Latest news with #TonyBlair
New Indian Express
an hour ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
Telangana and Tony Blair Institute to partner in ‘Telangana Rising' implementation
HYDERABAD: The government of Telangana and Tony Blair Institute of Global Change (TBIGC) on Thursday exchanged a letter of intent for partnering in Telangana Rising vision development and its implementation. The letter was exchanged in the presence of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and TBIGC founder and former UK prime minister Tony Blair in Delhi. During his meeting with Blair, the chief minister highlighted the key aspects of Telangana Rising vision, including rapid growth from a state GDP of $200 billion to $1 trillion by 2035, and a further threefold increase to $3 trillion by 2047. 'This would be achieved through a plethora of unique strategic and tactical policy interventions, including zoning the state — inside ORR (core urban area, services only), and between ORR and Regional Ring Road area for China+1 manufacturing zone — rapid massive infra projects, including the Regional Ring Road and Regional Ring Railway, radial roads between RRR and ORR, a dry port, dedicated connectivity between dry port to a sea port in AP, Metro rail expansion in Hyderabad, new airports in Warangal and Adilabad, River Musi Rejuvenation, Bharat Future City (India's most future-ready and planned city), among others,' the CM explained. Vision 2047 The chief minister also spoke in detail about key elements of 'Telangana Rising 2047', which would be unveiled publicly on December 9, 2025, marking the Congress government's second anniversary in office.
Sky News
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Starmer could allow Trump use of British bases to attack Iran, says Harriet Harman
Sir Keir Starmer could end up allowing Donald Trump to use British bases to launch strikes on Iran, Harriet Harman has said. Speaking to Beth Rigby on the Electoral Dysfunction podcast, Baroness Harman said this was despite the prime minister being part of a generation "shaped" by opposition to the Iraq War. Baroness Harman was solicitor general when Sir Tony Blair decided to take Britain to war in Iraq alongside the United States in 2003. She said the decisions made by Sir Tony would be "burning bright" in Sir Keir 's mind. "He's part of the political generation of the Labour Party that grew up, which was shaped by its opposition to what Tony Blair was doing in relation to Iraq," Baroness Harman said. "So it would be a massive change for him." Asked if the UK could end up giving permission for US aircraft to use British military bases on Cyprus and Diego Garcia, but not go any further than that, Baroness Harman said: "Exactly". Sky News reported on Thursday that Attorney General Richard Hermer has raised questions over whether Israel's actions in Iran are lawful, potentially limiting what support he believes the UK could offer the US. Baroness Harman said that for Sir Keir, the "rules-based international order is the most important thing". "If the attorney general says that the government can't do something because it's illegal, it can't do it. So he's in a very crucial position," she added. But Baroness Harman said it would be difficult for Sir Keir to say "thank you for the trade deal" to Mr Trump and then deny the president use of the airbases.
Telegraph
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Labour fears repeat of Iraq war failures if it supports US strikes on Iran
Labour ministers fear that supporting the US in possible attacks on Iran could repeat the failures of the Iraq war. Senior government sources are concerned that backing American air strikes on a nuclear facility could be unlawful after Lord Hermer, the Attorney General, warned Sir Keir Starmer it could be illegal. Party figures also fear that supporting the US by allowing its military to carry out bombing runs from the UK's Diego Garcia air base in the Chagos Islands would be politically unpopular. The Telegraph has been told there is 'twitchiness' in No 10 over the situation because of Labour's legacy of involving the UK in the 2003 invasion of Iraq – at the urging of the US government – without a UN resolution. The UN's charter states that attacking another country is only permissible in international law in self-defence, to defend an ally or if it is authorised by the Security Council. Jonathan Powell, Downing Street's national security adviser, and Lord Mandelson, the British ambassador to the US, are among the officials dealing with the current crisis from the UK side. Both were confidantes of Sir Tony Blair at the time of the Iraq invasion, with Mr Powell serving as the No 10 chief of staff. Lord Mandelson, who was an ally on the Labour backbenches at the time, has since written that