Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.AllNewsSportCultureLifestyleAndy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, has criticised Tony Blair's recent essay on the direction of the Labour Party, arguing it overlooks the cost of living crisis and declining living standards. Blair's 5,600-word essay warned Labour was “playing with fire” by lacking a clear plan and urged the party to occupy the “radical centre”.Burnham countered that Blair's analysis had a “gaping omission” by not acknowledging how life has become harder for millions since the 2008 financial crash. He also rejected Blair's call for deregulation, citing the 2008 crash as a failure of regulation, and advocated for “strong public control and direction” for economic growth. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also responded to Blair's essay, disagreeing with the former prime minister's assessment of the party's current policy choices. In fullLife for Britons is much harder than it used to be – and Blair has ignored that, says BurnhamThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
Andy Burnham addresses ‘gaping omission’ in Tony Blair’s 5,600-word essay
Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.AllNewsSportCultureLifestyleAndy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, has criticised Tony Blair's recent essay on the direction of the Labour Party, arguing it overlooks the cost of living crisis and declining living standards. Blair's 5,600-word essay warned Labour was “playing with fire” by lacking a clear plan and urged the party to occupy the “radical centre”.Burnham countered that Blair's analysis had a “gaping omission” by not acknowledging how life has become harder for millions since the 2008 financial crash. He also rejected Blair's call for deregulation, citing the 2008 crash as a failure of regulation, and advocated for “strong public control and direction” for economic growth. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also responded to Blair's essay, disagreeing with the former prime minister's assessment of the party's current policy choices. In fullLife for Britons is much harder than it used to be – and Blair has ignored that, says BurnhamThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
