“Tony Blair’s remarks align with and therefore constitute a rare endorsement of the Prime Minister’s agenda.”

Ed Davey's statement that Tony Blair's remarks "align with and therefore constitute a rare endorsement of the Prime Minister's agenda" is false. Blair's 5,700-word essay was explicitly and extensively critical of the Starmer government, not an endorsement. He said Labour "doesn't have a worked-out, coherent plan for the country" and is "in the wrong political position," accused the government of "governing from an essentially traditional Labour 'soft left' position, parked firmly in the party's comfort zone," and called for a "fundamental reset" of the government's direction. He criticized specific policies including workers' rights laws, net-zero acceleration, the minimum wage uplift, non-dom changes, and the National Insurance increase, warning that "The Labour Party is playing with fire." He said the government's policies "have given headwinds not tailwinds to British business." On Davey's specific characterizations: Regarding "suck up to Donald Trump," Blair argued Britain should stay close to the US but criticized Starmer's government for refusing to let US jets use RAF bases during the Iran war — meaning he was attacking the government's Trump policy, not endorsing it. On "kowtow to US tech barons," Blair emphasized AI adoption as part of his own proposed alternative agenda, not as praise for what the government was doing. On "go slow on Europe," Blair cautioned against rushing to rejoin the EU but also called for a "structured, formal relationship with Europe" and acknowledged "Britain has lost from Brexit." While Blair did acknowledge "many things the government is doing with which I agree," the overall thrust of the essay was sharp criticism and a call for the government to change course entirely — the opposite of an endorsement. Davey's claim was delivered sarcastically, and the underlying factual assertion is contradicted by the evidence. Sources: Tony Blair Institute for Global Change — "The Labour Party Is Playing With Fire Over Its Future and the Future of the Country" (https://institute.global/insights/politics-and-governance/the-labour-party-is-playing-with-fire-over-its-future-and-the-future-of-the-country); BBC News — "Labour has 'no coherent plan' for country, says Blair" (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx211r9nm3lo); The Independent — "'Labour lacks coherent plan' says Sir Tony Blair in essay critical of Government" (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/tony-blair-government-keir-starmer-b2983991.html); The National — "Europe must forge 'strong alliance' with Middle East, urges Tony Blair" (https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/uk/2026/05/26/europe-must-forge-strong-alliance-with-middle-east-urges-tony-blair/); The Observer — "Blair is out of touch with the reality of Trump's new world order" (https://observer.co.uk/news/politics/article/blair-is-out-of-touch-with-the-reality-of-trumps-new-world-order); iNews — "Blair turns on Labour's leadership rivals: Britain is becoming irrelevant" (https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/tony-blair-turns-labour-leadership-rivals-4440076)