Tony Blair has claimed Boris Johnson “is not going to be the person who saves the Union” just days after the Tory leader flew into Scotland in the wake of polls showing rising support for independence.
The former Labour leader also suggested a revival in his own party's fortunes under Keir Starmer had so far not stretched to north of the Border.
He said Labour had "gone off in completely wrong direction" in Scotland and failed to be a strong opposition to the SNP.
Blair - who oversaw the establishment of the Scottish Parliament during his time as prime minister - previously predicted that Brexit would lead to a surge in support for independence.
Appearing on Sky's Ridge on Sunday programme, he was asked if he still thought that was the case.
Blair said: “It’s hard to judge. I don’t think it’s in the interests of Scotland to leave the UK because the ties - economic ties, cultural ties, everything - are so strong.
“But of course Brexit, particularly if it is a hard Brexit, adds an additional dimension.
He continued: “My view about Scotland is there’s been two problems really over the last decade. The first obviously was after Brexit.
“But then even before that, because the Labour party went off, in my view, completely the wrong direction in Scotland, and the Conservative party, at least until Ruth Davidson, looked as if they were nowhere, there was no proper opposition to the SNP.
“Now, I think if the Labour party as it’s reviving in England and Wales revived also in Scotland, that would be a significant advantage to preserving the Union.”
Asked about polling suggesting Boris Johnson unpopularity among Scots, Blair continued: “Obviously he’s not going to be the person who saves the Union in that sense.
“But you do need a viable opposition in Scotland, and they’ve not really had one.
“As I say, the problem when the Labour party went off to the Left and then played around with Nationalist sentiment instead of being clearly in the centre Left position, and strongly in favour of the Union, it lost its purchase as the opposition.
“Then, other than that period of time when Ruth Davidson was leading the Tories, there was no one who was really able to provide a coherent alternative to Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP.”
A Scottish Labour spokeswoman said: "Scotland is being failed by two governments.
"The Scottish Tories haven't been a strong opposition to SNP failure.
"Scottish Labour is the only party prioritising the push for jobs and a national care service as we build back from covid.
"Next year's election is a chance to get people’s priorities back into Parliament and that’s what we are focused on."
