When Sir Tony Blair gathered his supporters in London today to address the “challenges” facing modern Britain, including Brexit, he denied that he was introducing a new political vehicle for himself.
The former Labour prime minister emphasized the need for “a new politics and new policies,” claiming that the issues the UK is currently experiencing are “every bit as serious” as those of the post-War era.
Before giving the keynote address himself later this afternoon, he made the comments as he began his “Future of Britain” conference in the heart of London.
In addition, former Tory Cabinet members Rory Stewart, a former candidate for the party’s leadership, and David Gauke, as well as Conservative noble Baroness Ruth Davidson and Labour MP Peter Kyle, a member of Sir Keir’s shadow cabinet, were invited.
Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour Party’s replacement, was forewarned by him before he even began his speech to lay out the party’s platform or risk losing the upcoming election.
This is not a new party, Mr. Blair declared as he welcomed guests this morning. But in order for any agenda we have to succeed and last into the future, we need a new politics and new policies.
And the setting is plain and unforgiving. Britain is facing difficulties that have never been seen before.
Some people like the technological development and the shared achievement of net zero with other countries. Some are specific to Britain, like Brexit.
We can’t afford to carry on as we are in the face of a rising cost of living crisis and an impending recession.
“We must organize and get ready for a new world. And this is how we are launching this party—it is not a new one.
Sir Tony went so far as to say that French President Emmanuel Macron would have made an appearance as well, if he hadn’t been required to travel to Spain for this week’s Nato conference.
In the past, there have been rumors that the former Labour leader was considering starting a new political organization in Britain modeled after Mr. Macron’s “En Marche!” group.
Sir Tony asserted that “British politics would have had to break up in some way” if Sir Keir’s predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn, had held on to the position of Labour leader or been replaced by a person of a like mind from the party’s left.
The former prime minister denied he was still considering starting a new political party in the UK and argued that Sir Keir’s leadership has allowed Labour to “recover its basic composure and clarity.”
However, Sir Tony remained steadfast in his recent criticism of Sir Keir, saying that he was “struggling to get through with the people” and urging Labour to lay out its policy platform.
Additionally, it seemed like he was encouraging Sir Keir to accept the New Labour-inspired concepts that were going to be debated at his conference.
He said on BBC Radio 4’s Today program that “the Labour Party is improving constantly.”
Given the situation he was handed after the Corbyn years, I believe Keir has done a great job.
However, the Labour Party itself has stated that “later this year and into next” a policy agenda will be presented.
In a way, this conference’s ideas are open to everyone, but from my perspective, one of its main goals is to tell the Labour Party that if it wants to win the next election, it needs to be a progressive party that understands the modern world and can effectively use things like the technological revolution rather than focusing on the outdated Leftist shibboleth.
And if Labour makes its intentions clear with those kinds of proposals, the British people will be convinced.
Sir Tony responded when asked what else needed to be done for Sir Keir to become prime minister, “Create the policy agenda that makes it crystal clear what type of Labour Party we are.”
“He is more than capable of pulling that off.” I’ve spoken with him several times, and we frequently communicate with the members of the Labour Party shadow cabinet; they are all excellent people.
And the Labour Party and the improvements he has already made have been positive.
But if we want to win, it will depend on the fact that people are completely aware of who Labour is and what it stands for, we must be completely honest with ourselves.
Sir Tony emphasized that Britain was “in a very tight place” and “at significant risk of being relegated both in economic and political terms” when explaining why he was organizing the summit today.
He continued, “We have actual productivity issues, a cost-of-living catastrophe, and an approaching recession. Next year, our growth will be the lowest of any G20 country aside from Russia.”
The conference today will cover a number of topics, including what I refer to as the three unplanned revolutions we are currently experiencing.
We’ve done Brexit, which is a fact, we’ve done it, but we’ve got to repair the difficulties and the consequences of it. You’ve got a net-zero aim, which is completely right but enormously tough to achieve.
Apart from the geopolitical turmoil surrounding Ukraine, the country is currently experiencing significant short- and long-term issues.
This is an effort to bring together individuals from many political perspectives to ask, “How do we solve it and what is the strategy for the country’s future?”
“Our politics right now are just politics,” says the problem.
When the situation is, in my opinion, just as terrible as it was in the 1960s, 1970s, or even immediately following World War II.