TONY BLAIR’S attack on Jeremy Corbyn backfired badly yesterday, unintentionally sparking a rush of support for the left candidate’s Labour leadership campaign.

Mr Corbyn’s campaign team revealed that, in the hours after the former prime minister’s outburst, their fundraising efforts had soared past a £45,000 target.

They told the Morning Star that they were inundated with new volunteers, receiving over 1,000 emails from people offering their time to support the campaign.

“Usually, when we send out a campaign email, we get 20 or 30 responses, but we were completely overwhelmed when we got in this morning,” a source said.

“I think the surge has been created by a combination of Tony Blair’s comments and anger over the vote on the welfare Bill.

“It’s definitely the most emails we’ve had since the campaign started.”

The campaign said the donations would allow them to “organise meetings, produce and distribute leaflets, talk to people and counter the distortions in the media.”

Mr Blair was dealt a further blow when Lord Prescott, his straight-talking former deputy, offered him a few home truths.

The loathed former premier claimed it would be a “disaster” for Labour if Mr Corbyn became the party leader, predicting it would lead to four consecutive election defeats.

But Labour heavyweight “Prezza” suggested Mr Blair “should think about the reasons” why Labour lost four million votes during his decade in Downing Street.

“Tony, on the doorstep, it was Iraq that stopped a lot of people voting for us,” he told the BBC.

“If the party elects any one of these candidates, they have the authority to lead the party. I don’t think it would be a disaster.”

Lord Prescott also launched a blistering counter-attack on Mr Blair’s suggestion that Corbyn supporters need to “get a heart transplant.”

“I found that absolutely staggering,” he said. “To use that kind of language is just abuse. The Labour Party is about the heart as well as the head.”

The Labour peer, who had urged MPs to ensure that Mr Corbyn got onto the ballot paper, also said he understood why support for the left candidate was surging.

“I think they’re voting for one man who says he’s against austerity,” he said.

Mr Corbyn’s popularity among Labour members was confirmed by a YouGov poll for the Times on Wednesday, which put him 17 points ahead of nearest rival Andy Burnham.

He is also ahead of his rivals on nominations from constituency Labour parties.

The latest figures show he has the support of 78 branches, compared to Mr Burnham on 73, Yvette Cooper on 64 and Liz Kendall on just 12.

Ms Kendall is now under pressure to stand down and support Mr Burnham or Ms Cooper in a panicked bid to stop Mr Corbyn.

The shadow health minister echoed Mr Blair’s misjudged attack on Mr Corbyn, saying for him to win would be a “disaster.”

She added: “You never stop fighting for what you believe in. I will be fighting for what I believe in till the very end.”