to rename itself as a university. ... Year 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other people of the same name, see Tony Blair (disambiguation) Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born May 6, 1953)[1] is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, Leader of the Labour Party, and Member of Parliament for the constituency... A pupillage, in England and Wales, is the barristers equivalent of the training contract that a solicitor undertakes. ... The Right Honourable Alexander Andrew Mackay Irvine, Baron Irvine of Lairg, PC, QC (born 23 June 1940) is a British lawyer and political figure who served as Lord Chancellor under his former barrister pupil Tony Blair. ... is the 88th day of the year (89th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Euan Anthony Blair (born January 19, 1984, London), is the eldest son of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. ... Nicholas John Blair (born December 6, 1985) is the second son of British Prime Minister, Tony Blair and his wife Cherie Blair. ... Kathryn Hazel Blair (born March 2, 1988) is the only daughter of British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Cherie Booth, QC. While her residence of record, in common with her parents and her brothers Euan, Nicky and Leo, is the ex officio London residence of all Prime Ministers 10 Downing... Leo George Blair (born 20 May 2000) is the youngest son of Tony Blair, the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and his wife Cherie Blair. ...

Political attempt and views

Cherie Blair unsuccessfully contested the seat of North Thanet in Kent for Labour at the 1983 UK general election, losing to Roger Gale (Conservative), while her husband was selected at the last minute for a safe seat in Sedgefield in County Durham in the same election. She was considering standing in 1987, but a cycling accident in which she broke both her arms ended her chances. Creation 1983 MP Roger Gale Party Conservative Type House of Commons County Kent EP constituency South East England North Thanet is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... For other uses, see Kent (disambiguation). ... The Labour Party is a political party in the United Kingdom. ... The UK general election, 1983 was held on June 9, 1983 and gave the Conservatives and Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945. ... Roger James Gale (born 20 August 1943, Poole) is an English politician. ... The Conservative Party, officially though less commonly known as the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a political party in the United Kingdom. ... Sedgefield is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... County Durham is a county in north-east England. ...

She has described herself as a socialist and at times has appeared to have views further to the left than those of her husband.^[3] Socialism refers to a broad array of ideologies and political movements with the goal of a socio-economic system in which property and the distribution of wealth are subject to control by the community. ... Left wing redirects here. ...

Legal career

A member of Lincoln's Inn, she became a barrister in 1976 and Queen's Counsel in 1995. In 1999, she was appointed a Recorder (a permanent part-time judge) in the County Court and Crown Court. She was Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University from 1999-2006, and on 26 July 2006 was awarded the honorary title of Emeritus Chancellor. She is also Governor of the London School of Economics and the Open University. She is a founding member of Matrix Chambers in London from which she continues to practise as a barrister. 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, and public international law.^[4] For the Lincolns Inn Society at Harvard Law School see Lincolns Inn Society. ... For the musician, see Sikiru Ayinde Barrister. ... For information about The Times satire Queens Counsel, see Queens Counsel (comic strip). ... A Recorder is a barrister or solicitor of 10 years standing who serves as a part-time Crown court judge. ... Crown Court and County Court in Oxford. ... Crown Court and County Court in Oxford. ... Liverpool John Moores University is a university in Liverpool, England. ... is the 207th day of the year (208th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Affiliations Alliance of Non-Aligned Universities, Association of Commonwealth Universities, European Association of Distance Teaching Universities, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Website http://www. ... Human rights law is a system of laws, both domestic and international which is intended to promote human rights. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Law of the European Union is the unique legal system which operates alongside the laws of Member States of the European Union (EU). ... “ECHR” redirects here. ... International law deals with the relationships between states, or between persons or entities in different states. ...

She specialises in employment, discrimination and public law and in this capacity has occasionally represented claimants taking cases against the UK government.^[5] This article is in need of attention. ...

Cherie Blair has appeared in a number of leading cases. A notable example before the European Court of Justice was concerned with discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. See ECJ Case C-249/96, Lisa Jacqueline Grant vs. South-West Trains Ltd. [2] In November 2007, she expressed interest in becoming a senior judge.^[6] Official emblem of the ECJ The Court of Justice of the European Communities, usually called the European Court of Justice (ECJ), is the highest court in the European Union (EU). ... Manifestations Slavery Racial profiling Lynching Hate speech Hate crime Genocide (examples) Ethnocide Ethnic cleansing Pogrom Race war Religious persecution Blood libel Paternalism Police brutality Movements Policies Discriminatory Race / Religion / Sex segregation Apartheid Redlining Internment Ethnocracy Anti-discriminatory Emancipation Civil rights Desegregation Integration Equal opportunity Gender equality Counter-discriminatory Affirmative action...

