TONY Blair's road to political fame began with a defeat at the Beaconsfield by-election in 1982.
Mr Blair, who announced his departure as PM today, was Labour candidate in the blue-chip Tory constituency 25 years ago and was predictably soundly beaten by Conservative Tim Smith.
He received 3,886 votes compared to Mr Smith's 23,049 - resulting in third-placed Mr Blair losing his deposit.
But Mr Blair's reward for standing in Beaconsfield came when he was offered the safe Labour seat of Sedgefield, which he won the following year.
The young Mr Blair's campaign in Beaconsfield was made more notable by the fact he toured the consituency with his father-in-law, the actor Tony Booth and Mr Booth's partner, Coronation Street legend Pat Phoenix, aka Elsie Tanner.
Mr Smith, who later quit the Beaconsfield seat after the cash-for-questions controversy, is still the last man to beat Mr Blair in an election.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article