Labour's longest-serving Prime Minister appeared to take a veiled swipe at Ed Miliband

Sir Tony Blair has issued an urgent warning to Andy Burnham and argued Britain "can't afford" to continue in its pursuit of Net Zero.

The former Prime Minister, who appointed Mr Burnham as a Health Minister in 2006, suggested the Makerfield MP would struggle to find widespread support from the public.

In a direct warning to Mr Burnham, Sir Tony said: “I think you may think you're going to be loved, but you're not going to be.”

Sir Tony, who is Labour's longest-serving Prime Minister in history, also took a swipe at Energy Secretary Ed Miliband's renewable energy policy.

Mr Miliband, himself a former Labour leader, is being eyed up by Mr Burnham's nearest allies as a potential successor to Rachel Reeves as Chancellor.

However, Sir Tony was far from complimentary of Mr Miliband's continued support for Net Zero.

Speaking at the Tony Blair Institute's summer drinks reception at the National Theatre in London, the ex-Prime Minister caveated his support for renewables and clean energy by warning the rapid push to Net Zero is damaging the country.

Sir Tony, who was first elected in a landslide victory in 1997, also indirectly touched on speculation about Mr Miliband being handed the keys to No11.

Despite appointing the former Labour leader as Third Sector Minister in 2006, Sir Tony said: "We're penalising our own businesses at the moment with this, and we can't afford to do that. It's as simple as that."

However, Sir Tony was also quick to praise the incoming Prime Minister and Labour leader, adding the former Greater Manchester Mayor has a "very sure political touch".

He said: "I wish Andy well. I hope he succeeds. It's important for the country he succeeds. Actually, as a colleague, he was great as well.

"He's a genuinely people person...It's one of the things that distinguishes politicians, I think over time, when you get to know them, is that all politicians have got to pretend to be interested in people.

"But you know, you do come across politicians that love humanity in general."

When asked what he would have said to himself in 1997 when he first entered Downing Street, Sir Tony said: "I think you may think you're going to be loved, but you're not going to be."

Sir Tony's swipe came just months after the former Prime Minister wrote a 5,600-word essay warning Labour was "playing with fire" and had no coherent plan for the country.

Mr Burnham responded by penning a 1,500-word rebuttal, which included an attack against "40 years of neoliberalism".

However, fears of a full-throttle push towards Net Zero have sparked a wider backlash from Labour MPs.

Speaking to GB News last month, Labour veteran Graham Stringer called for Sir Keir to sack Mr Miliband as his Energy Secretary.

He told The People's Channel: “Whilst further capitalisation of our own gas and oil fields will have a marginal impact on price, it will generate UK jobs.

“We are generating jobs in Norway and Qatar at the expense of our own. The policy, quite frankly, is insane."

Labour MPs today received an open letter from North Sea bosses to put further pressure on the party to push ahead with drilling for liquid gold.

“Countries that produce, build and manufacture retain greater control over their economic destiny”, the letter states.

“Those that become increasingly reliant on imports leave themselves exposed to decisions made elsewhere.”

The letter, signed by Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), the GMB union, the Chemical Industries Association, Fuels Industry UK and others, added: “For our jobs and communities, economy and security, and for our climate obligations – we are asking you to back North Sea oil and gas. Not imports.”