Tony Blair to take bigger role in Labour election campaign

Tony Blair's carefully considered attack on David Cameron's Europe policy on Tuesday was the start of a wider role for the former Labour prime minister in the election campaign, it has emerged.

Labour officials say Mr Blair - who won three elections - is expected to campaign in a number of marginal seats and will also pay a symbolic visit to the party's campaign headquarters in London in the coming days.

The move represents a risky strategy for Labour leader Ed Miliband; Mr Blair is a divisive figure in the country and also in his party, because of his key role in supporting the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Conservatives were quick to claim that Mr Blair's thoughtful and expansive speech on Tuesday - exploring Britain's role in Europe and the world - put Mr Miliband in the shade.

But Mr Miliband's aides praised Mr Blair's "helpful, brilliant contribution" to the election debate, in which the former prime minister claimed the Conservative plan for an EU referendum would create economic "chaos".

The proximity of the election - and the closeness of the contest - has seen the Labour tribe pull together, although the relationship between past and present leaders is still being carefully managed.

Mr Blair, who warned in January that Labour was in danger of losing the election by abandoning the centre ground, is not expected to share a platform with Mr Miliband during the campaign.

However he did just enough to quell speculation that he was only supporting Mr Miliband's campaign through gritted teeth: "I support him 100 per cent," he said.

The former Labour leader used a speech in his former Sedgefield constituency in Co Durham to discuss Britain's role in global affairs in a way not seen so far in what has been a domestically focused election campaign.

While Mr Miliband has focused on the National Health Service and Mr Cameron on the economy, Mr Blair's address explored themes such as the rise of China, Islamic fundamentalism and Britain's role in Europe.

He said that leaving the EU would leave Britain "diminished in the world" and that even Mr Cameron's pledge to hold a referendum would threaten Britain's position as "a great global nation".

Mr Blair said that the lesson of the Scottish independence referendum - which he called a "near-death experience" - was a reminder that such votes did not always settle matters for good.

Conservatives said the former Labour leader had given away part of Britain's EU rebate and had "no credibility" on the subject of Europe.

Anthony Wells of pollsters YouGov said that although Mr Blair was a divisive figure, his intervention did help to get across Labour's message that a vote on the EU was risky.

He said Mr Blair might still retain some appeal to wavering Tory voters thinking of switching to Labour but there were very few of those. His intervention was unlikely to make much difference to left-leaning Labour supporters thinking of switching to the Greens or Scottish National party.

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