Blair says he was “mis-interpreted” over Economist remarks, and that Miliband has his full support

Several papers have picked up on an interview with the Economist in which Tony Blair appears to be disparaging about Labour’s chances of winning the general election, and Miliband’s leadership in general. Here’s offending section from the Economist interview is this:

“The result in 2015, he quips, could well be an election “in which a traditional left-wing party competes with a traditional right-wing party, with the traditional result”. Asked if he means a Tory win, Mr Blair confirms: “Yes, that is what happens.” Although Ed Miliband, the current Labour leader, has spoken of a shift in economic thinking since the financial crisis of 2007-08, Mr Blair firmly denies that Britain’s centre ground has shifted. “I see no evidence for that. You could argue that it has moved to the right, not left.” Mr Blair says that the 2010 election (in which David Cameron defeated Mr Blair’s successor, Gordon Brown), was a “classic tax-and-spend election”, and that turned out to the Conservatives’ advantage.

The forthright comments encapsulate an undimmed Blairite criticism of Mr Miliband as being too far to the left on economics and too reluctant a public-sector reformer. “I am still very much New Labour and Ed would not describe himself in that way, so there is obviously a difference there,” Mr Blair says. “I am convinced the Labour Party succeeds best when it is in the centre ground”.

Blair also goes on to identify “not alienating large parts of business” as one of the key lessons he has learned.

Now that did seem fairly damning, but the Economist interview (which you can read here) does seem to rely on a number of partial quotes. In particular the two lines that will rankle Miliband the most (the one about traditional left and right parties and the line about alienating business) are both partial sentences, which does beg questions about their context. Perhaps that’s why Blair has this morning argued that his comments have been “mis-interpreted”, tweeting his support for Miliband:

“My remarks have been mis-interpreted, I fully support Ed and my party and expect a Labour victory in the election.”