Blair says Labour won 2024 election because it was 'acceptable alternative', not because of its manifesto
In an interview on the Today programme, Tony Blair stated that Labour's victory in the 2024 election was due to it being "an acceptable alternative" rather than voters endorsing its manifesto.
Let’s be clear, I don’t think Labour won the last election because people read the manifesto and said, ‘this is what we want’.
I think people thought that Conservatives have behaved completely unacceptably, and to Keir Starmer’s great credit, the Labour party was an acceptable alternative.
Blair suggests Labour was wrong to protect pensions triple lock
During the same interview, Blair expressed that the government should have prioritized economic growth more when it assumed office. He also questioned the sustainability of the pensions triple lock policy.
When it came in, it saw the state of the inheritance. I think at that point, of course, it would be difficult. Everything in politics is difficult, but if I’d been them, I’d say, look, all of these commitments, they may be very worthwhile. There may be proper commitments in easy times, but in these hard times, we’ve got to prioritise growth. We’ve got to prioritise support for the business sector, and this artificial intelligence revolution, we’ve got to grasp it, both its opportunities and its risks, with both hands.
And so, I think, yes, it would have been tough, but I think you could have explained to the country why it was necessary …
At some point you’ve got to be able to stand up and have an honest debate with the public, which is to say, look, ultimately we’re probably taxing people too much, spending too much, borrowing too much at the moment.
If we carry on like this with these large increases in incapacity benefit, with the triple lock on pensions, we’re going to create a situation where economically we’re not, we’re not able to grow because we put such a weight affecting growth on the back of our economy.
Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves have claimed they prioritized growth upon taking office. However, business leaders argue that higher taxes, notably the increase in employer national insurance, and enhanced workers’ rights have negatively impacted growth.
The pensions triple lock has been maintained as it was a pledge in the 2024 manifesto. Other main parties also committed to it in 2024, and abandoning it was considered too risky electorally.
Minister rejects Blair's critique of Starmer's government, accusing ex-PM of retreading arguments from Labour's past
Labour is currently experiencing a 'phoney war' leadership contest. Although the formal process has not started, Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting are actively involved, Angela Rayner is showing interest, and Tony Blair is defending his legacy with renewed energy. Blair surprised many by contributing through a 5,700-word essay published last night, outlining where he believes the party is faltering and what it should do moving forward. Although Blair will not be a candidate, his ideas carry weight in political discourse.
Jessica Elgot reports that Blair has accused Starmer, Burnham, and others of jeopardizing Labour’s future by abandoning the centre ground. He warned that the party’s "almost infinite capacity for self-delusion" could lead to losing the next election.
Peter Walker analyzes Blair’s essay as the work of "a man who worries deeply that the party he once led, plus the UK more widely, is stuck in a loop of insular political debate, not even beginning to get to grips with what he portrays as the century-defining challenge – and opportunity – of AI." However, Walker notes that many within Labour might view Blair’s call for a move to the "radical centre" as vague or meaningless.
Much of Blair’s commentary resembles positions that could be associated with Conservative politician Kemi Badenoch. While any other Tory leader might use this as vindication, Badenoch has yet to comment, possibly still processing how her views align with those of a former Labour prime minister.
Blair appeared on the Today programme this morning, and highlights from his interview will be shared soon. Dan Tomlinson, a junior Treasury minister, represented the government’s perspective and faced the challenge of responding to criticism from the party’s most successful election winner. Tomlinson was respectful towards Blair and agreed on some points but essentially accused him of reviving outdated debates between Old Labour and New Labour, failing to acknowledge that the political landscape has evolved. On BBC Breakfast, Tomlinson said:
I think [Blair’s] essay was about whether we’re New Labour or old Labour – that was a debate that was happening in the 1990s in the UK, which was pretty much around the time I was born. Things have moved on a lot since then.
On Times Radio, where he stated the Old Labour/New Labour division was "just not where we are today," Tomlinson added:
If we look at the jobs market, when Tony Blair was prime minister there weren’t really any people on zero-hour contracts. Now there are hundreds of thousands of people struggling with that uncertainty, so, yes, we are passing our employment rights legislation to give people more certainty in work.
Further discussion and reactions to Blair’s essay are expected throughout the day.
There is little parliamentary activity today as Parliament is in recess. However, Keir Starmer is scheduled to sign a new defence treaty with Poland alongside Donald Tusk, the Polish Prime Minister, at an event outside London around midday.
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