Labour infighting escalates as Blair criticises Labour strategy

Added: 2026-05-28

[00:00:00]Well, Krish, if there's anything that any current or aspiring Prime Minister doesn't want is an intervention from a multi-election winning former Prime Minister essentially saying that they're devoid of ideas. But last night, that's exactly what Sir Tony Blair did, deepening the crisis within Labour with a comprehensive evisceration of the direction in which the party is going, criticizing policies on tax, spend, welfare, and net zero, adding Labour needs to stop its almost infinite capacity for self-delusion. He also criticized a lack of coherent plan for the country, saying it needs to work that out before any change at the top.

[00:00:41]Queue one of those hoping to be that change, Andy Burnham, responding to the ex-Prime Minister's criticism of him, saying that he wanted to move the country further left on taxes, spending, and welfare, saying Blairism sometimes saw the market as always the answer.

[00:00:59]That's is the problem. He also said that Blair didn't mention inequality once, as you mentioned, saying on that, "If you don't get how that's driving politics now, if you're not rooting your analysis in the fact that people are unable to live and that things that were taken for granted are no longer affordable, then you're not understanding what's going on." And in the last hour, the other potential leadership wannabe, Sir Keir Starmer, also responded.

[00:01:28]As Sir Tony Blair's managed to do quite an amazing thing, and that's to unite these two could-be contenders for leadership, Sir Keir Starmer seemingly agreeing with Andy Burnham, calling out Tony Blair for not addressing inequality in his essay, saying the economic, social, and democratic fracture running through modern Britain is treated as peripheral rather than fundamental. One person we haven't heard from yet is the Prime Minister. Perhaps that's be uh, to be expected, but even though Sir Keir Starmer says that they shouldn't change leaders soon, what this does do is move the conversation further away from the man at the top, Sir Keir Starmer. All eyes then to next month's by-election and what happens after that. Annelise Dodds in Westminster.

[00:02:14]Well, I spoke to the energy minister, Martin McCluskey, earlier and put to him that even though the war in Iran is not Britain's fault, if you promise to cut bills and then they go up, there will be public frustration.

[00:02:26]Look, Christian, it's a really unwelcoming increase in bills today and as you have said or alluded to in that introduction, this has been caused by the situation that we've been facing in Iran now since February. Um, we did know at some point this was going to uh, have an impact on bills and we've seen that today in the price cap and we will be standing ready uh, to provide support later in the year when we get to the autumn when, you know, most people will be turning their gas back on, will be turning their heating back on at that point and that's when we will be looking uh, and monitoring the situation to see what support we might need to offer at that point. But you know, a £150 cut uh, is is paling into insignificance uh, in terms of how much bills are going up by. You know, when is the £300 promise going to be delivered?

[00:03:14]Look, we stand by that commitment of a £300 reduction in bills, but what just wanted to emphasize is what by the end of this parliament, by 2030, that's what we've always said, we will deliver that and the energy secretary has been very clear about that.

[00:03:27]>> But you have no idea how long the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is going to go on. It might be over in a couple of weeks or it might go on for years.

[00:03:34]You're right that we're facing a situation that's very volatile, but that's why we're putting in place measures over the summer to help families with the cost of living and also continuing to monitor the situation so that we can understand what we might need to do when it gets to the autumn and the winter when people will be facing, you know, the prospect of using their heating again. And we stand ready we stand ready to do that.

[00:03:55]>> Tony Blair says you should ditch all the net zero targets.

[00:03:59]Uh and that that will be good for security of supply and prices. Uh you know, there's a lot there's a lot in Tony Blair's article today. Some things I would agree with, others that I wouldn't. You know, he's never been shy to come forward with his opinions about what governments of all colors uh should be doing. But on on this question of uh net zero and some of our clean power targets, respectfully, that's where I disagree with him. Yeah, but he says the cost of of pushing it out to 2030, and even trying to meet 2050 targets, is unnecessary when Britain's only contributing 1% of global emissions.

[00:04:35]This isn't just about a climate argument. There's an important climate argument to be made about net zero and clean power, but this is about the price of energy. This is about energy security and making sure that we have control over both our own supply of energy and over the price.

[00:04:48]>> Uh as you say, Tony Blair's article is wide-ranging.

[00:04:52]Um Do you agree with him uh that Labour hasn't got the right diagnosis at the moment and doesn't have a plan? Or do you Or do you agree with Andy Burnham uh that uh his analysis is out of touch because it doesn't talk about inequality? You know, there there might be uh disagreements uh you know, but where I would agree with uh where I would agree with Tony Blair is that it's not useful to have a discussion about which personality believes what um and you know, over this particular intervention. What's important is that the government it has a plan and we are delivering on that plan. Just But he he says you don't. That's the point. His his article is is arguing you don't have a plan. You never laid it out, and you don't have a an arc of a story to tell.

[00:05:37]You know, as I said, I've got a lot of time and respect for Tony Blair. I've got a lot of time and respect for what he's got to say, but on this I disagree with him. Because we laid out a plan in that manifesto, and my argument would be that we are delivering on that now. And finally do I mean so do you also disagree with Andy Burnham who is saying Labour needs to change?

[00:05:54]Look, we I I I'd go back to what I said a moment ago Christian. We are delivering on the plan that we set out to the British people in 2024. That's what people expect us to do. You know, I'm here in Glasgow today. I was knocking doors in my constituency this morning. And what I hear from people is they want they want us to be doing things not just talking about it. And that's what this government is absolutely focused on is delivering on what we said we were going to do in 2024. So Andy Burnham's wrong?

[00:06:19]I mean you know you you said you disagree with Tony Blair. As I said a moment ago Can you say you also disagree with Andy Burnham?

[00:06:25]Or or What I'm saying is we are focused on we are focused on the plan, right?

[00:06:29]We're focused on the plan that we set out to the British people in 2024 that we were going to deliver.

[00:06:33]>> I'm just pointing out that you were happy to say you disagree with Tony Blair but not Andy Burnham. But I suppose the difference is he might be Prime Minister in a few weeks.

[00:06:42]Look, like Andy Burnham's our candidate in Makerfield. I hope he succeeds. I want him to get over the line because what we see in Makerfield is an example of what we're facing across the country at the moment which is a battle between progressive forces and conservative forces in the form of reform. And I want to see Andy Burnham succeed as our candidate in Makerfield on the 18th of June.

[00:07:01]Matthew Crockett, thank you very much.

[00:07:03]Thank you.