Blair breezes in to back old rival Brown

Tony Blair was quick to praise Gordon Brown in his speech to Labour Party members yesterday. Photo / AP

LONDON - Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair will return regularly during the general election campaign to bolster Labour efforts to hang on to crucial "Middle England" swing voters, party sources confirmed.

Old enmities were buried yesterday as Blair poured praise on Prime Minister Gordon Brown's "experience, judgment and boldness" during the financial crisis.

Despite the legacy of the Iraq war and resentment over Blair's post-Downing Street earnings, Labour strategists are convinced he remains popular among former Conservative supporters won over by the party in 1997.

They are pencilling in more "strategic interventions" by Blair in the run-up to polling on May 6. His task will be to demolish suggestions that Conservative Party David Cameron is the "heir to Blair" and to argue that Labour retains its reforming zeal.

A heavily tanned Blair chose his former constituency of Trimdon in County Durham for his first intervention in domestic politics since his resignation in 2007.

He received two standing ovations as he tore into Cameron's "time for a change" message as the "most vacuous slogan in politics", claiming the Tories had yet to set out a coherent platform.

He also argued that New Labour had spelt out the detailed policies it would implement in government during the run-up to the 1997 election.

He claimed that, by contrast, the question marks over the Tories' position had intensified, adding: "They look like they are either the old Tory Party, but want to hide it, or they're not certain which way to go."

Blair maintained that Brown had taken all the right decisions at the onset of the credit crunch, helping Britain to emerge "better virtually than any predicted".

Derrick Brown, a retired trade union official, said: "He has recharged our batteries. There's quite a few in the party who are not happy about the Iraq war, but I don't think he is a liability."

A Labour source said: "We expect all our key players, including Tony Blair, to play a full part in the election campaign."

A source close to Blair said his role as Middle East peace envoy took up much of his time, but added: "He will also be making time for the campaign. Over the past two-and-a-half years he hasn't been involved in UK politics, but he thought it was time to do so as attention was turning to the election. He will do whatever Gordon wants him to do during the campaign."

Yesterday the debate raged over whether Blair's return would help or hinder the party he once led. Brown said: "I welcome him saying there is a real risk, a real danger, a real threat from the Conservative Party."

But Cameron insisted he was not worried about Blair's entry to the campaign, saying: "It is nice to see him making a speech no one is paying for."

HOW THE PAPERS SAW IT

Labour wanted to see how the man once known as Teflon Tony would go down with the voters. Now we all know that he bombed, it's unlikely we'll see much more of him on the campaign trail. He has now become Toxic Tony. - The Sun

[Blair] has certainly gone all American since he hit the mega-millions lecture circuit. [Brown was] taking a considerable risk by playing the Blair card. For the name of Tony Blair is not only synonymous with winning votes. It has also become associated with financial sleaze, lying, deceit and corruption. - The Daily Mail

Tony Blair stormed back to the centre stage of British politics yesterday with a demolition of [Conservative leader] David Cameron. Mr Blair's deconstruction of the Conservatives was forensic ... his bravura performance will put some belief back in Labour hearts. - The Daily Mirror

No one active in British politics yet does it better than Blair. - The Guardian

A word of caution before the excitement gets too great, however. Ex-premiers are best used in small doses, if at all. - The Independent

- INDEPENDENT