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Blair calls for halt to sniping | Blair calls for halt to sniping |
(about 2 hours 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 a 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 a 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 later flew to the Middle East to meet Israeli PM Ehud Olmert. | |
Earlier Mr Blair said attacks within the party "turns the public off". | |
'Personal attacks' | 'Personal attacks' |
He was making a keynote speech at the 10th anniversary conference of a New Labour think tank, 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 Blair kicks off Mid-East visit | 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 Blair kicks off Mid-East visit |
He said the party then understood the country and not itself mattered. | 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." |
Mr Blair was speaking before arriving in Israel for talks on restarting the Middle East peace process. | Mr Blair was speaking before arriving in Israel for talks on restarting the Middle East peace process. |
He was asked later at a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert whether he regretted his support of President George W Bush in the Middle East, now that he had announced his plans to leave office. | |
He said: " "I don't think it has ever been a mistake to stand shoulder to shoulder with America in the aftermath of 9/11." | |
'Control freak' | 'Control freak' |
Before Mr Blair's departure for the Middle East, Cabinet ministers Douglas Alexander and Harriet Harman lined up to urge the party to stop fighting and get behind the chancellor. | |
The speech came as Mr Brown was criticised again by Charles Clarke | The speech came as Mr Brown was criticised again by Charles Clarke |
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, Scotland Yard said. | Three men were arrested for violent disorder and are being held at a north London station, Scotland Yard said. |
Mr Blair's attempt to heal wounds within the party came amid mounting speculation about the end of his tenure as prime minister. | |
Mr Clarke launched another attack on Mr Brown on Saturday. He accused him of being a "control freak", lacking the courage to take tough decisions and being "deluded" about his relationship with the prime minister. | Mr Clarke launched another attack on Mr Brown on Saturday. He accused him of being a "control freak", lacking the courage to take tough decisions and being "deluded" about his relationship with the prime minister. |
"He is totally, totally uncollegiate", he told the Daily Telegraph. | "He is totally, totally uncollegiate", he told the Daily Telegraph. |
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. |
Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain described Mr Clarke's comments as "quite extraordinary" and said Mr Brown would be an "excellent successor". | Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain described Mr Clarke's comments as "quite extraordinary" and said Mr Brown would be an "excellent successor". |
"What has been going on in the past week is an absolute and total disgrace," he said. | "What has been going on in the past week is an absolute and total disgrace," he said. |
"People are fed up to the back teeth of senior figures kicking lumps out of each together. It has got to stop and it has got to stop now." | "People are fed up to the back teeth of senior figures kicking lumps out of each together. It has got to stop and it has got to stop now." |