Is the Labour party FINISHED? Blair’s "cold shower" for Starmer
5/27/202638 min
Sir Tony Blair has entered Labour’s civil war - and his message is brutal: changing the leader means nothing if the party still has no real plan for Britain.
In a sweeping essay, the former Prime Minister delivers a scathing critique of Keir Starmer’s government and questions whether Labour has coherent answers on growth, tax, welfare, Brexit, net zero and Britain’s place in the world. Blair argues the solution is a return to the “radical centre” - but what does that actually mean in 2026?
In this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy examines whether Labour’s crisis is really about leadership at all. Would replacing Starmer with Wes Streeting or Andy Burnham solve anything? Should Labour move closer to Donald Trump or back towards Europe? And if the party forces a leadership contest now, does it risk opening the door to Nigel Farage and Reform UK?
Joining Krishnan are former Tony Blair speechwriter Phil Collins and Labour MP Zubir Ahmed, a supporter of Wes Streeting who resigned from government earlier this month, and Stewart Wood who was an adviser to Gordon Brown when he was Prime Minister and Ed Miliband when he was Labour leader.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsStuart Wood· Guest0:00
We've had a barren 10 years when ideas are being suspected of being s- either frivolous or extreme in some way. I think it's good that someone who's far from frivolous or extreme is putting the onus on labor and government.
Zubair Ahmad· Guest0:11
When Tony Blair speaks, you should listen.
Phil Collins· Guest0:14
It would be wonderful if either Wes or Andy could become prime minister and beat Nigel Farage with no platform at all. That is not possible.
Stuart Wood· Guest0:21
There's always a suspicion that, that he's a little bit light on the, on the sense of what about the people who are left behind.
Phil Collins· Guest0:27
He is acting as though Trump were a slightly populist and, and slightly unusual version of the same American president, and I don't think he is.
Krishnan Guru-Murthy· Host0:37
So while we've been talking, Andy Burnham has hit back. [upbeat music] Hello, and welcome to the Forecast. It's probably not the intervention Keir Starmer was hoping for, or Andy Burnham, or Wes Streeting for that matter. So Tony Blair says changing the Labor leader is irrelevant if the party doesn't first work out a coherent plan for the country. And he suggests none of these men currently have one, on tax and welfare, on net zero, on Brexit. In a five and a half thousand word essay, the former Prime Minister lays out an excoriating critique of the current government and advocates a return to the radical center. But is that a contradiction in terms or just an old phrase that him and everyone from Roy Jenkins and beyond has been using for decades? To discuss this, I'm joined by Tony Blair's former chief speech writer and now editor of Prospect