This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk_politics/5329792.stm
The article has changed 17 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 13 | Version 14 |
|---|---|
| Blair calls for halt to sniping | Blair calls for halt to sniping |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Labour must focus on policy and not infighting over its leadership to win the next election, Prime Minister Tony Blair has warned. | Labour must focus on policy and not infighting over its leadership to win the next election, Prime Minister Tony Blair has warned. |
| In his first public speech since saying he would step down within the year, he said Labour was "ideologically united" despite the "spasm" of the last week. | In his first public speech since saying he would step down within the year, he said Labour was "ideologically united" despite the "spasm" of the last week. |
| The comments come as former home secretary Charles Clarke criticised the PM's likely successor Gordon Brown. | The comments come as former home secretary Charles Clarke criticised the PM's likely successor Gordon Brown. |
| Mr Blair said attacks within the party "turns the public off". | Mr Blair said attacks within the party "turns the public off". |
| 'Personal attacks' | 'Personal attacks' |
| Tony Blair was making the keynote speech at the 10th anniversary conference of the Progress Organisation, in central London. | |
| "We're three years away from an election and we can remake ourselves," he said. | "We're three years away from an election and we can remake ourselves," he said. |
| But Mr Blair said this could only be achieved "by behaving like we did when we were hungry for power before 1997". | But Mr Blair said this could only be achieved "by behaving like we did when we were hungry for power before 1997". |
| We go out, face out to the people, we succeed... We face inward - we lose Tony Blair Relaxed Blair 'on form' Hain backs Brown for PM He said the party then understood the country and not itself mattered. | We go out, face out to the people, we succeed... We face inward - we lose Tony Blair Relaxed Blair 'on form' Hain backs Brown for PM He said the party then understood the country and not itself mattered. |
| "We can either - after the kind of spasm of last week retreat into personal attacks... or we can say we are going in a mature, intelligent, and capable way to describe to the country what we've done," he said. | "We can either - after the kind of spasm of last week retreat into personal attacks... or we can say we are going in a mature, intelligent, and capable way to describe to the country what we've done," he said. |
| Mr Blair said the government needed to address "difficult issues" such as the welfare state, global warming, security and migration. | Mr Blair said the government needed to address "difficult issues" such as the welfare state, global warming, security and migration. |
| "What the people out there want to know are the answers to their difficult questions and the challenges of their lives," he said. | "What the people out there want to know are the answers to their difficult questions and the challenges of their lives," he said. |
| "What they don't want is to see a whole lot of politicians talking to themselves. So we go out, face out to the people, we succeed. We face inward - we lose." | "What they don't want is to see a whole lot of politicians talking to themselves. So we go out, face out to the people, we succeed. We face inward - we lose." |
| Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain later also called for an end to the fighting and voiced his support for Chancellor Gordon Brown. | |
| "Gordon Brown, I believe, will be an excellent successor," he said. | |
| Speaking outside the conference, he said: "I do not think that anybody could or should beat Gordon. He has my support." | |
| 'Control freak' | 'Control freak' |
| Speaking at the conference, Cabinet ministers Douglas Alexander and Harriet Harman also urged the party to stop fighting and get behind the chancellor. | |
| One party activist, who heard Mr Blair's speech, called on the party to stop "squabbling". | One party activist, who heard Mr Blair's speech, called on the party to stop "squabbling". |
| Diana Stromberg, from the Bedfordshire constituency party, said: | Diana Stromberg, from the Bedfordshire constituency party, said: |
| The speech comes as Mr Brown was criticised by a former minister"If I was a mother with a son coming back from Afghanistan in a body-bag (and this is happening weekly if not daily), it is an insult to have a government carrying on like this." | The speech comes as Mr Brown was criticised by a former minister"If I was a mother with a son coming back from Afghanistan in a body-bag (and this is happening weekly if not daily), it is an insult to have a government carrying on like this." |
| A handful of anti-war protesters were involved in scuffles with police when Mr Blair arrived for the speech as they tried to get past barriers. | A handful of anti-war protesters were involved in scuffles with police when Mr Blair arrived for the speech as they tried to get past barriers. |
| Three men were arrested for violent disorder and are being held at a north London station, said Scotland Yard. | Three men were arrested for violent disorder and are being held at a north London station, said Scotland Yard. |
| Mr Blair's attempt to heal wounds within the party comes amid mounting speculation about the end of Mr Blair's tenure as prime minister. | Mr Blair's attempt to heal wounds within the party comes amid mounting speculation about the end of Mr Blair's tenure as prime minister. |
| Mr Clarke launched another attack on Mr Brown on Saturday accusing him of being a "control freak" and lacking the courage to take tough decisions. | Mr Clarke launched another attack on Mr Brown on Saturday accusing him of being a "control freak" and lacking the courage to take tough decisions. |
| "He is totally, totally uncollegiate", he told the Daily Telegraph. | "He is totally, totally uncollegiate", he told the Daily Telegraph. |
| He said he had found it difficult to work with Mr Brown on issues such as student finance and ID cards. | He said he had found it difficult to work with Mr Brown on issues such as student finance and ID cards. |
| "It was the control freak thing. His massive weakness is that he can't work with people." | "It was the control freak thing. His massive weakness is that he can't work with people." |
| Mr Clarke also said the chancellor was labouring under the "delusion" he could have beaten Mr Blair for the Labour leadership if he had stood in 1994". | Mr Clarke also said the chancellor was labouring under the "delusion" he could have beaten Mr Blair for the Labour leadership if he had stood in 1994". |
| His comments came after his earlier interview with the Evening Standard in which he accused Mr Brown of "absolutely stupid" behaviour during the furore over the leadership. | His comments came after his earlier interview with the Evening Standard in which he accused Mr Brown of "absolutely stupid" behaviour during the furore over the leadership. |