Tony Blair has kicked the Labour Party into action
The Politics Show
The New Statesman
4.2 • 1.5K Ratings
🗓️ 28 May 2026
⏱️ 34 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This week there’s only one subject to discuss – and that’s Tony Blair – who has written a blistering 5,000 word essay criticising everyone from Keir Starmer to Andy Burnham, Ed Miliband and Wes Streeting.
Tom McTague is joined by political editor Ailbhe Rea to discuss this “right wing” intervention.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The New Statesman. |
| 0:05.4 | Hello and welcome to The Politics Show from The New Statesman with me Tom Ateke and our political editor Alva Ray. |
| 0:11.0 | This week there's only one subject to discuss and that of course is Tony Blair, |
| 0:15.6 | who has written a blistering 5,000-word essay criticizing everyone and everything in the Labour movement. |
| 0:23.3 | It's seen from Kiyosama to Andy Burnham, Ed Miliband and West Streeting. |
| 0:27.8 | So Alva, tell us what it's been like the last 24 hours or so in Westminster |
| 0:32.9 | since this giant essay from Tony Blair landed. |
| 0:36.9 | Was it Wednesday morning, I think it landed? |
| 0:39.7 | Yeah, good question. |
| 0:41.4 | I guess it's in the, it's in Westminster in the figurative sense |
| 0:46.5 | because it is half term and recess and a lot of people are in Makerfield. |
| 0:50.9 | So it's more in the realm of WhatsApp and social media and phone calls. |
| 0:56.2 | I mean, the Labour Party reaction has been mixed, but mostly quite negative. |
| 1:00.9 | But probably the slightly provocative top line that I would say is that Tony Blair has achieved what he wanted, |
| 1:12.9 | which was to jolt the Labour Party into having more of a conversation about ideas. |
| 1:18.2 | He has just succeeded on that. |
| 1:20.8 | And so I guess there are kind of two parts to the essay. |
| 1:27.0 | Or I think it's kind of worth thinking of them as two |
| 1:30.0 | different parts that this is the kind of the diagnosis and then the prescription so the labor |
| 1:37.6 | party is going mad over the prescription and maybe maybe just to summarize the essay quickly for |
| 1:43.1 | people who haven't read all 5,600 words from Tony Blair, |
| 1:48.0 | he sort of argues that the world is turning on its axis, that there are two big changes |
... |
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