Tony Blair vs Labour?

<p>Today, Sir Tony Blair has spoken to the Today programme about an almost 6,000 word essay in which he criticises the Labour government for focusing on politics rather than policy. </p><p>Adam, Alex and Faisal discuss the arguments made by the former Prime Minister, plus how two would-be leadership contenders Wes Streeting and Andy Burnham (who still needs to fight and win a by-election if he wants to challenge Keir Starmer) have pushed back. </p><p>And energy bills will rise for millions as Ofgem raise the price cap for the first time since war in Iran. </p><p>A full list of candidates standing in the Makerfield By-Election is available on the BBC News website https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgrp1z8n4w2o </p><p>You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. </p><p>You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscord</p><p>Get in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co.uk or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.</p><p>New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd

Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Miranda Slade with Shiler Mahmoudi. The social producer was Gabriel Purcell-Davis. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.</p>