Tony Blair’s former communications guru, Alastair Campbell , says the UK political system was too quick to revert to overheated rhetoric and polarisation after attacks on MPs, urging politicians to “re-win the argument for democratic politics”.

More than a week after independent MP Helen Haines was allegedly targeted in an attack outside her electorate office in northern Victoria, causing her to lose both legs, Campbell said the tenor of political debate in Australia should better reflect Haines’ own approach.

Speaking to the Guardian’s Australian Politics podcast on Wednesday, the commentator said the killings of British MPs Jo Cox, David Amess and former politician Ann Widdecombe had not brought about lasting change in political culture.

“They were followed by everybody saying the right thing about how our political debate culture had to change, about how we had to address online hate and polarisation, all this stuff,” he said.

“But it didn’t take long before we kind of got right back into it.…