 | 'The Labour leadership is not living in the real world. Dunfermline teaches us that traditional Labour voters are deserting in their droves because they've had enough of this 'legacy agenda'.' John MacDougall, Labour MP for Fife Central, 10 th February 2006. |  |
Tony Blair made an extraordinary appeal yesterday to rebel Labour MPs not to destroy key parts of his legacy by voting against identity cards and tougher anti-terror legislation.
Addressing Labour's spring conference in Blackpool after his party's shock defeat in the Dunfermline and West Fife by-election, Mr Blair appeared to admit that his own position as Prime Minister now hung in the balance ahead of what he said were two "critical votes" in the Commons next week.
He called for Labour MPs to "keep the faith" and support him over new laws that he said were essential to ensure the public's security at a time of a heightened threat from terrorists, as well as over public service reform.
"This is a moment to stand firm, to have faith that the changes we are making will, in time, work to our country's advantage and therefore to ours," he said.
Turning up pressure on rebel Labour MPs, Mr Blair said "it simply beggars belief" that an alliance of Tories, Lib Dems, peers and "some of our own" MPs should want to weaken anti-terror laws.
He warned delegates that Labour unity was all the more important because the Tories were now more of a threat to Labour under David Cameron's leadership.
"I don't discount in any way the electoral danger of the Tories," he said. "They have a strategy for being a more effective opposition."
Labour MPs, he said, had a duty to back his controversial education reforms which would reduce inequalities in the system.
Yesterday, the turmoil within Labour deepened when party officials confirmed that the Education Bill, scheduled to be published next week, had been delayed. It is not now expected before the end of the month.
Delegates gathered in Blackpool in gloomy mood after one of Labour's worst by-election results of recent years.
Labour's majority of more than 11,500 was overturned by the Liberal Democrats who stormed to victory with a majority of 1,800 on a swing of 16.24 per cent.
The SNP came third and the Tories polled just 2,702 votes, down from 4,376 at the last election.
For Labour it was all the more embarrassing as it came at a time when the Lib Dems are leaderless and in crisis after the resignation of the party leader Charles Kennedy.
Alistair Darling, the Transport Secretary, who was in charge of the campaign, blamed local issues, notably proposed increases in toll charges on the Forth Road Bridge, for the loss.
He said: "I accept entire responsibility for the conduct of this election campaign. We wanted to win it; we did not win it."
Mr Blair made no mention of the result throughout his speech in Blackpool, to the surprise of many delegates.
Left-wing Labour MP John McDonnell said the Prime Minister was directly to blame for the result because he was pursuing policies that were out of line with what voters wanted.
"The Labour leadership is not living in the real world. Dunfermline teaches us that traditional Labour voters are deserting in their droves because they've had enough of this 'legacy agenda'."
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