Blair fears Labour may never be 'taken back' from Corbynites
Tony Blair expressed doubt that the Labour party will ever be "taken back" from left-wing supporters of Jeremy Corbyn, as talk of more moderate MPs breaking away from the party continues.
Speaking on to the BBC's Nick Robinson on Friday, the former Labour Prime Minister said that the party had undergone a "profound change" under Corbyn’s tenure and that many people feel that the party is "lost".
The party’s leadership was now comprised of those who had historically been "on the margins" of the party or in a different party, such as the Communists or "Trotskyist groups", Blair said.
But Blair himself presided over a strong change in the party, hauling it towards the centre ground of the political spectrum as the rebranded ‘new Labour’ when he helmed the party between 1994 and 2007.
The current Labour leader responded to Blair’s comments by pointing out that party membership "is now much bigger than it has ever been."
"I've been in the Labour Party all my life. I am a socialist. I am determined to see a fairer and more equal society. That's what the Labour Party exists for. We're there for human rights. We're there for social justice. We're there for the future of the people of this country," said Corbyn.
Corbyn allies defended him in force, with Labour backbencher Chris Williamson arguing that the party "has never been more united", while Momentum founder Jon Lansman said Blair had never been in the right party.
The spat comes amid continuing allegations of anti-Semitism with the party, something which Blair said he couldn't have imagined happening in his party, and speculation of a new ‘centre ground’ party emerging.
Blair, who is a long-standing critic of Corbyn, has never publicly backed the idea but came close on Friday as he painted a picture of a fractured party.
"I don't think the British people will tolerate a situation where, for example, the choice at the next election is Boris Johnson versus Jeremy Corbyn. I don't know what will happen and I don't know how it will happen."
"But I just don't believe people will find that, in the country as a whole, an acceptable choice. Something will fill that vacuum."