Tony Blair has urged Sir Keir Starmer not to back public sector strikes because it would be “very damaging for Labour”.
The former prime minister, who yesterday hosted a centrist ideas conference, suggested that public sector workers should not receive pay rises in line with inflation and said that Starmer’s party would have to make “tough decisions”.
On the BBC’s Newsnight, Blair said that although he had “every sympathy” for workers and he understood why strike action was being taken, “the truth is if Labour wants to form a government, it’s got to be very clear: the country at the moment can’t afford a whole wave of public sector strikes”.
Asked if he thought that pay settlements should therefore be below inflation, he said every circumstance was “a matter for negotiation”, but added: “I think for Labour to support a wave of public sector strikes is going to be very damaging for Labour. I know it’ll come under huge pressure, but one of the things you’ve got to do when you’re in opposition and you’re really aiming for government is you’ve got to put yourself in the position that you would be in if [you] became the government.”
He added: “The country’s got to know that you’re prepared to take the tough decisions that will allow the country to get back on the path where you can invest again in public services.”
Starmer has been heavily criticised by the unions for not taking a stronger stance in backing industrial action.
At his Future of Britain conference yesterday, Blair suggested the way back to power for Labour was instead to focus on policies that appealed beyond its traditional base.
Starmer has been accused of failing to set out what Labour would offer despite ditching the 2019 manifesto. His shadow cabinet has also complained of a lack of ideas.
Blair, 69, who won three general elections while leader of the party between 1994 and 2007, said that Starmer, 59, had done “a huge amount of work” to drag his party back to being a serious political force after the five years it spent under Jeremy Corbyn.
But he said that for Labour to “seal the deal with the British people, then I think it’s going to be all about policy, and expressing through policy the fact that this is a Labour Party that is prepared to reach out beyond this traditional base and pull in people who may be Liberal Democrats — some people may be soft Tories”.
He added that Starmer needed to convince disaffected Tory voters, such as those in Tiverton & Honiton, a formerly safe Tory seat that returned a Liberal Democrat in a by-election last week, that even if their rebellion was to vote Lib Dem, it would be acceptable to end up with a Labour government.
“Those people have got to be comfortable with the prospect of a Labour government,” he said in a discussion with the journalist Jon Sopel at the Westminster Park Plaza hotel. “People have got to think, ‘You know what, I think the other lot deserves to be put out, and these guys are a safe alternative.’ ”
The conference suggested six policy areas that centrist politicians needed to address, including economic prosperity; technology, including artificial intelligence; tackling climate change; building a strong community; bolstering public services; and finding Britain’s place in a post-Brexit world.
Blair, who backed Remain in the 2016 EU referendum, said that he had made peace with the fact Brexit was not going to be reversed. “However passionately I oppose Brexit, I understand we’ve done it, we’ve done it legally, we’ve done it politically, and it’s not going to be reversed any time soon, any time in this generation,” he said.
Blair said debates needed to move into the 21st century. “You can have a debate about healthcare that’s about, ‘Do you spend a bit more, do you spend a bit less, do we hire more nurses or not’ — that’s the 1980s debate,” he said, and suggested that the discussions should be more focused on the use of technology. He added: “I want to build a strong policy agenda and then it’s there for reasonable people, whether [in] the Conservative Party, Labour Party, Lib Dems, whatever, to take it up.”
He admitted that it would be a “fight” and a “big struggle” to promote centrist ideals when politics had become polarised, but demanded it was a supply problem rather than one of demand. “You give them something reasonable, in the end you’ve got to have faith in people that they will vote for it,” he said.
Tony Blair’s conference did not seek to put forward concrete policy — yet — but start a conversation that would end up with some tangible ideas.
However, there were key themes. These include education and harnessing technology to change teaching practices and assessments.
Health was another area of interest, with a focus on prevention and personalised solutions.
Tackling climate change was seen as key, ensuring economic growth was green.
With the cost of living crisis, it was suggested that an overhaul of the taxation system could ensure fairness and a stable economy.
Britain’s place in the world also needed to be developed, with a view that globalisation will continue and the UK cannot afford to be left behind as newer economies grow.
Pretty audacious of Blair to publicly order Kier Starmer about like this, I understand his aims but it rather undermines his leadership
‘War criminal gives shit advice to incompetent leader.’
Labour need to stand up for workers’ rights.
T Blair says workers should know their place and accept less for no reason. The goblin should self immolate
Don’t take advice from war criminals.
[removed]
I’m a fan of Blair advising the labour party. Man is a winner. A war criminal yes, but a winner. Which is all I care about.
But this ain’t it. Support workers, your name is literally ‘labour’
Time will tell if he is right.
Public support for a strike can change. There is a risk that labour can go in on supporting strikes and then be stuck if the tide turns following a general strike.
It is probably more politically astute to remain somewhat neutral and just attack the Tories on their handling of the strikes.
The Tories didn’t support the strikes in the 70s. It stood back and attacked Labour for its handling. They did well out of it.
“Don’t do what Labour exists to do”? That’s a great way to hemorrhage activists and union funding.
Coming from the man who helped bring private prisons back to our shores after the victorians decried them as immoral.
Add the war crimes on top I wouldn’t listen to a thing that man has ever said.
