Blair: Elect anti-Brexit MPs... of all parties
TONY Blair last night called on voters to elect anti-Brexit MPs on June 8 – no matter which party they are from.
The former Labour leader said he wanted people who would ‘put the national interest before party interest’ to be elected.
And, hinting that he feared a disastrous result for his party, he warned that the country is facing the ‘dangerous’ situation of a Tory majority ‘in part delivered because of the state of Labour’.
His comments come very close to being an endorsement for Liberal Democrat candidates in areas where Labour has put up an MP who supports leaving the EU.
Last night there were even claims that Mr Blair could share a stage with Lib Dem leader Tim Farron to fight Brexit during the election campaign.
The former prime minister’s intervention will stoke claims that he and other moderates are seeking to create a centre party if – as expected – Jeremy Corbyn leads his party to a disastrous defeat.
It came as a Remain-backing former Tory cabinet minister issued a call for voters to back candidates who want the UK to ‘play a full part in the life of the continent in which we live’.
Stephen Dorrell’s comments, issued in his role as chair of the European Movement UK, raise the spectre of Remain-backing Tories turning their backs on the party in protest at Theresa May’s approach to Brexit.
In a letter to the Movement’s supporters, the former health secretary said: ‘Britain is still a member of the EU.
‘We urge voters to support candidates who pledge to ensure that we continue to develop our relationship with these neighbours.’
Yesterday Mr Blair said voters need to put candidates under ‘sustained pressure’ to say whether or not they would vote
‘National interest before party’
against a Brexit deal that does not deliver the same benefits as single market membership, or against a ‘damaging’ decision to leave without a deal.
‘This should cross party lines’, he added.
Mr Blair denied he was calling for ‘tactical voting or some antiTory alliance’. But he said it was vital to keep open the possibility of MPs being ready to ‘put the national interest before party interest’ when it comes to the final Brexit deal.
And he warned of ‘huge’ damage to the country if Mrs May secures a majority, permitting her to pursue a ‘Brexit at any cost’ deal without restraint.
In an article on his website, Mr Blair wrote: ‘The country did vote for Brexit; but narrowly. And there are many, on both sides of the debate, who will want to know the terms of a deal before making up their minds finally.
‘The PM can call an election, get a landslide, and then claim a mandate for Brexit At Any Cost. These unique circumstances demand a unique response.’
He added: ‘The political situation the country faces is unprecedented and dangerous.
‘We risk a Parliament which is lop-sided in its make-up; which has a big Tory majority – in part delivered not because of the intrinsic merits of Brexit or the Tories themselves but because of the state of Labour – where they will claim a mandate to take us wherever they will, when we desperately need representatives who will at least keep an open mind.’
Mr Blair later insisted: ‘To be clear: I am not urging tactical voting or some anti-Tory alliance. I am urging that... [we] elect as many MPs as possible with an open mind on this issue who are prepared to vote according to the quality of the deal and the interests of the British people.’
Last night a senior Lib Dem source said Mr Blair could join Mr Farron on stage during the election campaign to make pro-EU interventions.
‘We are the only party that opposes a hard Brexit and believes that the British people should have their say in a second EU referendum,’ they said. ‘If any politicians from Tony Blair to [Labour MP] Chuka Umunna agree with us then we will welcome their support.’
Mr Blair’s spokesman said the claim was ‘not true’.