Tony Blair has told the Labour Party what it might – now – be willing to hear

The former prime minister has made clear that Jeremy Corbyn’s successor will have to redefine what ‘radical’ means, writes John Rentoul

Blair speaks at King’s College London (PA)

It has taken a long time, but I think more and more members and supporters of the Labour Party are now interested in what Tony Blair has to say. Admittedly, today’s lecture at King’s College London was to an audience of Blairites, including family, friends and lots of people who used to work for him.

But there were also some students there, and I noticed quite a lot of surreptitious but emphatic nodding going on. It reminded me that the late Philip Gould, the Labour pollster, used to say that the aim of Blair’s speeches and interviews was to get people watching on TV “nodding along”. That has long been an exceptional skill of Blair’s – he said the Labour Party does “better when we are the calm voice of reason” – but he has been through a long period when most of the party wished he would just shut up and go away.

The election defeat in December has changed that. Although many Labour members don’t want to let go of their “radical” policies, they are open to debate about priorities and how to communicate them.