Advertisement

Tony Blair: It’s ‘absolutely necessary’ that Brexit be stopped

Tony Blair: stopping Brexit is "absolutely necessary"

Tony Blair: stopping Brexit is "absolutely necessary" AAP

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair says there’s a chance Britain won’t leave the European Union – and stopping Brexit is “necessary” to avoid severe economic damage.

In an article published on Saturday by Blair’s Institute for Global Change, he wrote that EU leaders might be willing to “reform and meet us half way” to keep the UK in the bloc.

That might include compromise on freedom of movement – a key EU principle that conflicts with Britain’s goal of placing limits on immigration.

Blair said conditions in Britain and Europe had changed since the UK’s EU membership referendum in June 2016.

Europe has a number of new leaders, including France’s centrist President Emmanuel Macron. And in Britain, the Conservative government suffered a setback in last month’s election.

Blair also told Sky News that “every day is bringing us fresh evidence” of Brexit’s harm to Britain, with economic growth slowing and the value of the pound down sharply since the June 2016 EU membership referendum.

“This is causing us real damage. That’s beyond doubt,” he said.

“I think it’s absolutely necessary that it doesn’t happen.”

Blair left office in 2007, and his interventions in British politics are always contentious. He won three successive elections for the Labour Party, but many have not forgiven him for joining the US-led Iraq War.

Prime Minister Theresa May, who in March triggered the two-year timetable for leaving the EU, has insisted that the process cannot be reversed.

Topics: Brexit
Stay informed, daily
A FREE subscription to The New Daily arrives every morning and evening.
The New Daily is a trusted source of national news and information and is provided free for all Australians. Read our editorial charter
Copyright © 2024 The New Daily.
All rights reserved.