‘Choose your direction first’: Blair says Labour needs debate before selecting new leader – UK politics live
Tony Blair urged Labour to debate policy before choosing a new leader and called for scrapping net zero targets, framing growth and cheap energy as priorities.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
In a 5,700-word intervention, Blair argued Labour must define its direction before any leadership change, attacked Burnham's '40 years' critique, questioned the triple lock and net zero targets, and said Labour won in 2024 mainly as the 'acceptable alternative'.
Tony Blair is telling Labour that it should first decide what it stands for, then pick a leader. He thinks arguing about people without agreeing on ideas is like choosing a team captain before deciding the game.
He also says Britain should care more about cheap energy and growth than some of its climate targets. He thinks the country cannot fix the whole world's pollution by itself, so it should focus on what helps families and businesses most.
The argument matters because Labour is a big political party, and big parties shape how a country is run. This is like an old coach coming back and saying the team has lost its way and needs a new playbook before the next match.
Analysis
Blair's intervention
Tony Blair used a 5,700-word essay and broadcast interviews to argue that Labour should sort out its policy direction before any leadership contest. He told members considering a choice between Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting to “choose your direction first” and make candidates spell out what the government has done right, what it has done wrong, and what should change.
Pushback on Labour's recent debates
Blair also pushed back against Burnham's claim that government policy over the past 40 years has failed voters. He said that framing ignored positive periods such as Thatcher-era business policy and New Labour. Blair's wider point was that Labour cannot change leader coherently unless it explains why earlier approaches were wrong, including the shift away from the Corbyn agenda.
Policy criticism
In a Times Radio interview, Blair said the government should abandon its net zero target. He argued that Britain's share of global emissions is small, that major emitters are prioritising cheap energy and electrification, and that the AI era will increase the need for low-cost power. He also suggested Labour was wrong to put such weight on the pensions triple lock and said growth should be prioritised more aggressively.
Political significance
Blair's comments amount to a highly unusual public challenge to the current Labour government and to figures seen as potential future leaders. He said Labour won the 2024 election mainly because it was seen as an acceptable alternative, not because voters were persuaded by its manifesto. The piece also notes a minister rejecting Blair's critique as a reheated argument from Labour's past.
Key points
- Blair said Labour should settle its policy direction before choosing a new leader.
- He criticized Andy Burnham's argument that the last 40 years have broadly failed voters.
- Blair said Labour won the 2024 election mainly as an acceptable alternative, not because of its manifesto.
- He called for the government to drop its net zero target and prioritize cheap energy and growth.
- The intervention drew a pushback from a minister, who said Blair was repeating old Labour arguments.
