Daily Express

OUTRAGE AT PLOT TO BLOCK EU VOTE

Farage hits out at Blair’s attack on referendum plan

- By Macer Hall Political Editor

FORMER Labour leader Tony Blair sparked fury last night by insisting that voters should be refused a say on Britain’s EU membership.

In a dramatic General Election interventi­on he claimed that the in- out referendum pledged by the Tories by 2017 would cause “chaos” before the vote took place.

“I believe passionate­ly that leaving Europe would leave Britain diminished in the world,” he added as he called for a Labour victory to block the national poll.

The former prime minister’s remarks sparked a furious response from the Tory Party and Ukip.

David Cameron declared: “Tony Blair is wrong. I will trust the people in an in- out referendum.”

And Ukip leader Nigel Farage said: “There is no doubt that the corporate big business sector that has made Blair so rich is against having a referendum, so neither is it a surprise to see Blair peddling their message.

“The overall message from the Labour Party is that it wants the British people to trust it yet will not trust the British people to decide how they are governed.”

Mr Blair’s comments came during a rare appearance on the General Election campaign trail as he visited his

former constituen­cy in Sedgefield, County Durham, with his wife Cherie.

He said that leaving Europe would “do signifi cant damage to our economy and, less obviously but just as important to our future, would go against the very qualities that mark us out still as a great global nation.”

He told party activists: “Should the Conservati­ves win, one other thing will be certain. The PM will be spending more energy, will have more sleepless nights about it, be more focused on it than literally any other single issue.

“He knows the vastness of the decision. He knows the penalty of failure. He knows exit will defi ne his legacy. And, following the Scottish referendum, he knows the perilous fragility of public support for the sensible choice.

“Think of the chaos produced by the possibilit­y, never mind the reality, of Britain quitting Europe. Jobs that are secure suddenly insecure, investment decisions postponed or cancelled, a pall of unpredicta­bility hanging over the British economy.

“And for what? To satisfy the insistent Europhobia of a group who will never be satisfied.”

Mr Farage said Mr Blair’s interven- tion had at least put the issue of a referendum on the election agenda.

He said: “Finally a chance to have a proper debate about the impact of the EU on British national life during this General Election campaign.

“Blair was PM when the Government promised a referendum on the EU constituti­on before the name of that was changed to the Lisbon Treaty and he cynically withdrew his offer.

“Blair was also an enthusiast for British membership of the eurozone and had personal ambitions to become president of Europe, and how has that worked out?”

It was no surprise to see him pat Labour leader Ed Miliband on the back for signing up to the “corporatis­t EU agenda”, he added.

Mr Farage also attacked the Tory position. He said: “Cameron has no intention of leaving the EU. All his posturing on the EU is driven by one thing, and one thing alone, fear of the hopes of the British people, a fear that is causing them to support Ukip in their millions.”

Mr Cameron said of his promise of an in- out referendum after negotiatio­ns with Europe: “We should ask people if they want to stay a member of this organisati­on. You cannot ignore the will of the people as Tony Blair thinks we should. It was not just him, it is Ed Miliband.”

Mr Cameron, visiting the Game Of Thrones set with his wife Samantha in Belfast, said: “Tony Blair doesn’t want to trust the people, doesn’t think the people should have a say.”

Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the Euroscepti­c pressure group Business For Britain, said: “Tony Blair was consistent­ly out of touch with the public about Britain’s relationsh­ip with the EU when he was PM, and little appears to have changed.

“Blair’s record on the EU was a disaster. He broke his referendum promise on the EU constituti­on, he surrendere­d important British vetoes, threw away billions in our rebate and was desperate to take Britain into the euro. He was wrong then and he is wrong now.”

Stuart Coster, of the EU referendum campaign group the People’s Pledge, said Mr Blair’s interventi­on “reminded voters how Ed Miliband opposes giving us the say on EU membership that a large majority of people clearly want”. He added: “It exhibits the kind of hypocrisy that degrades politics.”

 ??  ?? Nigel Farage yesterday. Below, Tony and Cherie Blair at a factory in the former PM’s old constituen­cy
Nigel Farage yesterday. Below, Tony and Cherie Blair at a factory in the former PM’s old constituen­cy
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