The Burden of Power: Countdown to Iraq - The Alastair Campbell Diaries (127 page)

The Queen with five of her prime ministers: Tony Blair, Margaret Thatcher, Ted Heath, Jim Callaghan and John Major.

US actor Kevin Spacey adds a bit of showbiz sparkle to Labour’s 2002 conference, here with Tony and Cherie Blair and Bill Clinton.

The former US president and his actor friend later enjoyed a night out in Blackpool’s McDonald’s.

Tony Blair with weapons inspector Hans Blix.

Carole Caplin and Peter Foster, the Australian fraudster who sparked a crisis over two flats bought by Cherie Blair, and strained relations further between the Blairs, AC and his partner Fiona Millar.

Fiona Millar with Cherie Blair.

Strategists together: Peter Mandelson, Philip Gould and Campbell at a meeting with the German ambassador.

Me and my shadow: Campbell and Blair in a lift in Brussels ...

... before a very difficult conversation over Iraq with Jacques Chirac.

Another difficult conversation, this time with President Putin.

Tony Blair (
seated
) before the Commons debate on going to war with Iraq; with him are (
left to right
) Jonathan Powell, David Manning, Peter Hyman and Alastair Campbell.

Campbell watches Blair’s speech live on television from the Prime Minister’s office.

US–UK talks at Hillsborough Castle; clockwise from bottom left: Colin Powell, Alastair Campbell, George Bush, Tony Blair, Condi Rice, Ari Fleischer and Jack Straw.