Religion was at heart of Blair's Government
May 25 2009 The Journal
TONY Blair's former agent has revealed the secrets behind New Labour in a book revealing how Christian beliefs lay behind the prime minister's every move.
John Burton, who Blair hailed as one of the most influential men in his life, has worked with former Tyne Tees journalist Eileen McCabe to reveal a view of the Labour Government as seen from Sedgefield.
Burton reveals how he supported Blair as he sought to modernise the party, how religious beliefs lay behind many of Blair’s decision and describes the moment Blair admitted he thought David Cameron would win the next election.
Here for the first time he shares details of life working along Tony Blair, thoughts from the man who knew in 1983 that the young barrister he was going to be something different.
“I still don’t know why I let him come. He rang me the day before just as I was going to work.
“There was something about his voice, It’s hard to say.
“But the last thing we needed was another young hopeful on the doorstep even though we were running out of time to field a candidate.
“We started putting Tony through his paces... He had this impressive ability to think through an issue and, with his lawyers training, analyse it, taking it to the bitter end.
“We liked what we were hearing. But it was more than that. It was his manner that won us over. He had a presence about him that I knew instinctively could win elections.
“There was a kindred spirit. He didn’t talk about his religious beliefs, other than mentioning the Christian socialist group he had been part of at Oxford university.”
Blair’s time in Sedgefield would prove critical to both his religious growth and his views on how to change the Labour party. Burton said: “Tony had no hang-ups about going to a Catholic church. When newspapers speculated about him converting after leaving office, he would say: ‘Why should I? I’m happy as I am.’ Although perhaps he should have added: ‘For now’.
“I often sat in a Catholic church with Tony and his family. It was always a slightly uncomfortable moment when they would go for communion and Tony could only sit there, excluded from something that was important to him. “So I knew that if he did convert, it would be for the sake of the family rather than for theological reasons. “
