Blair is talking sense on this Lefty Labour Party, and Starmer should listen to save them

Blair is talking sense on this Lefty Labour Party, and Starmer should listen to save them

From Planet Normal by The Telegraph

May 27, 2026 · 1h 2m

About this episode

The episode discusses Tony Blair's critique of the Labour Party and the current political landscape in the UK.

You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/uXkk5GHpPE4 This week on Planet Normal, your co-pilots of sanity, Liam Halligan and Allison Pearson, dive into a political landscape dominated by explosive leadership interventions and growing institutional scandal. Following a dramatic local election period, the duo analyzes a scathing 5,000-word essay by former Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has openly lacerated his own party for what he calls an “infinite capacity for self-delusion”. Liam details the escalating fiscal warning signs rattling the British establishment. He warns that despite a temporary dip in the UK inflation rate to 2.8%, it is on track to hit 5% later this year. With long-term government borrowing costs flirting with 30-year highs, Liam argues that cosmetic fixes like supermarket price controls and rollercoaster VAT cuts will do nothing to soothe terrified sovereign bond markets. Meanwhile Allison shares her assessment of the Scottish National Party following the sensational embezzlement guilty plea of its former chief executive.  This week’s stowaway on the rocket is serial entrepreneur and hospitality titan Luke Johnson, who shares a powerful…

People in this episode

Hosts: Liam Halligan, Allison Pearson

Guest: Luke Johnson

Topics covered

  • politics
  • Labour Party
  • leadership
  • economic issues
  • Scottish National Party
  • socialism

Keywords

  • Tony Blair
  • Labour Party
  • Sir Keir Starmer
  • Luke Johnson
  • Scottish National Party
  • inflation
  • socialism
  • political landscape

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Scottish National Party, Planet Normal, The Telegraph

More episodes of Planet Normal

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Planet Normal podcast page.