Labour's essay war masks a deeper crisis of vision, argues Andrew Grice

Summary

Keir Starmer published a 1,500-word Substack rebuttal to Tony Blair's 5,700-word critique of his government's approach, with Andy Burnham also contributing a 1,500-word riposte. Andrew Grice argues that this "battle of the essays" is a distraction from Labour's lack of vision, as the government faces broken promises, internal blame games, and questions about Starmer's leadership. Grice contends that lengthy political screeds are inappropriate when Whitehall is engulfed in crisis and the public expects action, not essays.