Ex-minister warns Brown Labour must regain focus

Published on Thursday 31 January 2008 21:19

LABOUR risks being exiled into opposition for a decade unless the government regains focus, Charles Clarke, a former Blair Cabinet minister, warned yesterday.

He also gave a coded warning to Gordon Brown over his constant reference to his management of the economy.

"It will not be enough simply to defend past achievements, however substantial. That tactic didn't work for Jim Callaghan or John Major in 1997. It won't work for Gordon Brown," he said.

If Labour gets it wrong, the next election – which he expects in 2010 – could lead to "more than a decade of Tory power".

Writing in the New Labour magazine, Progress, Mr Clarke said that the party had "wasted much of the first half of this parliament" in internal squabbles – a criticism also aimed at Tony Blair – and that it remains "very unclear" about what it has to offer voters in the coming general election.

He also warned that Mr Brown should not delay in showing a sense of purpose on issues such as Europe, the environment and public-sector reform.