Tony Blair commits to new arms race: Former Prime Minister, 73, shows off buff physique as he hits the gym in Indonesia

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 12:16 EDT, 23 September 2026 | Updated: 12:18 EDT, 23 September 2026 Tony Blair has shown off his surprisingly trim biceps in a new gym snap on Instagram.The ex-Labour Prime Minister, 73, looked in tip-top condition as he posed for a picture with Sultan Baktiar Najamudin, Speaker of the Indonesian Regional Representative Council during a workout in the Southeast Asian country.Mr Najamudin, who leads the country's senate, regularly meets with foreign dignitaries.He said in a post on Instagram that there was 'plenty of conversation and story-sharing' with the ex-PM during their workout.'This afternoon’s workout felt special because I had the chance to exercise with Mr Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom,' Mr Najamudin wrote.'The atmosphere was relaxed, with plenty of conversation and story-sharing along the way.'Even from something as simple as exercising together, there turned out to be many interesting things to talk about and exchange.'Most importantly, stay active, stay healthy, and keep your spirits up.' Tony Blair showed off his surprisingly toned physique in a picture shared on Instagram by an Indonesian politician The ex-PM was the first British leader to visit Indonesia in 20 years when he travelled there in 2006 (pictured) Mr Blair's love of fitness is well-documentred and he once memorably played head-tennis with Kevin Keegan during the Labour Party Conference in 1995 (pictured)Comments on the post were restricted after some expressed dismay at the Indonesian politician working out with one of the key figures behind the Iraq War.Fitness has always been an interest for Mr Blair: his love of table tennis and treadmill running while PM was well-documented, and he chalked up his physical fitness while in No 10 to a stress-busting exercise routine.Memorably, he swapped headers with late England legend Kevin Keegan outside the Labour Party Conference in Brighton in 1995. The precise number of headers the pair exchanged remains up for debate - though Mr Blair maintains it was 29 before the ball hit the ground.While PM, he ran a mile for Sport Relief in 2006 alongside sports stars including Sir Steve Redgrave and Fatima Whitbread.And even after quitting Downing Street he has maintained his fitness, telling Esquire in 2016: 'I go to the gym most days; it gets more important as you get older.'Mr Blair has built strong relationships with political figures in Indonesia in recent years.He was the first PM to visit the country in more than 20 years when he travelled to Jakarta in 2006, and later holidayed in Bali with his family in 2009.Since quitting as PM and establishing the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, Mr Blair has acted as a key adviser to the Indonesian government.He was appointed to serve on the steering committee for the establishment of its new capital city, Nusantara, in 2020. Indonesia plans to relocate its political hub to the new city, on the island of Borneo, by 2028.The ex-PM visited the country in July to visit its sovereign wealth fund, Danantara, and met with the country's president, Prabowo Subianto.However, he was criticised by future PM Andy Burnham in May this year for failing to acknowledge inequality in Britain after Mr Blair wrote a stinging criticism of the Labour government.Mr Blair said the party had 'no coherent plan' for Britain and was stymying business by drifting further to the left. But Mr Burnham - then in the running for the Labour leadership - told the Observer that the ex-leader failed to understand that 'the last 40 years has given us wide inequality... that’s what’s responsible for the abandonment of the centre'.