UK Labour Cabinet 2005-2007

In 2005, incumbent Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair called a general election. He had already won victory in the 1997 and 2001 general elections, so victory again was potentially his third term as Prime Minister and a record three successive terms in government for the Labour party. This would match the record of Conservative Premier Margaret Thatcher, who also won three successive victories in the 1979, 1983 and 1987 elections and was Prime Minister for over 11 years.

Blair's main opposition in his battle to be returned as Prime Minister by the British electorate was the Conservative party, led by Michael Howard. Howard had become Conservative leader in 2003 and had previously been a cabinet minister in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major, holding a number of positions that included Secretary of State for Employment from 1990 to 1992, Secretary of State for Environment, 1992 to 1993 and Home Secretary between 1993 and 1997.

The 2005 general election was held on May 5, and the result returned Prime Minister Blair to Downing Street with a reduced parliamentary majority of 66. Following the Conservative defeat, Michael Howard stated his intention to step down as leader of his party and a leadership election took place. He was succeeded by David Cameron in December 2005.

Prior to the general election in which the Labour government won a record third successive victory, Blair had stated an intention to serve a full third term as Prime Minister. At the 2004 Labour party conference in Brighton. On October 1, 2004, he was reported to have said:

:"If I'm elected I would serve a third term. I do not want to serve a fourth term. I don't think the British people want a prime minister to go on that long but I think it's sensible to make plain my intention now."

However, two years after winning a historic third term, a record for Labour, and after serving as Prime Minister for 10 years and 2 months in total, Tony Blair resigned as Prime Minister. On June 27, 2007 he travelled to Buckingham Palace to tender his resignation to the Queen, subsequently his Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, was summoned to the Palace and appointed Prime Minister.