Brexit: Tony Blair adds to Theresa May’s misery

Tony Blair has been accused of undermining negotiations with the EU over Brexit and of insulting the office of prime minister.

Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street. Picture: Reuters.

Britain’s former Labour prime minister Tony Blair has been accused of undermining government negotiations with the European Union over Brexit and of insulting the office of prime minister.

In a top level verbal spat, the current British prime minister Theresa May has told Tony Blair to butt out of Brexit after he advocated for a second referendum and announced plans to visit Brussels to lobby support for the idea.

Mrs May said: “For Tony Blair to go to Brussels and seek to undermine our negotiations by advocating for a second referendum is an insult to the office he once held and the people he once served. We cannot, as he would, abdicate responsibility for this decision. Parliament has a democratic duty to deliver what the British people voted for. I remain determined to see that happen. I will not let the British people down.”

Mr Blair responded to the attack in kind, saying: “It is perfectly clear neither the British people nor their parliament will unite behind the Prime Minister’s deal. That is why the government decided not to proceed with the vote. The more people, including the MPs in last week’s debate, study the detail the worse the deal looks and not only because of the backstop issues.

“In these circumstances it is not irresponsible or insulting to put forward an alternative way to achieve resolution.’’

Britain's former Prime Minister Tony Blair. Picture: AP.

He added: “The sensible thing is now to allow parliament to vote on each of the forms of Brexit canvassed including the Prime Minister’s deal. If they can’t reach agreement then the logical thing is to go back to the people. To describe such a course as an insult is a strange description of what would be the opportunity for them to instruct parliament as to how to proceed.’’

The verbal stoush came as Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn was put under increasing pressure to table a motion of no confidence in the Tory government this week.

However Mr Corbyn wants to increase the pressure on the Tories at the appropriate time — believed to be immediately after the widely disliked Brexit deal, spruiked by Mrs May, is formally defeated in parliament.

On Sunday the Labour spokesman on communities, Andrew Gwynne, told the BBC that Labour would not implement the confidence motion until after Christmas to tie in when Mrs May brings her deal back to the House of Commons for the vote.

“Until the Commons has had its view on Theresa May’s deal she’s going to limp on, pretending that this can get through,” Mr Gwynne said.

The Labour whip Nick Brown said: “Clearly we would hold it if we had a prospect of winning it’’.

But Mr Corbyn has come under pressure from the Labour grass roots supporters in the powerful left wing Momentum group and a splinter group, Another Europe is Possible, to push for a vote of no confidence before Christmas so Labour could then swing behind its other alternative manifesto option: to have a second referendum.

At the local Labour level there is a move to force Mr Corbyn’s hand by forcing through a party motion to put a public vote firmly on the table as a means of stopping this (Conservative party) agenda. It also says “Any public vote on Brexit must, to be meaningful, includes an option to Remain’’.

Mr Corbyn has been a long time sceptic of the European Union and wants to focus on using the Brexit deadlock to force a general election, rather than support a second referendum. He needs the Democratic Unionist Party to cross the floor and support Labour to get the vote of no confidence passed — which would then mean the Conservatives would have 14 days to find another leader and face another vote to see if it had the confidence of the House to continue to govern.

Yesterday the Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, along with the Liberal Democrats, urged Labour to move quickly on the no-confidence vote to allow parliament as much time as possible to then consider other Brexit options, including another referendum.

Meanwhile Mrs May is continuing to lobby for meaningful assurances from EU leaders in order to try and get her deal passed in the parliament. After humiliation in Brussels last week, Mrs May is now using the diplomatic channels to talk to London based European ambassadors.

This comes as the Tory party refuted weekend newspaper reports that they were drawing up options for a second referendum if Mrs May’s deal is rejected.

Education secretary, Damian Hinds said a second vote would be divisive and wrong.

“Government policy couldn’t be clearer,’’ he said.

“We are here to act on the will of the people clearly expressed in the referendum.”

“Any idea that having a second referendum now would break through an impasse is wrong. It might postpone the impasse, but then it would extend it.”