Tony Blair has followed up his excoriating essay last night with a fresh attack on Labour’s leading lights on this morning’s media round. Even Burnham gets a kicking…
Speaking on the Today programme, Blair said:
“I just think when you look at the analysis… and by the way, I hope Andy wins Makerfield. I think he’s a great guy, I want to see him in Parliament. But you know, when he does this thing about ’40 years of wasted [neoliberalism]’… I mean we’re in 2026. Let’s go back to 1986, well we assume he doesn’t mean the first seven years of Margaret Thatcher, right? So back to the 70s? And nothing good happened in that period of Thatcher with the business community, or New Labour? I don’t think he really means that.”
So Thatcher gets a hat-tip, and Burnham gets a pasting…
He then attacked Starmer for failing to do enough to explain his own “agenda“, as if such a thing existed. Read Blair’s full essay below…
Continue reading “LISTEN: Blair Launches Blistering Attack on Burnham and Starmer”
An appalling case.
Punchy. Read Guido’s fact check of Starmer’s farcical claims here…
Co-conspirators will remember Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa’s weird podcast with leftist supremos Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart. What was that about?
The links between the new Syrian regime and Labour’s top brass are deeper. As Guido revealed, staff from Powell’s former consultancy (which he founded), Inter Mediate, are embedded in Al-Sharaa’s Presidential Office in Damascus. The government has repeatedly refused to say how much taxpayer’s cash is being funnelled to Powell’s old shop, the FCDO partially funds it…
So it’s no shock that when Al-Sharaa visited London in March for a handshake with Keir Starmer, there were other events on the programme. FCDO minister and Labour nepo baby Hamish Falconer hosted a roundtable in partnership with the Syrian British Business Council, which posted on Facebook:
“Following the main reception, the SBBC and the FCDO jointly hosted a private roundtable Chaired by Minister Hamish Falconer MP and attended by sponsors and members, as well as Rob Dixon, FCDO Director; Ann Snow, the UK Special Representative for Syria; and David Hunt, Head of the Iraq, Syria and Yemen Department . . . Notable guests also included SBBC member representative Mr. Bahaa Hariri and prospective members Mr. Wafic Said and Mr. Ayman Asfari.”
One name stands out there…
Wafic Said is a longtime businessman and was a key broker in the famous Al-Yamamah arms deal. Powell’s brother Charles is a trustee of the Said Foundation Trust and Chairman of the Said Business School Foundation. As Arab newspaper The National put it: “This personal connection and the work done by the Said Foundation has given Mr Powell a long-standing and extensive knowledge of the country and the issues it faces, according to those who know him”. The Tories recently called for an inquiry into Powell’s work with Inter Mediate and its web of interests…
Did Powell meet Wafic Said during the London visit? As regional outlet Sana put it: “the outcomes of President al-Sharaa’s visit were reflected in the immediate visit of UK-based Syrian businessman Wafic Saïd to Damascus the following day to begin establishing a major international-standard hotel. He said Saïd’s meeting with the president gave him momentum to launch this significant economic and tourism investment”. The proximity of the National Security Adviser to such activities is eyebrow raising to say the least, but don’t expect transparency under the Starmer premiership…
He’s really digging in, at least publicly. For now…
“I do want to fight the next election. Obviously, I recognise that after the local election results, the elections in Wales and Scotland as well, that the first task is obviously turning things around and making sure that my focus is in the right place…
The last 10 days, there’s been a lot of activity which hasn’t been as focused in my view as it should have been, and I remind myself every day that I was elected to office to serve the people, to serve the country, that’s what I believe in, and that’s what I’ll be getting on with.”
Asked if he would set a timeline for his departure: “No, I’m not going to do that.” See how long that lasts…
David Lammy on Sky News, insisting Starmer has no plans to leave Number 10:
“Let me be really clear. Keir Starmer remains the most resilient person I know in my life. I spoke to him twice yesterday, he has a strength of character, a fighting experience. There will no timetables. What there is, is getting on with the business of government. Really crystal clear about that. At the moment, there is no contest. What there is, is his determination to deliver for the British people. Accelerate the pace over the coming months… there will be no timetable for departure, no.”
Not that it matters. Burnham and Streeting are already acting like he’s been handed his P45...
Batting away critical points from Nick Robinson on the Today Programme, Tony Blair said:
“I always used to say the greatest source of election-losing advice was the Guardian.”