George Maxwell Alagiah OBE ( /ˌæləˈɡaɪə/; born 22 November 1955 in Colombo, Ceylon) is a British newsreader, journalist and television news presenter.

Since 3 December 2007, he has been the sole presenter of the BBC News at Six and has also been the main presenter of GMT on BBC World News since its launch on 1 February 2010. He is also the main relief presenter for the BBC's flagship bulletin BBC News at Ten and has held this role since its launch in 2000, making him the longest serving presenter of the flagship news programme.

Alagiah's parents, Donald Alagiah, an engineer, and Therese, were Tamils. In 1961 his parents moved to Ghana in West Africa, where he did his primary education at Christ the King International School. He spent his secondary education at St John's College, an independent Catholic boarding school in Portsmouth, England, after which he read politics at Van Mildert College, Durham University. Whilst at Durham, he wrote for and became editor of the student newspaper Palatinate and was a sabbatical officer of Durham Students' Union. He worked on South Magazine from 1982 until joining the BBC, where he was the Developing World correspondent based in London and then Southern Africa correspondent in Johannesburg.

Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, LG, OM, PC, FRS, née Roberts (born 13 October 1925) is a British politician and the longest-serving (1979–1990) British prime minister of the 20th century, and the only woman ever to have held the post. A Soviet journalist nicknamed her the "Iron Lady", which later became associated with her uncompromising politics and leadership style. As prime minister, she implemented conservative policies that have come to be known as Thatcherism.

Originally a research chemist before becoming a barrister, Thatcher was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Finchley in 1959. Edward Heath appointed her Secretary of State for Education and Science in his 1970 government. In 1975 Thatcher defeated Heath in the Conservative Party leadership election and became Leader of the Opposition, as well as the first woman to lead a major political party in the United Kingdom. She became prime minister after winning the 1979 general election.

After entering 10 Downing Street, Thatcher introduced a series of political and economic initiatives to reverse what she perceived as Britain's precipitous national decline. Her political philosophy and economic policies emphasised deregulation (particularly of the financial sector), flexible labour markets, the privatisation of state-owned companies, and reducing the power and influence of trade unions. Thatcher's popularity during her first years in office waned amid recession and high unemployment, until economic recovery and the 1982 Falklands War brought a resurgence of support, resulting in her re-election in 1983. Thatcher was re-elected for a third term in 1987, but her Community Charge (popularly referred to as "poll tax") was widely unpopular and her views on the European Community were not shared by others in her Cabinet. She resigned as Prime Minister and party leader in November 1990, after Michael Heseltine launched a challenge to her leadership.

Cherie Blair QC (born 23 September 1954), known professionally as Cherie Booth QC, is a British barrister practising in England and Wales. She is married to the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Tony Blair; the couple have three sons and one daughter.

Cherie Booth was born on 23 September 1954 at Fairfield Hospital, Bury, Lancashire (now Greater Manchester), England, and brought up in Ferndale Road, Waterloo, north of Liverpool. She was christened Theresa Cara Booth. Her father, British actor Tony Booth, left her mother, actress Gale Howard (née Joyce Smith), when Cherie was eight years old. She and her younger sister, Lyndsey, were then brought up by their mother Gale and their paternal grandmother, Vera Booth, a devout Roman Catholic of Irish descent. The sisters attended Catholic schools in Crosby and Sefton. Cherie Booth attended Seafield Convent Grammar which is now part of Sacred Heart Catholic College, where she achieved 4 Grade A GCE A Level passes. Cherie and Lyndsey have six half sisters, including British journalist Lauren Booth. Cherie Blair is a practising Roman Catholic.