3:52pm Thursday 2nd September 2010
By Tom Moseley
TONY Blair has admitted his decision to axe Jack Straw as Foreign Secretary was ‘plain stupid’.
The Blackburn MP was replaced by Margaret Beckett in 2006 and moved to Leader of the House of Commons.
He recently told the Lancashire Telegraph he had been ‘moved sideways’ because of ‘very serious sticking points’ with Mr Blair over Iran.
But in Mr Blair's memoirs, published this week, he described the reshuffle as ‘the worst of all worlds’.
Mr Blair wrote: “There was a case for keeping Jack Straw.
"He had done really well and was admired by his fellow foreign ministers.
“There was no compelling reason to move him, other than he had been doing it for five years; but when I think about it, moving him for that reason was plain stupid.”
Today Mr Straw said he had always been ‘mystified’ as to why he had been moved, and said there had been ‘a great deal of chuntering’ about his approach to Iran and criticism from Israel about his comments on negotiating with Islamic military group Hamas.
He added: “Since nobody was criticising me for my competence, people, including me, searched for another reason.
“I am pleased and relieved that he has said this.
"It couldn’t be a greater compliment and it takes a big man to say.”
Mr Blair’s book, called A Journey, also describes a falling out with Gordon Brown over who should run his campaign to be Labour leader.
He said Mr Brown, who had wanted the job, ‘resented it deeply’ when he chose Mr Straw because he was ‘from neither camp’ and broadened his appeal among Labour MPs.
Describing Mr Straw’s stance on immigration during his role as Home Secretary, Mr Blair he was ‘greatly influenced by the large proportion of Muslims in his constituency, where these issues were 'live and real'.
And Mr Blair said Mr Straw was sensible and no softie on lawbreakers.’
© Copyright 2001-2012 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/trade_directory/