Kennedy: the public may never trust Blair again
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Charles Kennedy has warned Tony Blair he may never regain the trust of the public who no longer know when they listen to the Government whether "what you are being told is accurate".
In an interview with The Independent, the Liberal Democrat leader said even those who supported Labour felt unsettled. "I think it's very difficult for the Prime Minister to regain the level of trust that existed a few years ago. Very difficult indeed," he said.
"That may be the inevitable consequence of events or the passage of time but it strikes me that there is just a fundamental sense out there that you can't quite be certain what you are being told is accurate. And that is very corrosive for a government - any government.
"People feel they are not getting the straight story," he said. Mr Kennedy reveals Tony Blair was surprised when he refused to take part in the Butler inquiry into the intelligence that led to the Iraq war. But he does not regret keeping the Lib Dems out of the inquiry.
"I don't think he expected the response that he got," he said.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments