![\"Makerfield](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/keir-starmer-defends-approach-to-ai-and-energy-in-response-to-tony-blair-s-essay.jpg\")
Blair’s essay has drawn criticism from former ministers Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting, who are widely thought to be considering plans to oust Sir Keir (Peter Byrne\/PA)<\/p>\nKeir Starmer has mounted a defence of his government\u2019s plan for energy security, artificial intelligence and economic growth, after Tony Blair published a 5,700-word essay criticising his approach.<\/p>\n
The UK prime minister penned an almost 3,000-word-long post published to Substack on Thursday, responding to the essay.<\/p>\n
In it, Starmer admitted the UK government needed \u201ca bigger response than we anticipated in 2024\u201d on issues such as economic growth, defence, Europe and energy.<\/p>\n
\u201cNonetheless, it will come as no surprise to hear that I do not agree with everything Tony says about Britain or the Government,\u201d Starmer continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd to explain why, it is instructive to return to the 2024 context and the despairing commentary about Britain\u2019s perceived decline.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a running theme of the campaign. Britain was in an unbreakable trap, a \u2018doom-loop\u2019 so fiendish that escape was utterly inconceivable.\u201d<\/p>\n
This \u201chand-wringing commentary continues unabated \u2013 but the facts about Britain have changed dramatically,\u201d the Prime Minister added.<\/p>\n
He said the government was \u201con track to deliver the fastest reduction in NHS waiting times since the service\u2019s creation in 1948\u201d, had slashed net migration \u201cfrom a high of nearly one million towards the end of the Tory period of rule to just 171,000 now\u201d, and taken steps to reduce child poverty.<\/p>\n
Blair, who led the Labour Party between 1994 and 2007, wrote in his essay that artificial intelligence (AI) \u201cwill change everything\u201d with unknown consequences, including for jobs.<\/p>\n
Far from being left behind on artificial intelligence, Britain is at the front of the pack. This isn\u2019t rhetoric. Britain is widely recognised by the leading lights of that sector as being a growing and sovereign AI player<\/p>\n
Sir Keir Starmer <\/p>\n
He warned that the European approach \u201cweights technology regulation against the technology sector\u201d.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cWe can\u2019t argue that technological innovation and adoption is the key challenge of modern governance and tie ourselves to a technology environment essentially hostile to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Responding to this point, Starmer said: \u201cFar from being left behind on artificial intelligence, Britain is at the front of the pack.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t rhetoric. Britain is widely recognised by the leading lights of that sector as being a growing and sovereign AI player.\u201d<\/p>\n
He pointed to investment into datacentres in Loughton, Essex, and Blyth, Northumberland, as evidence of a nationwide investment into tech.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is improving our public services, particularly the NHS,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Blair’s essay has drawn criticism from former ministers Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting, who are widely thought to be considering plans to oust Sir Keir (Peter Byrne\/PA)<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd as we build this future, we are taking measures that strengthen our sovereignty; making sure we are an AI rule-maker, not a rule-taker.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is our principles in action, once again. Not just passively accepting our economic fate, but actively shaping the future. Taking control. Unlocking the potential of the whole country.\u201d<\/p>\n
On energy, Blair urged the government to \u201cremove those parts of the net-zero agenda which prioritise clean energy over cheaper energy\u201d, including by using North Sea oil and gas resources.<\/p>\n
\u201cI recognise that Britain cannot unilaterally tackle climate change on its own,\u201d Starmer wrote in his response.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we are a leading G7 economy, our voice, our example and our leadership matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Starmer said North Sea fossil fuels would continue to contribute to the energy mix but warned \u201cit is also clearly a depleting source that has no discernible impact on the global price of oil and gas\u201d.<\/p>\n
![\"Donald](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1780132693_155_keir-starmer-defends-approach-to-ai-and-energy-in-response-to-tony-blair-s-essay.jpg\")
Starmer said Blair\u2019s government had done \u2018many great things\u2019 but failed to divert the UK away from \u2018the direction set by (Margaret) Thatcher\u2019 (Jack Taylor\/PA)<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cEven with our own resources, we are now a net importer of fossil fuels and that is the single biggest driver of soaring energy bills bar none.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd so, investing in clean British energy strengthens our agency over those markets.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt takes control of our bills on behalf of working people.\u201d<\/p>\n
On economic growth, Starmer said \u201cpopulism cannot be \u2018bought off\u2019 with higher growth and old school redistribution\u201d.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cIt is a more profound and subtle crisis \u2013 its roots are economic, but it also about dignity and respect.<\/p>\n
\u201cWorking people and working class communities want an economy that they have a stake in, a state that respects the value they contribute, and a Government that can help them achieve greater control over an increasingly insecure world.<\/p>\n
![\"Progress](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1780132693_361_keir-starmer-defends-approach-to-ai-and-energy-in-response-to-tony-blair-s-essay.jpg\")
Wes Streeting this week wrote in the Guardian that the \u2018striking weakness at the heart of Tony Blair\u2019s intervention\u2019 is the lack of mention of inequality (Jeff Moore\/PA)<\/p>\n
\u201cAny economic plan that does not wrestle with this is on a political hiding to nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Blair\u2019s essay has drawn criticism from former ministers Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting, who are widely thought to be considering plans to oust Starmer.<\/p>\n
Writing in the Times on Thursday, Burnham accused Blair of \u201cretro thinking\u201d in his calls for deregulation.<\/p>\n
He said the former prime minister\u2019s approach risked blocking Labour \u201cfrom protecting children by failing to regulate social media, artificial intelligence and big tech\u201d.<\/p>\n
Arguing that raising living standards \u201cmust be the defining mission of now\u201d, he said Blair\u2019s government had done \u201cmany great things\u201d but failed to divert the UK away from \u201cthe direction set by (Margaret) Thatcher\u201d.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cThis has given us 40 years of neoliberalism and the simple truth is this: it has not been kind to communities in Makerfield and those like them across the UK.\u201d<\/p>\n
Streeting this week wrote in the Guardian that the \u201cstriking weakness at the heart of Sir Tony Blair\u2019s intervention\u201d is the lack of mention of inequality.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cAcross thousands of words about technology, geopolitics and political strategy, the defining issue of our age is barely confronted at all.<\/p>\n
\u201cInequality \u2013 the economic, social and democratic fracture running through modern Britain \u2013 is treated as peripheral rather than fundamental.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Keir Starmer has mounted a defence of his government\u2019s plan for energy security, artificial intelligence and economic growth,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":474482,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[220,218,219,61,60,80],"class_list":["post-474481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-artificial-intelligence","tag-ai","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-artificialintelligence","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=474481"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474481\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/474482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=474481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=474481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=474481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}