Tony Blair yesterday admitted to pupils at a Birmingham school that "a lot of luck" is required to become Prime Minister.
Responding to a question posed by 11-year-old Lauren Thomas at Bournville School and Sixth Form Centre, he joked good fortune had smoothed his path to Downing Street.
The Prime Minister was in the city to officially open a new #750,000 inclusion unit at the school when he was challenged by the inquisitive youngster. She asked: "How do you get to be Prime Minister?"
Smiling broadly, Mr Blair replied: "It's a long story. There is a lot of luck in it."
Lauren revealed later she would like to follow in Mr Blair's footsteps.
Earlier, the Prime Minister was shown a branch of the NatWest Bank run by students at the school, which is a specialist centre in business and enterprise.
Mr Blair spent about two hours chatting to pupils and staff at the school. The visit culminated with him unfurling a flag to mark the official opening of a new unit for pupils with special needs.
"The help that's being given here is remarkable," he told the school.
"One of the reasons I wanted to come here today was to show people that with some more money going in and the commitment and dedication of teaching staff we can make big improvements."
