Tony Blair should be admired for his government’s achievements on workers’ rights and the health service, the Liberal Democrat leader, Tim Farron, has said in a conference speech pitched squarely at moderate Labour voters.
He told the party’s conference in Brighton he was amazed Labour party members were “throwing around the word Blairite as if it’s the world’s most offensive insult”.
Farron said he was not a Blairite, citing his opposition to the Iraq war, compulsory ID cards, 90-day detention, and deregulation of the banks. “There is more to Tony Blair’s legacy than that,” he went on. “I kind of see Blair the way I see the Stone Roses: I preferred the early work.”
Farron said Blair’s legacy was also the minimum wage, working tax credits, NHS investment and school building. “I disagree with him a lot, but I will not criticise him for those things. I admire him for those things,” he said.
“I respect him for believing that the point of being in politics is to get stuff done, and you can only get stuff done if you win. Otherwise you’re letting your opponent get stuff done instead.”
Farron has previously expressed admiration for the former Labour prime minister, telling the Guardian last week he believed “a person who thinks winning elections so you can do good is honourable”.
The party has made no secret during its Brighton conference of its desire to seize those on the centre-left and right concerned about the swerve of both main parties away from the middle ground.
There is little evidence thus far that those voters have been convinced that the LibDems are the answer, however, new polling released yesterday show their ratings have barely changed from a year ago, despite heightened attention post-Brexit vote.
When asked to compare Farron with the Liberal Democrat party, just 23% stated that they liked Farron but slightly more – 28% – said they liked the LibDems, with no change from last year’s conference. Almost half of those surveyed said “don’t know”, an indication that the leader has barely raised his public profile since taking over from Nick Clegg.
It also remains to be seen how Farron’s praise of Blair will be received by his party. 
Farron said he wanted to convince voters his party was the only one who could deny a pro-Brexit Conservative government a majority. He said: “I’m prepared to work with people of all parties and none if it will make people’s lives better. But I couldn’t work with Jeremy Corbyn, because Corbyn would never work with me.” 
He had kinder words for Owen Smith, Corbyn’s leadership rival. “Unlike Corbyn, he is certainly on our side of the European debate,” Farron said. “So if Owen Smith wins, I want to make clear that I am open to working together. And there are others I could work with too.”
In his speech Farron cited the former Labour frontbenchers Yvette Cooper, Chuka Umunna and Caroline Flint, all currently competing to chair the home affairs select committee, which the LibDem leader called “a retirement position”. He said: “Shouldn’t that be their leadership contest? What are these people doing, jostling for position in a sideshow? They should be centre-stage.”