Tony Blair’s knighthood means he is no longer persona non garter

Arise, Sir Tony – much to the surprise of John Rentoul, who wrote a book about him

‘I’ve got one too’ (AFP/Getty)

I may be his biographer, but Tony Blair still has the ability to surprise me. I didn’t think he would become a Roman Catholic, which he did soon after he stepped down as prime minister, and I didn’t think he would take a knighthood.

He has always been of an anti-establishment cast of mind. When he was asked, shortly before he left Downing Street, if he would be going to the House of Lords, he said: “No, it is not my scene.”

Yet here he is, nearly 15 years later, describing his appointment as Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter as an “immense honour” for which he is “deeply grateful to Her Majesty the Queen”. This is no ordinary knighthood, either, but a top bauble, in the personal gift of the monarch and therefore higher even than the new year honours list of “High Awards” published by the Cabinet Office.