Tony Blair Says Britain's EU Exit Can Be Stopped
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair suggested the public could stop the process of leaving the European Union if they disagree with the terms.
"It can be stopped if the British people decide that, having seen what it means, the pain-gain cost-benefit analysis doesn't stack up...,” Blair said in an interview with the New Statesman on Thursday, Sky News reproted.
"When I say, 'Well, let's just keep our options open', it's condemned as treason. Why wouldn't you keep your options open?
"Why wouldn't you say, 'We took this decision, we took it before we saw what its consequences are; now we see its consequences, we're not so sure?'"
Economic growth in the UK is expected to slow significantly next year, due to uncertainty over of the Brexit vote.
Experts have warned that leaving the EU will severely hurt London’s position as a financial hub, unless the UK decides to keep its access to the single EU market by loosening its stance on immigration.
If the UK loses its access to the EU’s single market, the resulting increase in the costs of doing business and exporting to the EU would hurt Britain’s competitive position in Europe.
The former Labour Party premier, who was in office from 1997 until 2007, said the single market would be the key issue in the negotiations, and that securing maximum access would mean accepting fewer restrictions on immigration, paying into the EU budget and accepting the jurisdiction of European judges.
But he claimed voters - including those who backed Leave on 23 June - may opt for that if "the economic pain may be very great" for up to a decade.
Voting to leave was "like agreeing to a house swap without having seen the other house", he said.
"In the end for a larger number of the people, even those who voted Leave, they will look at this in a practical way, not an ideological way … I think, in the end, it's going to be about Parliament and the country scrutinizing the deal,” Blair added.
