Blair rows back on net zero after No 10 fury

Tony Blair was forced by Downing Street to row back from his criticism of the government's net zero strategy yesterday after furious Labour politicians warned he had given a boost to Tory and Reform climate sceptics on the eve of the local elections.

- Pippa Crerar Jessica Elgot

Climate experts also accused the former prime minister of granting political cover to fossil fuel interests and weakening momentum behind the UK's legally binding target to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

Senior No 10 officials called the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) to urge the organisation to address the fallout after Blair claimed the plans were "doomed to fail".

The Guardian understands that Keir Starmer has not spoken to his Labour forerunner directly, but furious government insiders said Blair had undermined the prime minister on a key issue, at a crucial moment.

One Downing Street insider said: "Tony fucked up." Another said: "He has completely lost his touch." A third government source questioned whether the decision to release the report on the eve of the elections was entirely accidental.

"It's not the first time he's written bombastic forewords suggesting we should slow down on net zero. It's so disloyal to the party." Another said they were particularly aggrieved that the words appeared like a critique of Starmer himself. "It looks like he is attacking Keir, who has only just said climate action was in the DNA of the government."

Just moments before Starmer took prime minister's questions in the Commons yesterday, TBI issued a fresh statement to clarify that it believed the government's net zero policy was "the right one".