𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Labour’s leadership battles mean the party is in danger of lurching to the left according to critics – and they include former Labour Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair, who said any such move would be “dangerous”. The turmoil means potential candidates in a leadership contest, including Sir Keir Starmer, the sitting Prime Minister, are thinking about how they can appeal to Labour activists, who tend to vote for left-wing leaders.

In recent weeks we have seen Sir Keir adopt more left-wing positions, such as nationalising British Steel. Leadership contender Wes Streeting, the former Health Secretary, said he wants to rejoin the EU, often seen as a left-wing policy. But Sir Tony appears to be particularly critical of Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester Mayor, who is also a possible leadership candidate and seen as the favourite to win any contest.

Sir Tony said: “So far, though of course these are very early days, we have a fight between a ‘modernising’ wing of the Labour Party appearing to advocate rejoining the EU (and now equalising capital gains and income tax, something rejected by successive governments for good reason); and the alternative which thinks the answer is moving even further left on taxes, spending and welfare, spun with a rehash of the far-left critique about nothing good coming out of the last ‘40 years’ of ‘neo-liberalism’, which presumably includes the last Labour government.

“With the left position odds on to win.

“It is one thing when in opposition to indulge this perennial delusion that when we lose seats to the right the country is really signalling it wants Labour to move left; it is dangerous to do it in government.”

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