Starmer Responds to Blair's Critique
Keir Starmer has rejected former Prime Minister Tony Blair's assertion that his government is misguided, emphasizing that his policies address the distinct challenges of today rather than those faced in 1997.
“You won’t be surprised to know that I don’t agree with much that Tony says about what the government is doing,”Starmer stated during a visit to an apprentice training centre in west London.
Context of Blair's Criticism and Burnham's Response
Andy Burnham, also criticized by Blair, countered by highlighting Blair’s failure to acknowledge the significant impact of declining living standards. Burnham, a former minister under Blair and a potential challenger to Starmer for Labour leadership following the upcoming Makerfield byelection, emphasized this omission as a critical flaw in Blair's analysis.
In a detailed essay published on Tuesday, Blair argued that the government had abandoned the centre ground, thereby jeopardizing Labour’s future. He also criticized the lack of coherent arguments from those, including Burnham, aiming to challenge the prime minister.
Blair suggested that upon assuming office, Starmer should have abandoned manifesto commitments related to enhanced workers’ rights and the party’s extensive net zero targets. Additionally, Blair controversially proposed that Starmer should have supported Donald Trump’s stance against Iran.
Starmer's Detailed Rebuttal
When asked for his reaction, Starmer agreed with Blair on the importance of policy and idea discussions, stating:
“I agreed with Tony that we should be having a discussion about policy and ideas, and that’s what generates politics.”
However, he provided an extensive rebuttal, asserting that Blair misunderstood the challenges his government confronted and the successes achieved through current policies.
“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. 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.
Dealing with what we had to turn around, the policy choices, we’re vindicated by them, because those changes have happened.”
Starmer elaborated that these policies involved stabilizing the economy, promoting wealth creation, and enhancing public services, which are already yielding positive outcomes.
“In particular, we took policy choices that we needed better public services. They were on their knees when we inherited them.
We took policy choices that we would invest in those public services, that we would introduce new technologies, particularly in the NHS. As a result, waiting lists are coming down, with the biggest drop for 17 years recorded just two weeks ago.”
Burnham's Perspective on Economic Growth and Regulation
Burnham concurred with Blair on the critical need for higher economic growth. Writing for The Times, the Greater Manchester mayor argued that advocating for policies ignoring the decline in living standards since the 2008 financial crisis and its causes is futile.
“Lest we forget: the principal cause of the 2008 crash was a failure of regulation. So how can a new wave of deregulation plausibly be the answer to the problems we have experienced since?
This is the real ‘retro’ thinking, I suggest; the kind of thinking that would doom us to repeat past mistakes and, if we’re not careful, prevent us from protecting children by failing to regulate social media, artificial intelligence and big tech.”
Burnham criticized decades of business-liberalizing policies, as advocated by Blair, for their adverse effects on communities like Makerfield and similar areas across the UK.
“Trickle-down economics did not in the end trickle down very much at all.”
He highlighted his initiatives in Greater Manchester, such as reversing bus service deregulation, to demonstrate that market forces alone are insufficient, contrasting with Blair’s suggestions.
“If you want higher growth in areas that don’t have it, you need strong public control and direction over both the investment strategy and the enablers of a more productive economy, such as transport, energy, water, education and housing.”
Despite his criticisms, Burnham welcomed Blair’s intervention, noting:
“The fact that he has done it in the middle of a byelection is also a beautiful thing,”adding that it provides voters in Makerfield the opportunity to choose a different path.
