Tony Blair tells Starmer and rivals: abandon net zero and move closer to Trump
Tony Blair urged Labour to ditch net zero and welfare orthodoxy, arguing the party risks losing its way and the next election.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
Blair’s 5,700-word intervention blasts Starmer, Burnham and Streeting for drifting from the centre ground. He argues Labour should cut welfare, back more oil and gas, ease planning, and repair ties with Trump’s White House.
Tony Blair is telling Labour that it needs a new game plan. He thinks the party is leaning too far away from the middle and could lose if it keeps doing that.
He wants fewer rules that slow business, less spending on welfare, more oil and gas, and friendlier ties with Donald Trump’s team. It is a bit like a coach saying a team must change its whole playbook, not just swap the captain.
Other Labour figures are not happy. They say Blair is out of touch and that his ideas do not solve the country’s problems. So the fight is really about what kind of Labour Party should lead Britain next.
Analysis
Blair’s warning
Tony Blair used a long essay to argue that Labour is drifting away from the political centre and risking defeat. He said the party has an “almost infinite capacity for self-delusion” and warned that trying to replace Keir Starmer without first deciding on a new policy direction would be unserious.
What he wants changed
Blair called for a harder line on welfare spending, fewer barriers to business growth, more planning reform, a reversal of current North Sea oil and gas policy, and a closer relationship with Donald Trump’s administration. He also argued against Labour’s net zero approach, saying restrictions on oil and gas licenses and other policies had created “headwinds, not tailwinds” for British business.
Where he attacked the party
His criticism reached across Labour’s internal factions. He singled out Angela Rayner’s workers’ rights bill, Ed Miliband’s net zero drive, Rachel Reeves’ tax and spending choices, and proposals associated with Wes Streeting and Andy Burnham. Blair said the party won in 2024 mainly because voters disliked the Conservatives, not because Labour had a strong positive offer.
Reaction and political stakes
A senior Labour source responded sharply, accusing Blair of having abandoned social democratic values. The exchange underscores how contested Labour’s future direction remains, especially on climate, welfare, tax, business confidence and relations with Washington. Blair’s intervention is unusual for a former Labour prime minister and is likely to fuel the party’s internal argument rather than settle it.
Key points
- Blair warned Labour is drifting from the centre and could lose the next election.
- He urged weaker limits on oil and gas, tougher welfare reform, and closer ties with Trump.
- He criticized Starmer, Burnham, Streeting, Rayner, Miliband and Reeves in one essay.
- Labour insiders pushed back, saying Blair’s ideas ignore social democratic values.