Sir Tony developed 'tunnel vision' over the war, and ignored his pleas in early 2003 to consider the 'political nuances' and 'practical implications' of an invasion. On Thursday, he joined David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, in Washington for meetings with US officials, including Marco Rubio, the secretary of state. Mr Lammy was planning to use the talks to attempt to persuade American officials that they should not intervene in the conflict between Iran and Israel, it is understood. It came as Donald Trump provisionally approved a plan to drop a 'bunker buster' bomb on Iran's main nuclear enrichment facility. On Thursday, the president said he would make a decision on whether to proceed with any US attack 'in the next two weeks'. US media report that the president is becoming increasingly convinced of the need to strike the Fordow nuclear fuel enrichment plant, which is buried deep beneath a mountain south-west of Tehran. If he does order an air strike, it is possible the US would use B-2 bombers stationed at Diego Garcia. Downing Street has publicly played down talk of Britain joining US forces, arguing on Thursday that 'de-escalation is the priority' in the region and that 'we would not want to see anything that ramps up the situation'. 'The continuation of the current situation is in no one's interest. We want to see cool heads and a return to diplomacy because that is the best route forward,' Sir Keir's official spokesman said. Lucy Powell, the Leader of the House of Commons, said MPs would get a vote on any sustained British military action. However, there are fears in Downing Street that publicly supporting Israel's attacks on Iran would alienate voters, as well as Labour MPs who have been campaigning against military action. On Thursday, Emily Thornberry, the Labour chairman of the foreign affairs committee, said that 'any of those justifications' for war in the UN charter did not apply because the UK was 'not under threat ourselves' and there was no Security Council resolution. Earlier this week, Richard Burgon, a Left-wing Labour MP, said that the Government must rule out military action in Iran because 'we saw with Iraq how following Right-wing US presidents into Middle East wars can end'. The Government has taken an increasingly hard line on Israel over the war in Gaza in recent months and last week took the unusual step of sanctioning two of the country's ministers. Polls show that around half of the public do not want Britain to intervene on either side of the conflict between Israel and Iran, while the majority of remaining voters say they either do not know which country to support or that the UK should back Israel. The UK has not been directly involved in protecting Israel from Iran's most recent missile attacks, although last year it did provide air-to-air refuelling support when Iran fired a salvo of ballistic missiles. A spokesman for Lord Hermer declined to comment on his legal opinion, but The Telegraph understands it was issued shortly after Israel's first attack on Iran last Thursday. He reportedly told Sir Keir that he had concerns about 'playing any role in this except for defending our allies' – one of the three justifications for such military action under the UN charter.
Time of India
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Blair, CM discuss Delhi's growth
New Delhi: Former UK prime minister Tony Blair called on chief minister Rekha Gupta at Delhi Secretariat on Thursday. The courtesy meeting was marked by a wide-ranging discussion on strengthening democratic institutions, innovation in governance, urban transformation and education reforms, stated the chief minister's office. Welcoming Blair, founder of Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, to Delhi, Gupta briefed him on the city's comprehensive development initiatives under the vision of Viksit Delhi. She elaborated on the govt's citizen-centric approach in modernising public services, enhancing digital governance, improving education and healthcare systems, empowering women and advancing environmental sustainability. Blair commended the progressive strides being made in Delhi and expressed keen interest in its reforms in school education, green policy innovations and the use of digital platforms for public service delivery. He also lauded Delhi govt's focus on inclusive and technology-driven development. Gupta described the interaction as an enriching exchange of ideas and best practices. She highlighted the importance of learning from global experiences and acknowledged the Tony Blair institute's role in supporting democratic governance worldwide. She added that Delhi govt and the institute would explore avenues of collaboration to strengthen governance models and build a future-ready, citizen-first capital city.
