Doomed to Defeat

Here's a strange story from The Telegraph which reports the views of Tony Blair who led the Labour Party to victory in three successive general elections, but apparently believes that Ed Miliband is doomed to defeat because of his failure to connect with the voters.

Now I wouldn't be particularly surprised if that really was Tony Blair's view, because Ed Miliband is widely regarded as a political liability by bios own side, even among Labour MPs for example.

But the truth is that The Telegraph has no evidence to back up its story other than some unspecified source who says they were present during a private conversation between Tony Blair and some of his friends.   

Tony Blair: Miliband has failed to connect with voters and is doomed to election defeat

The former Prime Minister has apparently told long-standing political allies that the under-fire Labour leader 'cannot beat' David Cameron in next year's vote 

Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister, said Ed Miliband’s bid to reform Labour’s relationship with the unions is “bold and strong” Photo: REX



By James Kirkup - The Telegraph

The Conservatives will win the next general election because of Ed Miliband’s failure to connect with voters, Tony Blair has said.

David Cameron will remain in power next year because Labour has not persuaded Britain it is ready to govern, the former Labour prime minister has apparently told friends.

Mr Blair’s verdict on Mr Miliband follows criticism of the Labour leader’s performance from several MPs and will increase concern within the party about his ability to win in May.

Mr Blair’s apparent ​prediction was made in a private conversation with long-standing political allies earlier this month. The Telegraph has been given an account of that conversation by one person who was present.

“The Conservatives will be the next government because Labour has failed to make a good case for itself. That is what Tony thinks,” the person said. “He does not think that Miliband can beat Cameron.”

Mr Blair, the most electorally successful politician in Labour history, has said he supports Mr Miliband but stopped short of publicly predicting an election victory for his successor.

In his last public comments about British politics in July, he warned Mr Miliband about retreating into a left-wing “comfort zone” and said the party has not yet developed a “narrative that is about the future of the country.”

Responding to The Telegraph on Thursday night, Mr Blair’s office said only that he believes Mr Miliband “can indeed win” the general election, but declined to predict that he will do so.

Although Labour has a narrow lead over the Conservatives in most opinion polls, some Labour politicians are worried that lead will not survive ever more intensive Conservative attacks on Mr Miliband’s credibility in run-up to the election.

Telegraph analysis of opinion polls shows that Labour’s lead over the Conservatives has narrowed from 4 percentage points to a single point over the last month. Labour now averages 33 per cent support, with the Tories on 32 per cent.

Many of Mr Blair’s allies fear Mr Miliband is not doing enough to appeal to the centre-ground voters who gave the party three general election victories between 1997 and 2005.

Lord Prescott, Mr Blair’s former deputy, has said Mr Miliband is pursuing a “core vote strategy” of appealing only to traditional Labour supporters and disaffected Liberal Democrats

Other Labour figures are concerned that Mr Miliband has failed to develop a clear strategy for responding to Ukip and its voters’ concerns over immigration and Europe.

Some members of the shadow Cabinet are pressing for Mr Miliband to “take on” Ukip’s Nigel Farage directly, recalling that Mr Blair himself confronted the Ukip leader publicly in 2005.

Chuka Umunna, the shadow business secretary and a supporter of Mr Blair, this week adopted the former Prime Minister’s approach by accusing Ukip of “vile racism”.

Other shadow cabinet members, however, want Labour to show more understanding of Ukip voters’ concerns.

Since leaving Downing Street in 2007, Mr Blair has made few direct interventions in British politics, spending much of his time abroad.

However, it is understood that the intensifying British debate about the European Union could see him play a more active role here.

If the Conservatives remain in power after May, they have promised a referendum on European Union membership, a campaign that many expect to dominate British political debate for at least two years.

Mr Blair, an ardent supporter of EU membership, would be keen to play a leading role in the campaign for staying in the union.

Mr Miliband has also promised to campaign for membership and this week shook up his team by appointing Pat McFadden as shadow Europe minister. Mr McFadden, a pro-European, is a former political adviser to Mr Blair.

Mr Blair’s office insisted the Telegraph’s account of his recent conversation about the election “is not his view.”

“He wants and hopes to see a Labour victory and believes Labour can indeed win and under Ed's leadership,” a spokesman said.

A Labour Party source insisted that Mr Miliband would continue with his current strategy.

“This election will be won by the party which can get the country working again for working people.

“Labour is the only party which can do this with a plan to save the NHS, change the economy freeze energy prices and reform the banks.”