Controversies

In 2002, Blair purchased two flats in Bristol with the assistance of Peter Foster, a convicted Australian conman and boyfriend of Blair's friend Carole Caplin, who negotiated a discount for Blair.^[7] Blair publicly apologised for her embarrassing connection to Foster, stating, "I did not think it was my business to choose my friends' friends".^[7] This article is about the English city. ... Peter Foster addressing the media at the height of Cheriegate. Peter Foster, (born in Australia on 26 September 1962) has been described as the ultimate international man of mischief[1] , a super salesman to some, conman to others, but undoubtedly a person who has lived a champagne lifestyle in the... Scam and Confidence Man redirect here. ...

Her relationship with Carole Caplin has given rise to headlines in some newspapers, as Caplin is credited with introducing Blair to various New Age symbols and beliefs.^[8] Blair regularly wears a "magic pendants" known as "BioElectric Shields" given to her by Hillary Clinton, who also believes in the New Age claims.^[8] Reports of her 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 others' bodies while sitting in a steam bath.^[9] It is claimed her fourth pregnancy at 45 came after she submitted to New Age sexual techniques,^[10] though she herself blames leaving contraceptives at home due to embarrassment whilst visiting Balmoral^[11]. Carole Caplin (born 1961, London) is a professional life coach, an alleged New Ager, and a former member of Exegesis. ... New Age describes a broad movement characterized by alternative approaches to traditional Western culture. ... REDIRECT Hillary Rodham Clinton   This is a redirect from a title with another method of capitalisation. ... // Places There are several places named Balmoral. ...

Later in 2002, she apologised after saying, 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?", within hours of a blast in Jerusalem that killed at least 19 people.^{[12] [13]} For the term Palestinian as applied to Jews, see Palestinian Jew. ... A suicide attack is an attack on a military or civilian target, in which an attacker intends to kill others, knowing that he or she will either certainly or most likely die in the process (see suicide). ...

In September 2007 Cherie Blair was involved in another controversy. This involved being investigated for slapping a child called Miles Gandolfi at a sporting event. The investigations were quickly closed after it was found that it was all in good humour, but at the time this was used by many as an example of Cherie Blaire being hoist by her own petard, after her part in bringing in child protection laws.^[14]

On 21 January 2007, another controversy arose, when it was alleged that she used her position to acquire thousands of pounds' worth of cut-price designer clothes.^[15]

Portrayals

Cherie Blair features as a character in Chris Bush and Ian McCluskey's highly acclaimed production TONY! The Blair Musical,^[16] originally performed at York Theatre Royal and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2007.^{[citation needed]} Chris Bush (Born July 3rd, 1986 in Sheffield, England) is an award winning British playwright. ... TONY! The Blair Musical is a satirical comedy musical written in 2007 by Chris Bush, director of White Rose Theatre, with music composed by Ian McCluskey. ... The York Theatre Royal is a theatre in St. ... The gate for the street fair portion of the festival on the Royal Mile, in August 2007. ...

Robert Harris's fictional thriller, The Ghost, features a pivotal character, Ruth Lang, inspired by Blair.^[17] Robert Harris is an English TV reporter and author, born in 1957 in the city of Nottingham. ... The Ghost is a 2007 political thriller by the English writer and journalist Robert Harris. ...

Awards and recognition

Cherie Blair has been awarded the Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill medal in recognition of her high ideals and courageous actions.^[18] Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (IPA: ; October 11, 1884 – November 7, 1962) was First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. ...

Publishes memoirs in 2008

Cherie Blair published her memoirs in late May 2008. The book is entitled: Speaking for Myself: The Autobiography of Cherie Blair. A memoir, as a literary genre, forms a sub-class of autobiography. ...

Interviewed about the book by Carol McNeill on the Canadian network CBC Television on June 1, 2008, Cherie 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. Main articles: History of Canada, Timeline of Canadian history Canada has been inhabited by aboriginal peoples (known in Canada as First Nations) for at least 40,000 years. ... CBC Television is a Canadian English language television network. ...

Styles

• Miss Cherie Booth (1954-1980)
• Mrs Cherie Blair (1980-)
• Cherie Booth QC (1995-)

Blair uses the title "Cherie Booth QC" professionally, although she is Mrs Cherie Blair by marriage.

References

The Daily Mail is a British newspaper, currently published in a tabloid format. ... is the 318th day of the year (319th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 132nd day of the year (133rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Francis James Baird Wheen (born 22 January 1957) is a British writer and journalist. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Cherie Blair

The following links were last verified 14 December 2006.

• Matrix Chambers — Cherie Booth, QC
• First Lady of Downing Street speech
• Cherie Blair at the Internet Movie Database