Tony Blair: Moderates may have lost the Labour party forever
Tony Blair has revealed that he doubts whether the Labour party can be "taken back by moderates" following on from a period of "profound change" under leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Speaking on the BBC podcast Political Thinking With Nick Robinson, the former prime minister said that Labour is now “a different type of Labour party” than the one he had led to three successive election victories.
When questioned on whether Labour could return to his political outlook, he said: “Can it be taken back? I don't know.”
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The moderate wing of the Labour party suffered a landslide defeat at the National Executive Committee elections last week, where eight of the nine seats went to candidates on the Momentum slate, while the other went to Peter Willsman, a left wing Labour member who had been removed from Momentum's selection after accusing Jewish “Trump fanatics” of making up claims of antisemitism.
Despite these most recent setbacks, Blair said that he still believed there was a large pool of voters who supported "socially liberal, progressive" politics but also thought there was a place for "a strong private enterprise sector alongside a state that is capable of helping people".
Labour finally accepted the IHRA definition and examples of anti-Semitism in full after weeks of deliberations (Source: Getty)
The former party leader argued that the potential contenders at future elections between Labour and the Conservatives wouldn't be well-received by the public.
He said: "I don't think the British people will tolerate a situation where, for example, the choice at the next election is Boris Johnson versus Jeremy Corbyn."
Later in the podcast he also commented on the antisemitism crisis within the Labour party, which recently led to them accepting the IHRA definition of “antisemitism”, albeit with a caveat.
“This antisemitism thing has been ghastly for the Labour party and it is a matter of great sadness for me that we would be in this position," he said.
Blair's comments were met with immediate criticism from Corbyn's allies within the Labour party.
Richard Burgon, Labour MP for Leeds East and shadow justice secretary, tweeted that “Blair never misses an opportunity to push his agenda of undermining Jeremy Corbyn. He should fight the Tories as much as he does the Labour Party."
Owen Jones, the left wing activist and Guardian columnist, responded later that morning on Radio 4's Today programme. He accused Blair of “being stuck in a time warp”, saying sister parties of Labour that shared his political outlook are “facing political extermination”.
He also criticised Blair for being “more critical of the Labour party than the murdering dictatorships he advises”.
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Jeremy Corbyn eventually commented on Tony Blair's remarks and said that the party represented more than just the views of the former prime minister.
Speaking to the BBC he said: "I think Tony should recognise that party membership is now much bigger than it has ever been."
He also believes that Labour is building a movement that can win at the ballot box, adding: "It's not personal, it's about us as a movement. That's why we were founded. That's why the party is so big. And that's why I'm so confident that we are continually challenging this government and we will win a general election."