That Starmer fella...

Why do you think Blair strengthened the welfare state? As a doleite during part of his time in office it felt like signing on got more and more complicated.

That's true (I was also a doleite when Blair got in too, though in my case it was because I was lazy, rather than that I actually needed it). But the welfare state is broader than just unemployment benefits - it encompasses all the governmental safety nets for citizens, whether it's when they're unemployed, or sick, or old, or children, or parents, or whatever it is. I won't patronise you by sharing that 'what did Labour do for us' meme but I think the creation of Sure Start, shortest waiting lists in history, tens of thousands of extra doctors, nurses, police, fire fighters, minimum wage, minimum working hours, etc etc., more than covers it.

That, alongside his pro-market reforms (BoE independence, foundation hospitals and academies), I don’t think you can dismiss his neoliberal tendencies.

@slippers I think for me neoliberal is a very specific thing - it's where free market fetishisation combines with anti-welfare ideology. Having one without the other means it isn't neoliberalism. Simply being in favour of free trade is a mainstream position, and is not enough to make the whole philosophy neoliberal - if it were, you could call China neoliberal!