Downing Street forced Tony Blair to row back from his criticism of the government’s net zero strategy after Labour politicians warned he had given a boost to Tory and Reform ahead of local elections. Senior No 10 officials called the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) to address the fallout after he claimed the eco plans were “doomed to fail”, according to The Guardian.

Keir Starmer did not speak to his Labour predecessor directly but furious government insiders said that Sir Tony had undermined the Prime Minister ahead on a vital issue ahead of crucial votes. One Downing Street insider said: “Tony ****** up.” Another said: “He has completely lost his touch.”

A third government source questioned whether the decision to release the report on the eve of the elections was entirely accidental.

They told the Guardian: “It’s not the first time he’s written bombastic forewords suggesting we should slow down on net zero. It’s so disloyal to the party.”

No 10 failed to deny that the Government has asked the TBI to issue a clarification after the non-profit sent out a follow-up statement insisting its report backed the Labour administration’s climate target.

Asked whether a request had been made for the institute to row back from the remarks, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “I wouldn’t get into private conversations.”

Sir Tony had said: “People know that the current state of debate over climate change is riven with irrationality … any strategy based on either ‘phasing out’ fossil fuels in the short term or limiting consumption is a strategy doomed to fail.”

He added that most political leaders “would like to start taking some of the hysteria out of the climate debate but are reluctant to be the first to do so”.

In a foreword to a report by his the TBI published on Tuesday, the New Labour prime minister had argued the current climate approach “isn’t working”.

The intervention was seized on by political opponents as an attack on Sir Keir’s plans to cut carbon emissions and achieve net zero by 2050.

Shortly before Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, the TBI appeared to soften its language in a new statement insisting: “The report is clear that we support the Government’s 2050 net zero targets, to give certainty to the investors and innovators who can develop these new solutions and make them deployable.

“People support climate action, and it is vital that we keep the public’s support for how we do it.”