'When I had heard Tony Blair was the new leader of the Labour Party, I was very excited because I thought it was Tony Banks. I certainly know who Tony Blair is now... I never believed the 45-minute claim was true. They lied to us. They are awful people. I'll be voting Liberal Democrat.'
Vivienne Westwood (Daily Mail)

'The biggest critic of Tony Blair's administration in terms of retrospectives will be Tony Blair himself. Only he knows what he wanted to achieve, and he, more than anyone else, is able to judge what he did against what he hoped.'
Ken Livingstone (BBC1)

'I believe that the beginning and the middle part of Tony Blair's course were good, were successful. And I think that he regrets and others regret what happened (in Iraq).'
Mikhail Gorbachev (Sky News)

'He did change the country. Unfortunately, because of Iraq, he transformed it into a more dangerous, paranoid, despised and ridiculed country. Blair's reign will be remembered for one disaster of epic proportions, one appalling legacy.'
Piers Morgan (Daily Mail)

‘Tony Blair was unquestionably worthy of his office. It is the waste of his talents and opportunities that will command the dismay of posterity. He is a remarkable man, who has fallen from grace.’
Max Hastings (Guardian)

'Blair was right for the now because he was a perfect master of television. It doesn't matter what he's saying, he knows how to get a captive audience.'
Alison Jackson
(film-maker, writing in the Independent)

'If there is any fear that Mr Blair will not have his legacy trumpeted to the rafters, it's clear now that he will happily do the job himself. And we may have two more months of this. That certainly sticks in the throat.'
Simon Hoggart (Guardian)

'Blair's conduct in office has made the public feel stupid for trusting him. The euphoria of that new dawn 10 years ago swept along even wise heads and seasoned sceptics. He will retire unlamented. But he leaves behind a country more easy-going than the one he inherited, less insular and more self-confident. No wonder that the Conservatives have yet to define what their new dawn will bring.'
Michael Portillo (Sunday Times)

'For me, Blair's worst sin has been to make the entire political class seem deceitful. Before '97 the Tories were seen as uniquely sleazy'
Mary Ann Sieghart (Times)

'I was brought up as a Labour voter and it was euphoric when they got into power. I didn't realise it wasn't New Labour at all - it was the Tories dressed in red.'
Noel Gallagher (Daily Mail)

'People have short memories. Any fair and reasonable assessment, let alone a partisan one like this, will conclude you did a very good job. Britain is a better place.'
Alastair Campbell (Daily Mail)

‘I would have to say that one of the most brilliant prime ministerships of modern times was brought a cropper by the Iraq war. He'll never recover in my opinion. It's been ruined for all time. That is tragic.’
Kendall Myers, US State Department (Daily Telegraph)

'Blair cannot escape the blame for a disaster in which at least 60,000 (and possibly 10 times as many) Iraqis have died, and which is causing 40,000 Iraqis to flee the country every month, and what gets me is that he won't join me, and others who voted for it, in admitting the truth.'
Boris Johnson (Daily Telegraph)

'For 10 tough years, he has spent more time dealing with the issues of the island of Ireland than any person ever could have asked any other person to do.'
Bertie Ahern