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.Tony Blair has admitted he would be prepared to become Prime Minister again, in an interview marking the fifth anniversary of his resignation.
During the interview, which appears in the London Evening Standard newspaper he guest-edited today, Blair says that although he would be prepared to accept another term in office, he understood it was unlikely to ever happen.
Blair described his relationship with Gordon Brown during the interview, saying he hadn’t wanted to resign as Prime Minister, but “felt I had to” in order to avoid “a very bloody battle internally which I thought would damage the country as well as the party.”
He also accuses Brown of leading Labour to an inevitable election defeat by failing to get to grips with the identity of the party.
Blair told Evening Standard Editor Sarah Sands, “The problem for the Labour party was that it couldn’t make up its mind whether to stay New Labour or not, so it didn’t really and then in my view defeat was inevitable after that.”
Speaking of how much British politics has changed since his time as Prime Minister, Blair said that although he was in office during a period of enormous world events, including 9/11, it had been “in one sense very calm”.
“There was a predictability about government and an inherent stability. I did not foresee the tumult which would follow — the financial crisis and the aftermath of that,” he added.
Discussing his life since leaving office, Blair said: "I am seeing a lot of the world and I have learned an immense amount in the past five years. One of my regrets is that what I have learned in the last five years would have been so useful to me [as prime minister]. Because when you see how the world is developing you get a far clearer picture of some of the issues our country is grappling with."
"What I can do is contribute to the debate, whether it is Europe or the Arab spring or areas to do with economy and public service reform here."
Setting out his predictions for the future of British politics, Blair said: “I think the Lib-Dems will struggle at the next election. My advice to the Labour party is to sort ourselves out with a strong modern policy.
“Ed Miliband has made a conscious decision that he is going to keep the Labour party in the centre, and that is sensible.”
Read the full interview here.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments