Starmer Insists ‘Much’ Of Blair’s Attack On Labour Was Wrong

Keir Starmer has hit back at Tony Blair’s criticism of the Labour Party and suggested “much” of his analysis was incorrect.

The former Labour prime minister penned a brutal essay this week accusing his own party of “playing with fire” by lacking a “coherent plan” for government two years after winning the 2024 general election by a landslide.

He called for a complete policy rethink and for the party to avoid drifting further left in response.

Blair also suggested removing Starmer as prime minister would not be a silver bullet to improve the UK’s fortunes.

He said the UK cannot continue simply changing leaders and should instead change its approach to governing.

In a pooled media clip, Starmer offered his first direct response to Blair’s surprise intervention.

He said: “I agree with him that we should be having a discussion about policy and ideas, and that’s what generates politics, that’s where the focus should be, so Tony is right about that.

“You won’t be surprised to know that I don’t agree with much of what Tony says about what the government is doing.

“We can all argue about individual policies, but the real question is what’s the change? What’s the difference that is happening in a country that we inherited two years ago in a very poor place?”

He touted his success with falling NHS waiting lists and immigration, along with the recent economic growth and investment in public services.

“My response to Tony is, yes, it’s right to talk about policy, it’s right to talk about ideas, that’s where the debate should be,” Starmer said.

“But actually no, I don’t agree that the policy choices of this government weren’t the right policy choices given what we inherited, a very different situation in 2024 to 1997.

“And dealing with what we had to turn around, the policy choices, we’re vindicated by them because those changes have happened.”

Asked if he would run in a contest if Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham won the Makerfield by-election and triggered a leadership race against him, Starmer said he was “not going to walk away”.

He said: “I‘ve said many times that, I was elected, we were elected, on a mandate of change in 2024. I’m not going to walk away from that because of the great change that we’ve brought about already.”

He added: “There’s a lot more to do. And as I’ve said a number of times, I’m not walking away from the responsibility that was invested in me. People invested in me the responsibility to get on and govern. And I think the vast majority of people want us politicians to get on with the job they elected us to do, which is get on, run the country and improve their lives. And that’s what I’ll do.”

His response comes after Burnham and his potential leadership rival, ex-health secretary Wes Streeting, already hit back at Blair, accusing him of ignoring the inequality in the UK right now.

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