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‘The will of the people can change’ Blair thinks UK will want to stay IN EU when deal made

Monday, July 4, 2016 2:58

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EUROPHILE Tony Blair thinks the British people will want to STAY IN the European Union (EU) by the time Brexit negotiations are over as he called for a delay in Brexit.

Jul 3, 2016 By Lizzie Stromme

http://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/685749/will-people-change-Tony-Blair-thinks-UK-want-stay-EU-deal-made

Despite 52 per cent of voters choosing to cut ties with Brussels, Mr Blair appeared to patronise the British public by making out they didn’t know what they wanted.

The former Prime Minister said Britain must keep its “options open” as the “will of the people can change”.

He said: “I don’t think you can override the settled will of the people but my point is very simple: it’s 52 to 48.

“Supposing some weeks or months down the line, as it becomes clearer what we’re moving to… if it’s clear that these terms are bad for us… if we have major parts of business and the financial sector saying this is not a good deal for us, if people start to worry about their jobs, we should just keep our options open.

“The vote was to leave the European Union… but we have no idea what lies on the other side of that and there’s a hugely complex negotiation that’s now got to take place.”

Mr Blair added the country needed to know what post-EU Britain looked like.

Tony Blair

GETTY/ SKY

Tony Blair said Britain must keep its ‘options open’

He told Sky’s Murnaghan programme: “One of the reasons we must keep our options open is – yes, the referendum expressed the will of the people – but the will of the people is entitled to change.”

The europhile also lashed out at the Leave camp, claiming their arguments had unravelled since June 23.

He said: “Let’s be very blunt about – some of the claims made for the Brexit case have somewhat collapsed.

Taking a dig at Tory leadership contender and Brexit campaigner Andrea Leadsom, he questioned her ability to lead after it was uncovered she was previously pro-EU.

Mr Blair said: “You find Conservative people who were campaigning for Brexit saying a few years ago it would be a disaster for Britain to leave the EU, so you’ve got a very strange atmosphere around all this.”

He also urged to hold off on evoking Article 50 until Britain had a clear idea of “what is on the other side”.

Source: http://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/685749/will-people-change-Tony-Blair-thinks-UK-want-stay-EU-deal-made