Just call me Tony: Blair says people do not need to address him as ‘Sir’

Sir Tony Blair has said he would prefer people not to use his new title to address him, as he claimed he had accepted the honour on behalf of his former staff.

The former prime minister said it feels “most natural” to be called by his Christian name, echoing what he said to ministers in his first Cabinet meeting in May 1997: “Just call me Tony.”

In his first interview since becoming a member of the Order of the Garter in the New Year Honours, Sir Tony said he thought the long-awaited knighthood was awarded in recognition of his status as a former prime minister, rather than of him “as a person”.

Asked by Times Radio whether people should now address him as “Sir Tony”, the former prime minister replied: “I’m perfectly happy with ‘Tony’ as a matter of fact. That’s what feels most natural to me.

“It was very gracious of the Queen to bestow the honour, and I accepted in a way not for myself as a person, but because of the government I led and on behalf of the people who worked with me, who were dedicated, committed people who provided a lot of change to the country.”

Sir Tony’s honour, which comes 15 years after he left Downing Street, has been the subject of a major online petition calling for it to be revoked.

Campaigners say it is an insult to the people of Afghanistan and Iraq, whom they claim have suffered at the hands of Sir Tony because of his decision to invade the countries in 2001 and 2003.

The petition has been signed by more than one million people, but will not be debated in Parliament because the Commons does not recognise petitions on external websites. MPs also do not debate the merits of honours.

“Of course there will be people who object to it strongly but that is to be expected,” said Sir Tony.

“It didn’t surprise me, and the best thing is just to accept that of course there will be people who strongly oppose it, and detest me for various reasons. This is just what happens in politics.”

Sir Tony joins his successor, Sir Keir Starmer, in accepting a knighthood but choosing not to use the honorific.

He said that the title “feels more right now than it would in previous years”, after it was reported that his honour had been blocked by the Queen.

It has also been speculated that the decision to knight him will allow his successors Gordon Brown, Theresa May and David Cameron to receive honours too.

Sir Philip May, Lady May’s husband, was knighted in 2020 and she uses the courtesy title she was granted by marriage.

The former Labour leader, who now runs his own institute, said he would not comment on whether Boris Johnson should resign in the wake of reports of parties held in Number 10 during Britain’s coronavirus lockdown.

He added that he would not accept a peerage because he does not have the time to “put the commitment into the House of Lords”.