Mr Blair, a prophet without honour in his own country

Half the British people say they could never forgive their former Prime Minister for what he did wrong

53 per cent of the general public said they could “never forgive” Tony Blair (PA)

Tony Blair, the youthful elder statesman, returned to the fray this week, but the British people, who three times elected him with larger total majorities than any other prime minister, did not want to hear him.

He made the case again for Britain staying in the European Union, and for deploying troops in Syria. But he attracted as much attention for a YouGov poll carried out after his interview with Prospect magazine on Tuesday, which found that 53 per cent of the public said they could “never forgive” him for what “he did wrong”.

It should be borne in mind that, for many Britons, what he did wrong was to allow unrestricted immigration from the new EU members when they joined in 2004, rather than joining the American invasion of Iraq the year before.

For whatever reason, however, Mr Blair is a prophet without honour in his own country. On the subject of Europe, this is a shame, as he would otherwise be one of the most persuasive makers of the case for the UK’s membership of the EU. He is head and shoulders above most of his successors in arguing for an open Britain that should play an active and leading role in an open Europe.

Indeed, there are many subjects on which we can learn from Mr Blair’s experience. His government’s many achievements should not be eclipsed by his failings. On the reform of public services, he showed more grip in his later years than has been applied since. David Cameron, whose mismanagement has contributed to the crisis in the NHS, should have listened to his predecessor rather than to his Conservative colleague Andrew Lansley.

On the subject of the Middle East, on the other hand, Mr Blair’s continued advocacy of western military intervention deserves to fall on deaf ears.