The arch Remainer and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has said that he would have backed Boris Johnson’s post-Brexit trade deal in Parliament. Blair has confirmed that he would have followed the Labour party whip and voted for the deal last week.  

The former PM is well known and has been vocal in opposing Brexit but said in 2019 that he accepted the battle for a second referendum was over. 

When asked how he would have voted in the commons: “I would have backed (Sir Keir Starmer) on this. I mean look, it’s a tactical question for the Labour Party because the problem is that it’s open to your opponents to say that if you don’t back the deal, then you’re voting for no-deal. There was a case for abstaining and there was a case for voting for it because the alternative’s no-deal. What I’m really saying is as a decision that the Labour leader’s got to take, I don’t think it particularly matters to the Labour Party either way. I think what does matter is that we’re still in a position where we’re pointing out what the problems with this deal are”. 

However, only 18 months ago Mr Blair insisted a second EU referendum was the only way to decide Brexit. He said: “The truth is there are different varieties of Brexit and you have to choose one. And when you choose one it then becomes apparent what your problem is. Because your problem is there is a downside to whatever option you choose. So when members of Parliament are forced to come to a choice then I think at that point they will say, ‘OK, this what I think but I’m not going to take the full responsibility so I’m going to share responsibility with the people’, and that allows a referendum to be a healing process”.

Current Affairs Correspondent | My name is Oliver Down I am 22, and a staunch brexiteer. I am a Bristolian lad who studied politics in Leicester. I believe in free speech and accurate journalism and I won’t be afraid to give you “the other side” of the story!

This content was sourced from Unity News Network.