BRITAIN: Tony Blair was "stupid" to announce his departure in advance, and may have jeopardised Labour's electoral future, John Reid, a senior minister, said yesterday.
Speaking less than an hour after Chancellor Gordon Brown's platform speech, the home secretary set out a radically different vision of Labour's future.
However, he declined to say whether he would challenge the chancellor for the leadership.
"Far from helping Labour win a victory at the next election, Tony Blair's loss will be a disadvantage," the home secretary said. "I think he was stupid to himself and to our prospects by saying he was going to go - but he said it." He warned that the party risked losing voters who had been won over by New Labour.