Tony Blair has admitted that he allowed too many EU migrants into Britain when he was Prime Minister of the country.
Blair, the man who authorized an open border policy in the UK allowing for unlimited EU migration, told the BBC’s Andrew Marr show on Sunday that he now supports limited EU migration as a way to get the public to change their mind on Brexit.
He still thinks Brexit is a mistake, but now acknowledges that his policy of uncontrolled EU migration was disastrous for Britain:
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Mr Blair’s proposals are to “tighten” existing free movement rules, including on benefit entitlement, and seek to negotiate an “emergency brake” on EU migration in certain sectors.
Speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr show, the former prime minister – one of the most prominent anti-Brexit campaigners – said he accepted last year’s Leave vote but that there were ways of controlling EU immigration without leaving.
“Brexit is a distraction, not a solution, to the problems this country is facing,” he said.
Mr Blair said he believed Brexit would go ahead “unless it starts to become obvious that the public is having second thoughts” – and that “hasn’t become obvious yet”. “If we put this case to people, maybe they will listen. If they don’t – I accept it goes forward,” he said.
“If we put this case to people.”
Tony, you already put the case and the people ignored your intervention. They don’t trust anything that you say. If you campaigned for Brexit, people would vote against it.