The Guardian
18 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Give thanks Priti Patel isn't foreign sec – she'd already be at war with Iran
Be thankful for small mercies. If it was up to Priti Patel, the UK would already be at war with Iran. In a former life as international development secretary, Priti got herself fired for freelancing foreign policy on Israel. Now, as shadow foreign secretary, she's at it again. Old habits die hard. Out and about on the morning media round, Priti was volunteering to personally fly the US stealth bombers deep into Iran. To ride the Massive Ordnance Penetrator – the Americans are nothing if not relentlessly macho – bombs deep into the nuclear facility at Fordow. Her very own last-chance power drive. In her defence, you have to remember Priti Vacant has no memory of what happened yesterday, let alone 22 years ago. If she did, she might be aware of what can happen when a UK government tries to hedge its bets on legal advice before going to war in the Middle East. That didn't work out so well for anyone. Arguably, we're all still paying the price of that George Bush–Tony Blair joint venture. Likewise, she has no insight into likely outcomes in the future. She has less imagination than a tardigrade. She is only capable of living entirely in the present. And a very limited present at that. Unaware that you can't bomb knowledge. Unaware that even if the bunker-busting bombs did penetrate 80 metres of reinforced concrete and rock, the destruction would only make Iran more likely to develop a nuclear capability in the future. So it's probably just as well for all of us that we've got someone like Keir Starmer as prime minister. A man whose natural instincts are set towards diplomacy and de-escalation. A lawyer who is likely to take the advice of Richard Hermer, the attorney general, seriously. Who understands that extending a war between Israel and Iran to one that includes the US and the UK is in no one's best interests. No easy task when you're dealing with a US president who seems to think he is starring in his own first-person shooter video game. Donald Trump and Priti Vacant have a disturbing amount in common. It's customary for the prime minister to update the Commons on the meeting of the G7 – or in this case, the G6 and a half – as soon as possible after returning home. But this Thursday, Keir thought better of it. Had decided he had better things to do than face awkward questions from MPs of all parties on just how close the UK was to getting dragged into another war, and whether we intended to let the Americans use Diego Garcia as a base from which to bomb Iran. To avoid being asked what The Donald might do next. As if anyone had any idea. Even Trump doesn't know what Trump will do next. So in the absence of a statement from the prime minister, we got one from chief secretary to the Treasury, Darren Jones, on the government's 10-year infrastructure strategy. This felt like a rare outbreak of optimism. A cause for national celebration. At a time when many of us can't be sure we'll still be alive this time next week with the west on the brink of yet another war, we had Darren to hold our hands. Everything was going to be OK. Even if the world was to turn to rubble, Labour had a plan to put things back together. We might not be around to see it, but everything would be OK eventually. On a practical level, this did have an air of hope over experience. After all, when was the last time the UK completed an infrastructure project on time and on budget? Only on Wednesday the transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, had given yet another update on the fiasco that is HS2. A rail line that is already billions of pounds over budget, does nothing to increase connectivity to the north and won't be ready until 10 years time at the earliest. The French managed to complete a high-speed railway the same length as HS2 in five years. We are still building tunnels through former Conservative constituencies. HS2 is this country's own Ionesco study of the absurd. Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained and Darren was eager to share his Brave New World with us. And here was the thing. The 10 years had already started. Things were already far, far better than they had been. To be fair, they were for Dazza. No one enjoys being in government more than Darren. He's been walking around with a rictus permagrin since last July. This is his time. If only we could all be a bit more like Dazza, the better it would be. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Darren opened our eyes to £725m of new infrastructure spending. What glories! Treasures the like of which had not been seen since Howard Carter opened Tutankhamun's tomb. Hospitals, prisons, schools. Railways. Lucky Wales was to get £445m, the same amount as was being given to refurbish Leeds station. All would be rebuilt in Dazza's own image. And they really would be built. This wasn't a 10-year plan like so many other 10-year plans that barely survive contact with reality. This was to be a 10-year plan that would last for 100 years. Permanent secretaries might feel like temporary secretaries. Minister may come and go. Governments could fall. But the 10-year plan would remain. As would Darren. Because there would be a new quango. The National Infrastructure and Service Transformational Authority had been born to save us all. There was little argument from the Conservative's Richard Fuller about any of this. Then there was hardly like to be. He didn't want to suggest this was all a pipe dream by drawing attention to the fact that the Tories had achieved next to nothing in 14 years. So he just asked which of the projects that the Tories had failed to deliver were being scrapped by Labour. Dazza had no idea. Everything was going to be great. There would be a new level of skills and coordination that didn't currently exist. 'I'm confident in my abilities,' he smirked. That goes down as one of life's understatements. Darren has yet to find something he doesn't do better than anyone else. We might have to hold our breath to see what The Donald did next, but Darren was there to reassure us that the future belonged to him.
