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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
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Larry Elliott

Tony Blair is strong on diagnosis, deluded on prescription: Britain’s ills can’t be fixed by him

Tony Blair with arms outstretched next to Keir Starmer with surprised expression
Tony Blair and Keir Starmer at the Institute for Global Change’s Future of Britain Conference in central London, 27 May 2023. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA

Tony Blair is right. Labour has made some big and avoidable mistakes since it came to power nearly two years ago. Keir Starmer had a strategy for winning the election but lacked a coherent plan for what his government would do next. Fair cop.

Blair is also correct when he says that unless Britain tackles some long-term structural issues, it is in danger of being relegated from the “premier league of nations”. Achieving higher levels of sustainable growth is one challenge. Welfare reform is another. And as the former prime minister notes, reversing Brexit is not a solution to those problems.

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