Tony Blair tells Starmer and rivals: abandon net zero and move closer to Trump
In highly unusual intervention, ex-PM says his party’s ‘almost infinite capacity for self-delusion’ makes it likely to lose next election
TL;DR
- Tony Blair criticizes Labour leaders Keir Starmer, Andy Burnham, and Wes Streeting for abandoning the center ground.
- He warns that Labour's 'self-delusion' makes losing the next election likely.
- Blair advocates for cracking down on welfare spending, abandoning oil and gas restrictions, and improving relations with Donald Trump.
- He criticizes policies like Angela Rayner's employment rights bill and Ed Miliband's net zero drive, stating they create 'headwinds' for British business.
- Blair suggests radical but sensible reforms, including removing obstacles to AI growth, increasing planning reform, and changing welfare systems.
- He views Labour's current approach as governing from a 'soft left' comfort zone without a coherent plan for a changing world.
- Blair believes reversing Brexit is not the answer and that negotiations with Europe should only occur from a position of strength.
- A senior Labour source dismissed Blair's comments as out of touch and lacking answers to national decline, accusing him of abandoning social democratic values.