10 comments
Tony Blair has urged Sir Keir Starmer not to back public sector strikes because it would be “very damaging for Labour”.
The former prime minister, who yesterday hosted a centrist ideas conference, suggested that public sector workers should not receive pay rises in line with inflation and said that Starmer’s party would have to make “tough decisions”.
On the BBC’s Newsnight, Blair said that although he had “every sympathy” for workers and he understood why strike action was being taken, “the truth is if Labour wants to form a government, it’s got to be very clear: the country at the moment can’t afford a whole wave of public sector strikes”.
Asked if he thought that pay settlements should therefore be below inflation, he said every circumstance was “a matter for negotiation”, but added: “I think for Labour to support a wave of public sector strikes is going to be very damaging for Labour. I know it’ll come under huge pressure, but one of the things you’ve got to do when you’re in opposition and you’re really aiming for government is you’ve got to put yourself in the position that you would be in if [you] became the government.”
He added: “The country’s got to know that you’re prepared to take the tough decisions that will allow the country to get back on the path where you can invest again in public services.”
Starmer has been heavily criticised by the unions for not taking a stronger stance in backing industrial action.
At his Future of Britain conference yesterday, Blair suggested the way back to power for Labour was instead to focus on policies that appealed beyond its traditional base.
Starmer has been accused of failing to set out what Labour would offer despite ditching the 2019 manifesto. His shadow cabinet has also complained of a lack of ideas.
Blair, 69, who won three general elections while leader of the party between 1994 and 2007, said that Starmer, 59, had done “a huge amount of work” to drag his party back to being a serious political force after the five years it spent under Jeremy Corbyn.
But he said that for Labour to “seal the deal with the British people, then I think it’s going to be all about policy, and expressing through policy the fact that this is a Labour Party that is prepared to reach out beyond this traditional base and pull in people who may be Liberal Democrats — some people may be soft Tories”.
He added that Starmer needed to convince disaffected Tory voters, such as those in Tiverton & Honiton, a formerly safe Tory seat that returned a Liberal Democrat in a by-election last week, that even if their rebellion was to vote Lib Dem, it would be acceptable to end up with a Labour government.
“Those people have got to be comfortable with the prospect of a Labour government,” he said in a discussion with the journalist Jon Sopel at the Westminster Park Plaza hotel. “People have got to think, ‘You know what, I think the other lot deserves to be put out, and these guys are a safe alternative.’ ”
The conference suggested six policy areas that centrist politicians needed to address, including economic prosperity; technology, including artificial intelligence; tackling climate change; building a strong community; bolstering public services; and finding Britain’s place in a post-Brexit world.
Blair, who backed Remain in the 2016 EU referendum, said that he had made peace with the fact Brexit was not going to be reversed. “However passionately I oppose Brexit, I understand we’ve done it, we’ve done it legally, we’ve done it politically, and it’s not going to be reversed any time soon, any time in this generation,” he said.
Blair said debates needed to move into the 21st century. “You can have a debate about healthcare that’s about, ‘Do you spend a bit more, do you spend a bit less, do we hire more nurses or not’ — that’s the 1980s debate,” he said, and suggested that the discussions should be more focused on the use of technology. He added: “I want to build a strong policy agenda and then it’s there for reasonable people, whether [in] the Conservative Party, Labour Party, Lib Dems, whatever, to take it up.”
He admitted that it would be a “fight” and a “big struggle” to promote centrist ideals when politics had become polarised, but demanded it was a supply problem rather than one of demand. “You give them something reasonable, in the end you’ve got to have faith in people that they will vote for it,” he said.
Tony Blair’s conference did not seek to put forward concrete policy — yet — but start a conversation that would end up with some tangible ideas.
However, there were key themes. These include education and harnessing technology to change teaching practices and assessments.
Health was another area of interest, with a focus on prevention and personalised solutions.
Tackling climate change was seen as key, ensuring economic growth was green.
With the cost of living crisis, it was suggested that an overhaul of the taxation system could ensure fairness and a stable economy.
Britain’s place in the world also needed to be developed, with a view that globalisation will continue and the UK cannot afford to be left behind as newer economies grow.
Pretty audacious of Blair to publicly order Kier Starmer about like this, I understand his aims but it rather undermines his leadership
‘War criminal gives shit advice to incompetent leader.’
Labour need to stand up for workers’ rights.
T Blair says workers should know their place and accept less for no reason. The goblin should self immolate
Don’t take advice from war criminals.
[removed]
I’m a fan of Blair advising the labour party. Man is a winner. A war criminal yes, but a winner. Which is all I care about.
But this ain’t it. Support workers, your name is literally ‘labour’
Time will tell if he is right.
Public support for a strike can change. There is a risk that labour can go in on supporting strikes and then be stuck if the tide turns following a general strike.
It is probably more politically astute to remain somewhat neutral and just attack the Tories on their handling of the strikes.
The Tories didn’t support the strikes in the 70s. It stood back and attacked Labour for its handling. They did well out of it.
“Don’t do what Labour exists to do”? That’s a great way to hemorrhage activists and union funding.
Coming from the man who helped bring private prisons back to our shores after the victorians decried them as immoral.
Add the war crimes on top I wouldn’t listen to a thing that man has ever said.