Burnham and Streeting accuse Blair of ignoring inequality as they hit back at ex-PM

Andy Burnham, the Labour mayor contesting a by-election next month, has criticized former Prime Minister Tony Blair for failing to address inequality in his recent essay about the Labour government's direction. Blair had argued that Labour lacks a coherent plan and should embrace the "radical centre" rather than moving left, but Burnham counters that Blair doesn't understand current economic struggles, saying that without recognizing inequality's impact on people's inability to afford basic necessities, the analysis misses what's "going on" in politics today. The dispute reflects tensions within Labour as Burnham is widely expected to challenge party leader Sir Keir Starmer for the leadership if he wins the Makerfield by-election on 18 June.