Former Blair adviser: 'It's reassuring to see Rebecca Long-Bailey struggling'

18 January 2020, 10:37 | Updated: 18 January 2020, 10:40

John McTernan thinks Lisa Nandy would be a far better choice than Rebecca Long-Bailey.

The former Director of Political Operations to Tony Blair said: "As a Blairite, it's quite reassuring for me to see the Corbynite candidate, Rebecca Long-Bailey, struggling quite so badly, performing so poorly, having such a disastrous campaign and barely a campaign launch."

He warned that Labour would become "irrelevant" with a potential election defeat under Rebecca Long-Bailey.

He also said: "Yes, I do think the party's got quite a good choice. A better choice than I thought they would at the outset.

Former Blair Advisor: 'It's reassuring to see Rebecca Long Bailey struggling'
Former Blair Advisor: 'It's reassuring to see Rebecca Long Bailey struggling'. Picture: PA

"I think Lisa Nandy is the most exciting candidate. She's the one who's got the willingness to say to the party, if we don't change, we will die.

"Unless people get that, then it is all game over for the Labour Party."

McTernan added: "I think Keir Starmer has got enough in him as well about change and wanting to confront the issues Labour has to confront if it id to become electable, to be able to give the government a contest or the very least give the government scrutiny because no government does well when it's such a weak opposition."