Cherie blair

Steerpike was delighted to see the return of Cherie Blair to the spotlight this week. The leading barrister and better half of former PM Tony has joined a campaign to force the men-only Garrick club to admit women, signing a petition which calls on the establishment fixture to change its rules.  The Garrick boasts cabinet ministers, academics and mandarins among its members and has long-enjoyed a reputation as a favourite haunt of Supreme Court justices. Signing the petition, Cherie recalled watching her fellow trainee barrister and future husband Tony being admitted into the club in 1976, while she was shut outside, describing the lack of progress since as ‘outrageous.’ And the top QC has been doing her bit to tackle

Last month Steerpike reported news that Tony Blair was plotting a return to Parliament. One of the many unwanted consequences of Covid was the former Prime Minister’s return to the spotlight, in part due to the work of his eponymous institute on issues like mass testing and vaccines. With polls suggesting that members of Starmer’s Labour now view their party’s ex-leader in a more favourable light, could a ‘de Gaulle-style comeback’ be on the cards? Alas, the onetime premier – whose years out of office have been peppered with various gigs including JP Morgan, Zurich and UI Energy – appears to have now concluded that life as a septuagenarian backbencher is not for him.