Tony Blair warned that any strategy that relies on rapid phase-out of fossil fuels was "doomed to fail" and was criticized by climate experts.

The former prime minister's comments, published in a new report by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI), sparked internal strife in labor, with some accusing him of playing the narrative used by right-wing parties to delay climate action.

Blair believes that net zero political cases are faltering and the government should prioritize “realistic” climate strategies, including a greater focus on adaptation measures and technology-based solutions.

He noted that the current climate approach “does not work”, the debate “becomes unreasonable”, and that people “get rid of the politics of the problem because they believe that the proposed solution is not built on good policies”.

“In developed countries, when voters know that their impact on global emissions are small, they are asked to make financial sacrifices and lifestyle changes,” Blair wrote in his foreword.

Climate experts fought back, accusing Blair of providing political cover for fossil fuels and slashing net zero emissions by 2050 behind UK legally binding targets.

Mrs Brown of the Independent Climate Change Commission said Blair’s intervention could send incorrect messages at critical moments.

She told BBC Radio 4's Plan Today that I'm concerned that people might send a message from the report that we should adapt rather than mitigate, which is absolutely wrong. ”

“We need to adapt because even if we reach net zero by the middle of this century and there is still a lot of climate change to happen, we need to be prepared for it. But we can’t adapt to everything.

"Just as people know who lives in coastal areas and suffers from coastal erosion and flooding. No, we can't adapt to everything. It's absolutely crucial that, besides adapting, we're also reducing emissions."

"It's crazy. Blair parachutes and talks to the Conservatives and reforms on a silver plate. The TBI may want to remember that it's not running the country."

To calm the brewing process, Environment Secretary Steve Reed said Blair made an "effective and important contribution" to the net zero debate.

Reid told Times that he disagreed with Blair's intervention as a "public tantrum."

Reed said: "He has made an effective and important contribution to the very important debate we are doing, and I agree with a lot of what he says, but not absolutely every word, dot, dot and comma. But this government is turning to clean energy because it is the best for the UK. It is greater energy security for the UK."

However, conservative environment spokesman Victoria Atkins said Blair’s criticism sent a “clear message” to the government to “rethink” its net-zero approach.

Atkins told Sky News: “A few months ago, Kemi Badenoch gave a speech on net zero, and her concerns about how to prove what is impossible.

"Look, it seems that Sir Tony Blair now seems to agree with her, and the Labor government may have lost its way in this argument."

She added: "If Tony Blair - even Tony Blair disagrees with the Labor government, then I think it's a very obvious message that they have to rethink that."