NewsPoliticsTony BlairLIVEUpdated 4 mins agoFormer PM Tony Blair's 5,000-word essay laid into Labour at a time where the party is contesting a heated by-election that could decide the party's immediate future(Image: AFP via Getty Images)Former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair made an extraordinary intervention by slamming Keir Starmer as having no "coherent plan for Britain."Ex-Labour PM Blair laid into Starmer in a critical essay where he accused the current PM of introducing policies that held back businesses in the country. He claimed phasing out British oil and gas and measures on workers' rights laws as being particularly detrimental to UK business owners.But he warned that a change of leader was "irrelevant" if the party did not start with a policy debate. In response, Treasury minister Dan Tomlinson said the government was making "big steps" to fundamentally change the country and was getting on with the job of governing.Blair's 5,000 word essay is a huge critique of Starmer's government and comes at a time when Labour faces a consequential by-election in Makerfield. Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham is seeking a return to No10 by winning the seat, though he faces stiff competition from Reform.Burnham is also likely to be seen as a Labour leadership contender amid calls for Starmer to step down. Labour's immediate future could be decided when voters in Makerfield head to the polls on Thursday, June 18.‌View PostToday08:33 BSTBlair wrong about 'New-Old Labour battle,' says ministerDan Tomlinson said he disagreed with Sir Tony Blair’s take on workers’ rights policy and rejected suggestions that Labour was “stuck in this New Labour, old Labour battle”.The Treasury minister told Sky News he agreed with some aspects of the essay but “on some things I just disagree with him”.Mr Tomlinson said: “He says, for example, that our approach to workers’ rights and making sure the jobs market works for people wouldn’t be the approach he would take, but, you know, when Tony Blair was prime minister there weren’t many people at all on zero-hour contracts – I’m not sure they even existed as a form of contract in our jobs market.”He said the current Labour Party was “not stuck in this New Labour, old Labour battle, which he talks about a lot in his essay, but is about what are the problems facing the country today and what do we need to do to fix them, and that’s what we’re getting on with”.Tony Blair made an extraordinary intervention amid the Labour battle for MakerfieldToday08:26 BSTTreasury minister disputes Blair's claim on Labour's challengesDan Tomlinson said Sir Tony Blair was right to call on Labour to avoid a personality contest but disputed the former premier’s framing of some of the party’s challenges.The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury told Times Radio: “I read what Tony Blair had to say on my way into Westminster this morning.“Always interested in the contribution of former prime ministers. There’s some stuff in there that I agree with, I think is very sensible.“He’s right that we shouldn’t descend into a contest of personalities. We need to focus on the issues and the substance.“I agree with him that we need to focus on reforming our domestic economy rather than rushing to change relationships with the EU. I think the red lines in our manifesto around single market, customs union (are) really important.“They’re part of why I think people put their trust in us at the last general election.“My take, for what it’s worth, is that this, the sort of big argument that Tony Blair was making, which is essentially about New Labour versus old Labour, is just not where we are today, and actually what this Government is doing is getting on with the job of confronting the problems that are facing people in modern Britain in the mid-2020s, 30 years on from the debates and the framing that Tony Blair was putting out this morning.“If we look at the jobs market, when Tony Blair was prime minister there weren’t really any people on zero-hour contracts.“Now there are hundreds of thousands of people struggling with that uncertainty, so, yes, we are passing our employment rights legislation to give people more certainty in work.”Today08:26 BSTTony Blair accused Keir Starmer for having no 'coherent plan' Tony Blair has made an extraordinary intervention after accusing Keir Starmer's govenment of having no 'coherent plan' for the country.Tony Blair claimed Starmer had no 'coherent plan' for the country‌