Focus on the issues, Blair urges

12 April 2012

Tony Blair has urged the Labour Party to put the infighting of the past few weeks behind it and focus on developing "big ideas" for the future.

Speaking at the start of what he has said will be his last Labour conference as leader and Prime Minister, Mr Blair acknowledged that recent weeks had been "difficult".

But he insisted that he was looking ahead and wanted the annual conference in Manchester to see the party addressing the concerns of the public, not wrangling over his departure.

Mr Blair told BBC1's Sunday AM: "What I want to do this week is say to the party: We have had a difficult time recently. Go back, focus on the public, the public's concerns and things that really worry people.

"Set out the big ideas on the health service, on education, on immigration, on law and order, how we keep a strong economy in the new global world.

"If we do that, then all the stuff of the last few weeks will be forgotten and we can concentrate on the future."

Mr Blair said it would be "strange" to be attending the conference for the last time as leader, but insisted that Labour had "an immense amount to be proud of" from his time in office.

Mr Blair declined to give an open declaration of support for Gordon Brown as his successor as Labour leader and Prime Minister.

Pressed several times by interviewer Andrew Marr, the PM insisted he would not express a preference about his successor at this stage.

And he revealed that he agreed this approach with Mr Brown and other senior ministers at last Thursday's meeting of the Cabinet.

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