The complex and corporate rise of the Tony Blair Institute

Since leaving No 10, the former prime minister has arguably become more powerful thanks to the work of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI), which has exploded in size and revenue during the last few years.

Benedict Macon-Cooney, the institute’s chief policy strategist, said: “Other organisations around the world help governments think about delivery, but not with the same degree of expertise that we are able to offer thanks to the former prime minister.”

A spokesperson for the leftwing campaign group Momentum said: “It’s deeply worrying to hear of the Tony Blair Institute’s extensive influence in Keir Starmer’s Labour.

Blair’s belief that governments can cut their costs by embracing cutting-edge technology is promoted by the institute as a whole, which advocates for countries to roll out digital identification cards and spend heavily on artificial intelligence.

The institute also pushes for governments around the world to digitise their health records, an agenda that happens to tally with the corporate interests of one of its biggest donors, Larry Ellison.

Starmer promoted a series of figures from the Blairite wing of the party in his recent reshuffle, including Liz Kendall as shadow welfare secretary and Pat McFadden as his election coordinator.