Tony Blair wades in to offer advice to Keir Starmer with 3-point takedown of Reform

Sir Tony Blair urged Sir Keir Starmer to come up with a plan for controlling immigration in a bid to tackle the threat posed by Nigel Farage.

The former Labour leader offered the Prime Minister a three-point solution to fight Reform UK.

He said Sir Keir's focus should be on illegal migration with the introduction of digital identity cards, a robust approach to law and order, and avoiding "vulnerability on wokeism".

Writing in the Sunday Times, the New Labour leader said: "We need a plan to control immigration. If we don’t have rules, we get prejudices.

"In office, I believed the best solution was a system of identity, so that we know precisely who has a right to be here.

"With, again, technology, we should move as the world is moving to digital ID. If not, new border controls will have to be highly effective.

"We need a tough new approach to law and order. At present, criminal elements are modernising faster than law enforcement.

"And the government should avoid any vulnerability on 'wokeism'."

Sir Tony compared Britain to other European countries like France and Italy where “traditional political parties are suffering disruption” and “new entrants” are “running riot”.

He said: "Cultural issues, as much if not more than economic issues, are at the heart of it.

"Reform has pillaged the Tory vote in this election, true. But it poses a challenge for Labour too."

He also warned that underneath the sweeping electoral gains, there were clear signs that many voters had been seeking to punish the Tories at the ballot box rather than reward Labour.

Parallels have often been drawn between Sir Keir's stewardship of Labour and Sir Tony's as the Prime Minister moved to claim the political centre ground following the Jeremy Corbyn era.