Tony Blair has issued a stark warning that Labour's shift to the Left is pushing Britain into the 'relegation zone' of global powers. In a damning 5,600-word essay, the former prime minister accused the party of retreating into a Left-wing 'comfort zone' where ministers prioritise welfare increases over economic growth.
Blair's critique of Labour's direction
Sir Tony argued that Labour lacks a 'coherent plan' for transforming Britain, leaving ministers to 'totter in the breeze' instead of leading effectively. He dismissed the idea that replacing Keir Starmer would solve the government's problems, stating that a leadership change is 'irrelevant if it doesn't start with a policy debate'.
Warning to leadership challengers, he said moving 'even further Left' is doomed to fail. Sir Tony predicted Labour will lose the next election unless it adopts 'radical' policies, including scrapping Ed Miliband's Net Zero drive, collaborating with the Tories to cut welfare, and doing 'whatever it takes' to stop migrant boats.
'The Labour Party is playing with fire,' he wrote. 'Or more accurately, with its future and that of the country.' He added that unless Labour changes course, 'Britain will continue its long slide towards relegation from the Premier League of Nations'.
Internal party strife
Blair's intervention comes amid Labour infighting that has paralysed the government. Nearly 100 Labour MPs have called for Starmer's resignation after poor local election results. Wes Streeting has threatened a leadership challenge, while Andy Burnham is expected to contest if he wins the Makerfield by-election.
However, Sir Tony warned that Labour's problems run deeper than Starmer's leadership. 'Whether there is a leadership change or not is irrelevant if it doesn't start with a policy debate,' he said. He criticised Burnham's attack on '40 years of neoliberalism' and Streeting's proposed 'wealth tax', arguing such ideas have been rejected for good reason.
Economic and welfare policies under fire
Blair accused Starmer of failing to choose between old and new Labour, leaving the party governing as 'Just Labour' where it 'risks being sliced to the Left and Right of itself'. He said the government lacks a 'worked out, coherent plan' and is 'parked firmly in the party's comfort zone'.
On welfare, he noted that the public thinks bills are too high and urged Starmer to accept Kemi Badenoch's offer to collaborate on cuts. 'By the end of this decade, we could be spending more on incapacity and disability than on defence. No serious country can do that,' he said.
He also called for ditching policies that create 'headwinds not tailwinds' for business, such as new workers' rights laws, net zero acceleration, and minimum wage hikes above inflation. The Chancellor's £25 billion National Insurance hike compounded the problem, leaving employers feeling the government is anti-business.
Foreign policy and EU stance
Sir Tony, a leading opponent of Brexit, warned that reversing it isn't the answer. Britain can only secure a decent deal from a 'position of economic strength'. He said it's 'impossible' for the UK to rejoin the EU while it remains 'essentially hostile' to technological innovation.
He also criticised Starmer's snub of Donald Trump's request to use British bases for attacks on Iran, calling it 'not the best way to treat our ally'. Trump's second presidency represents a 'reckoning', he said, urging Europe to build economic competitiveness and military capability.
Blair's 10-point plan for the 'radical centre'
Blair proposed a 10-point plan including prioritising cheaper energy over Net Zero, using remaining North Sea oil and gas resources, reforming welfare to incentivise work, and doing 'whatever it takes' to tackle illegal migration. He also suggested appointing outside experts as ministers in a 'reimagined state' where taxes and spending can be lower.
Downing Street declined to comment on the essay.
