Labour has 'no coherent plan' for country, says former PM Blair

Sir Tony Blair has accused Sir Keir Starmer's government of having no "coherent plan" for the country and introducing policies that have held back business. In a highly critical essay, the former Labour prime minister singled out measures including new workers' rights laws, the phasing out of the British oil and gas industry and the above-inflation uplift to the minimum wage. However, he warned that whether there was a change of leader was "irrelevant if it doesn't start with a policy debate". In a response, Pensions Minister Torsten Bell said: "Awkwardly for an essay that argues that policy not politics must come first, is that this is an essay that puts politics not serious policy first." The essay of more than 5,600 words is Sir Tony's first in-depth critique of Sir Keir's government. He served as prime minister from 1997 to 2007, winning three general elections in a row during that period. His essay comes as the prime minister is under severe pressure, following a disastrous set of election results earlier this month and five ministerial resignations, with a leadership challenge widely expected. In an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Sir Tony said he did not think