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Tony Blair is today revealed to be the past Labour leader that the public would most like Ed Miliband’s successor to resemble.

An exclusive Ipsos MORI poll for the Evening Standard finds that even Labour supporters are more likely to name Mr Blair than any other past Labour leader as the best role model.

By contrast, none of the four candidates competing to be crowned leader in September - Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper, Liz Kendall and Jeremy Corbyn - appear to have yet won a big lead among either the public or Labour supporters.

Mr Corbyn, Mr Blair’s sternest critic in the contest, is trailing last.

The public mood contrasts with the hostility towards Mr Blair shown by the audience in last night’s TV debate.

It suggests that if a pantheon of former leaders was standing in the contest, three-times election winner Mr Blair would cruise to an easy victory.

Some 23 per cent of Labour supporters said they would be more tempted to vote for the party if the next leader resembled him. That was almost three times the eight per cent who chose runner-up John Smith.

Gordon Brown and Ed Miliband were pushed to joint-third place among Labour supporters, followed by Harold Wilson, Clement Attlee and Neil Kinnock.

Among the general public, Mr Blair was also the favourite role model, picked by 19 per cent.

Labour MP Joan Ryan said the poll showed Labour should be proud of its former leader. “Tony was not perfect but he was the best Prime Minister we have had in modern times and we should be proud of him.”

Ironically, candidates in the first TV debate last night tried to distance themselves from Mr Blair’s legacy, particularly Iraq.

Health spokesman Mr Burnham is ahead of the four, with 15 per cent of the public and 23 per cent of Labour supporters. Shadow home secretary Ms Cooper is second with 14 and 20. Ms Kendall is third on 11 per cent among both the public and party supporters. Left winger Mr Corbyn is last with five per cent of the public, and nine per cent of Labour supporters.

Gideon Skinner, head of political research at Ipsos MORI, said: “Tony Blair still outshines other past Labour leaders – even among supporters of other parties.

“But Labour’s answer isn’t simply in the past – many actually say they don’t know or none of them.”

Party support is broadly the same as at the general election, with the Conservatives on 39 per cent, Labour on 30, Liberal Democrats on nine, Ukip on eight and the Greens on six.