The incredible political pictures of celebrated photographer Stefan Rousseau over his 30-year career

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From visiting Iraq with Tony Blair to watching Boris Johnson flatten a Japanese child playing rugby, photographer Stefan Rousseau has seen some surprising things on his travels.

The Press Association political snapper is celebrating 30 years in photography this year, and has spent time with four Prime Ministers including Mr Blair.

He joined Britain’s biggest press agency in 1993, starting on general news before shifting his focus to politics.

After the Labour leader’s 1997 landslide victory, Stefan went on the road with the Blair roadshow, visiting the Middle East, Northern Ireland, and having an insider’s view of 10 Downing Street.

Norman Tebbit on the 1992 election campaign trail in Colchester
Stefan Rousseau

Mr Rousseau has spoken candidly about his time on the campaign trail and taking some of the country's iconic political pictures.

“I started at PA in 1993, so John Major was actually the first Prime Minister I photographed, but I was doing general news still then rather than focusing on politics.

“Tony Blair was the first PM that I got to know well. The Blair years were good – we travelled a lot.

“He was quite relaxed, because he had a huge majority, and so were the team around him, which meant I was able to get some really good pictures and had good access. They were happy to take risks.

“With Prime Ministers since then, when they’ve not had that same stability, they’ve worried about PR mishaps and access has been more controlled.”

Prime Minister Tony Blair meets school children in Basra 
Stefan Rousseau/PA

Stefan said his first “big hit” was photographing former Cabinet minister Norman Tebbitt during the 1992 General Election, when he was pelted with eggs by anti-Tory demonstrators – a photograph which made the front page of several national newspapers.

He said although it is “hard to say” who his favourite person to photograph has been over the years, he got some “really good pictures” with David Cameron.

Then Mayor of London Boris Johnson knocked over Toki Sekiguchi, 10, during a rugby game
Stefan Rousseau/PA

He added: “His team had seen the power of good pictures with Tony Blair and could see that they’d promote a leader well.

“I think David Cameron admired how well Blair came across in that way.

Queen Elizabeth II poses with former Prime Ministers, (left to right) David Cameron, Sir John Major, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, ahead of a Diamond Jubilee lunch
Stefan Rousseau/PA

Boris Johnson is always a gift to photographers and will always give you a picture. I think because he used to be a journalist he wants to give you what you want. He’s so unpredictable too, you just don’t know what he’ll do.

“It’s like when he flattened that kid playing rugby in Japan – most people would think that was a PR disaster but he got away with it and people like that. You couldn’t predict it, it was such a natural moment.

“I suppose if I had to pick a favourite it would be Boris.”

Having visited every corner of the globe, Stefan says India is his favourite place to photograph, and has visited the country with every Prime Minister he has worked with.

Sadiq Khan after he discovered he was Labour's candidate for London Mayor
Stefan Rousseau/PA

He has also encountered danger while working, particularly during troubled times following the war in Iraq.

Stefan added: “Iraq and Afghanistan are fascinating – I once visited them both in the same day with Tony Blair.

“The first time we went after the Iraq war had officially ended, we went to Basra and didn’t have to wear any body armour or anything, but things gradually changed.

“The next time it was armour, then it was an armoured car – it just got harder and harder until we couldn’t leave the bases. It was clear things weren’t going as well as people thought.”

US President Donald Trump and Theresa May after a press conference at Chequers 
Stefan Rousseau/PA

Despite years of working in precarious situations, Stefan says he has “felt scared” doing the job, especially during a terrifying helicopter ride in Baghdad.

He said: “I’ve felt scared doing this job, for sure. Visiting Baghdad has been scary.

“We landed in a military plane, but they had to do a tactical landing where they spiral onto the runway, and then we had to take a really hairy helicopter ride from the airport.

Diana, Princess of Wales, at a fundraising event in Lahore, Pakistan
PA Archive/PA Images

“We were flying through the city skimming the rooftops, dodging power cables, to make it safer. That was a white-knuckle ride.

“Driving from the airport in Kabul in a heavily armoured vehicle was pretty scary too, with lots of special service officers who told us where their guns were in case we had to grab them.

“It was a 20 minute ride in total silence with the possibility of roadside IEDs, because they’d been bombing convoys which they knew carried Westerners.”

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