New political party 'may be impossible' in British system, says Tony Blair
Former Labour PM says the party conference season will also be a 'watershed in British politics'
A new political party "may be impossible" within the British system, Tony Blair has said as he urged "serious figures" in both Labour and the Conservatives to demand change of their leadership.
The former Labour prime minister between 1997 and 2007 said the forthcoming party conference season will also "expose in sharp relief the change state" of his former party and the Theresa May's Tories.
"They will provide evidence of the driving spirit inhabiting each main party, of the direction of the soul," he said.
His remarks follow months of speculation regarding the creation of a breakaway "centrist" party made up of those disillusioned with the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn.
But in an article for The Times newspaper, Mr Blair wrote: "I am not advocating a new party, organising one, or wanting to vote for one.
"In the British system such an endeavour may be impossible".
Mr Blair, a frequent critic of the Labour leadership, also used his article to suggest that under Mr Corbyn "outcasts from the political wilderness" have suddenly found themselves in governing positions within the party.
"With them has come their sectarian, shouty, finger jabbing, with a whole sub-culture of conspiracy theories - the left equivalent of the alt-right," he said.
The former prime minister also suggested that the Conservative government is "in a form of profound dysfunction" and is doing "deep disservice to the nation".
He added: "Yet neither the Labour Party nor its leader is ahead. As so often in history, attitudes towards the Jewish community are predictive of something larger. A world view has been laid bare and the nature of a large and growing party of today's Labour Party unmasked.
"Neither correspondent to the true Labour tradition," Mr Blair wrote.
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1/50 25 July 2020
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8/50 18 July 2020
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11/50 15 July 2020
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14/50 12 July 2020
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16/50 10 July 2020
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18/50 8 July 2020
Players take a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement on the first day of the first Test cricket match between England and the West Indies at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton
AFP via Getty
19/50 7 July 2020
A circus performer from the Association of Circus Proprietors in Whitehall, London. The association handed a petition to Downing Street to ask Prime Minister Boris Johnson to allow circuses to reopen
EPA
20/50 6 July 2020
Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland, which re-opened to the public after being closed due to the coronavirus lockdown
PA
21/50 5 July 2020
People visit Columbia Road Flower Market, London, as it reopens following the easing of coronavirus lockdown restrictions across England
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22/50 4 July 2020
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AFP via Getty
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Cardboard cutouts of fans in the stands prior to the League One play-off semi final match between Portsmouth and Oxford United at Fratton Park
PA
24/50 2 July 2020
A diver cleans the inside window of the seal tank at Tynemouth Aquarium in North Shields, as it prepares to open on Saturday after further coronavirus lockdown restrictions are lifted in England
PA
25/50 1 July 2020
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AFP via Getty
26/50 30 June 2020
(left to right) Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald, former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams, and Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill attending the funeral of senior Irish Republican and former leading IRA figure Bobby Storey in west Belfast
PA
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28/50 28 June 2020
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30/50 26 June 2020
Police at the scene of an incident at the Park Inn Hotel in central Glasgow. Scottish police said armed officers shot dead a man after a suspected stabbing in the city centre left six others injured, including one of their colleagues. Several roads were closed and the surrounding area was cordoned off
AFP via Getty
31/50 25 June 2020
A horse is washed down at Haydock Racecourse
PA
32/50 24 June 2020
People enjoy the hot weather on Margate beach
Reuters
33/50 23 June 2020
Tony Bennett the owner of The Devereux pub in Temple, London. Pub and hospitality bosses have cheered the Government's proposals to allow customers through their doors again on July 4 as "a welcome relief". PA Photo. Picture date: Tuesday June 23, 2020. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday that pubs, restaurants and cinemas will be able to reopen from July 4, with "one metre-plus" distancing measures in place
PA
34/50 22 June 2020
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PA
35/50 21 June 2020
Soccer Football - Premier League - Everton v Liverpool - Goodison Park, Liverpool, Britain - June 21, 2020 Children play football outside the stadium before the match, as play resumes behind closed doors following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
Action Images via Reuters
36/50 20 June 2020
Arsenal's midfielder Nicolas Pepe kneels before the Premier League match against Brighton and Hove Albion at the American Express Community Stadium in southern England
AFP via Getty
37/50 19 June 2020
Bianca Walkden during a training session at the National Taekwondo Centre in Manchester
PA
38/50 18 June 2020
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AFP
39/50 17 June 2020
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AP
40/50 16 June 2020
Motakhayyel ridden by Jim Crowley, right, wins the Buckingham Palace Handicap during day one of Royal Ascot. This year, the flat racing's biggest meeting, is behind closed doors due to the coronavirus outbreak
PA
41/50 15 June 2020
Queues form at Primark at the Rushden Lakes shopping complex after the government relaxed coronavirus lockdown laws significantly, allowing zoos, safari parks and non-essential shops to open to visitors
Getty
42/50 14 June 2020
A man kneels at a commemoration to mark the third anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire in London. The fire claimed 72 lives on 14 June 2017
PA
43/50 13 June 2020
Protesters confront police in Whitehall near Parliament Square, during a protest by the Democratic Football Lads Alliance
PA
44/50 12 June 2020
A Black Lives Matter supporter sings to crowds who marched with her in front of the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square in London. The death of an African American man, George Floyd, while in the custody of Minneapolis police has sparked protests across the United States, as well as demonstrations of solidarity in many countries around the world
Getty
45/50 11 June 2020
Scouts show their support at the Lord Baden-Powell statue in Poole. The statue of Robert Baden-Powell on Poole Quay is to be placed in "safe storage" following concerns about his racial views
Getty
46/50 10 June 2020
Social distancing markers around the penguin enclosure at London Zoo. Staff have been preparing and are now ready for reopening next week with new signage, one-way trails for visitors to follow, and extra handwashing and sanitiser stations in place
PA
47/50 9 June 2020
Protestors hold placards and shout slogans during during a protest called by the Rhodes Must Fall campaign calling for the removal of the statue of British imperialist Cecil John Rhodes outside Oriel College, at the University of Oxford
AFP via Getty
48/50 8 June 2020
Hermione Wilson helps to install a new artwork at Jupiter Artland, Edinburgh, created as a tribute to the NHS titled "A Thousand Thank Yous" originally devised by the late Allan Kaprow which consists of colourful painted messages on cardboard and has been directed remotely by London-based artist Peter Liversidge
PA
49/50 7 June 2020
The Edward Colston statue has been pulled down by Black Lives Matter protesters in Bristol. Colston was a 17th century slave trader who has numerous landmarks named after him in Bristol
SWNS
50/50 6 June 2020
Children pose for their family in front of discarded placards fixed on a wall in Piccadilly Gardens after a Black Lives Matter demonstrations in Manchester. The death of an African-American man, George Floyd, while in the custody of Minneapolis police has sparked protests across the United States, as well as demonstrations of solidarity in many countries around the world
Getty
Earlier this week, Mr Corbyn responded to similar criticisms from Mr Blair, telling the BBC: "I think Tony should recognise that the party membership is now much bigger than it's ever been. It's the biggest it's ever been in my lifetime.
"In the general election last year we set out what our aspirations are for the people of this country - sadly we didn't win, but we got the highest vote for Labour since 2001."
Jon Lansman, one of the founders of Momentum - the group set up to support Mr Corbyn's left-wing politics after his first leadership victory - added: "Tony Blair was never in the right party and there will never be a return to his politics in UK Labour."
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