A summer of Labour chaos? Tony Blair 'poised to ramp up his interventions' in leadership battle - as Wes Streeting takes a swipe at ex-PM over Iraq

By GREG HEFFER, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT Published: 09:53, 28 May 2026 | Updated: 09:57, 28 May 2026 Labour's bitter leadership battle is set to grow even more rancorous amid claims ex-prime minister Tony Blair will ramp up his interventions this summer. Sir Tony, who was Labour premier between 1997 and 2007, this week made an explosive entry into the party's infighting as MPs mull whether to ditch Keir Starmer. In a 5,600-word essay, he accused his party of retreating into a Left-wing 'comfort zone' with no 'coherent plan' for transforming Britain. Sir Tony urged Labour MPs to 'force people to say where they stand' if they do push for a leadership contest, with Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting as likely candidates. One of the ex-PM's allies claimed Sir Tony's intervention was 'the beginning, not the end' of his efforts to influence the party's future direction. They told The Times that Mr Burnham's claim that '40 years of neoliberalism' had put Britain on the 'wrong path' had 'put fire in Tony's belly'. Amid concerns that Labour will drift further to the Left under a Mr Burnham premiership, Sir Tony said the party risked consigning the UK to 'relegation from the Premier League of nations'. He also criticised Mr Streeting's policy proposals. But both Mr Burnham and Mr Streeting have hit back at the ex-PM's comments, with Mr Streeting - the former health secretary - taking a swipe at Sir Tony over his 2003 invasion of Iraq. Labour's bitter leadership battle is set to grow even more rancorous amid claims ex-prime minister Tony Blair will ramp up his interventions this summer Allies of the ex-PM said Andy Burnham's claim that '40 years of neoliberalism' had put Britain on the 'wrong path' had 'put fire in Tony's belly'. But both Mr Burnham and Mr Streeting (pictured) have hit back at the ex-PM's comments, with Mr Streeting - the former health secretary - taking a swipe at Sir Tony over his Iraq war In an interview with The Observer, Mr Burnham said Sir Tony did not understand the economic factors driving support for parties like Reform UK and the Greens.  'He doesn't mention inequality once,' Mr Burnham said. 'If you don't get how that's driving politics now, if you are not rooting your analysis in the fact that people are unable to live and that things that were taken for granted are no longer affordable, then you are not understanding what's going on.'  Mr Streeting was criticised in Sir Tony's essay for his proposed wealth tax and call for Britain to rejoin the EU. In an article for The Guardian, the ex-Cabinet minister argued the 'striking weakness at the heart of' Sir Tony's intervention was the lack of mention of inequality. He also hit out at Sir Tony's suggestion that Sir Keir should have initially allowed Donald Trump to use British military bases for US strikes on Iran. Mr Streeting wrote: 'Our alliance with the US remains indispensable and rooted in deep historical ties. But Atlanticism cannot mean automatic subservience. 'When US presidents flirt with authoritarian leaders, undermine international law or pursue reckless military adventurism, Britain must have the confidence to act independently. 'We learned at terrible cost in Iraq what happens when loyalty replaces judgment.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.