Tony Blair has questioned the credentials of some of the thousands of Labour members who joined the party to elect veteran left-winger Jeremy Corbyn.
The former Prime Minister said that lots of voters were frustrated over issues such as low wages and their economic prospects.
But, he suggested, many so-called ‘Corbynistas’ had rather less to be angry about.
He also cast serious doubt on Mr Corbyn's ability to win the next General Election.
Speaking in central London, Mr Blair said: “What's interesting when you break down the analysis of people joining the Labour party.. it is not clear to me that the people who should feel most angry about their situation and the people joining (the party) are the same people.”
He also rejected the idea that Mr Corbyn's victory marked the death of Blairism.
“It is not yet a proven concept that Corbynism can win an election,” he said.
While the Labour left had proven that they could take over a political party “what's not clear to me is whether they can take over a country,” he added.
Mr Blair also criticised one of Mr Corbyn’s key policies, suggesting that the current austerity debate in the UK was too “black and white”.
He added: "The interesting thing is where the fringes of left and right now meet each other. They are both essentially isolationist. They both for example.. are coming out very strongly against free trade...much of the sort of psychology and attitude they have has a lot in common.”
In a wide-ranging session, Mr Blair also said that he did not want Donald Trump to become the next American President.
And he expressed puzzlement at the current state of politics.
“I used to think I was good at politics. I look at politics today and I'm not sure I understand it,” he told an invited audience at an event organised by the Centre on Religion & Geopolitics (CRG) and Prospect magazine.
“I spend a lot of time looking at politics today and trying to work out what's going on. The centre seems to have lost its attraction.”
The problem, he suggested, was that those in the centre ground look like “the managers of the status quo” and not like they want to change things.
Mr Blair also criticised Mr Corbyn during last year's Labour leadership campaign.
At the time he said that if members' hearts were with the veteran left-winger then they should “get a transplant”.
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