Starmer Rebuffs Blair, Stands on Policy Record Amid Labour Leadership Tensions

Keir Starmer defended his government’s policy choices as appropriate for the inherited economic backdrop, pushing back against Tony Blair’s claim of no coherent plan and pointing to improvements like NHS waiting times, while acknowledging missteps such as the winter fuel-payment U-turn and the NI tax rise. Blair’s 5,600-word critique is met with a near-3,000-word Substack rebuttal that comes as Labour faces by‑election pressures in Makerfield and ongoing leadership speculation involving Burnham and Streeting.