Second referendum on EU membership should not be ruled out

Second referendum on EU membership should not be ruled out, says Tony Blair


BY JAMIE MICKLETHWAITE

Sunday 26th June 2016



Tony Blair said all options after Brexit should be explored

Tony Blair has said a second referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU should not be ruled out.

The former prime minister admitted he did not see a possibility of how a second referendum could be carried out but added: "Why rule anything out?"

After Britain voted to leave the EU on Friday, a petition for a second EU referendum has been signed by more than three million people.

When asked on the BBC's Sunday Politics programme about the possibility of another vote, he said: "As I'm looking at it here, I can't see how we can do that.


EU referendum: No chance of a second referendum, says Britain's top elections expert

"But, you know, the point is, why rule anything out right now? As I say, you are going to have a reality to test yourself against."

Blair said the nation needs to "see the consequences" of Brexit as they play out in the coming weeks and months.




"I can't see how you would go through all of the mechanics of another referendum now," he continued. I just can't see it.

"But on the other hand I also think there will be a lot of people in the country who will say 'well, let's have a look at this and see what we are going to do' and Parliament will want to look at it."

Blair also warned that negotiating the UK's new relationship with the EU will be an "agonising and highly complicated process".



He said that failure to strike a good deal with the EU would have severe consequences for the UK economy.

He said: "If you take for example financial services, if we don't have the EU passport as it's called for our financial services what does that mean for the City of London?

"You could have thousands of jobs going, so how do you preserve it?"


However, he also urged the Government not to rush the UK's divorce with Brussels.

"It is not in the interests of Europe or of Britain to rush this," he said.

"We are dealing with vast consequences for our economy, for our politics, for our security and we have got to take it very carefully.

You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

nothing to look at the people voted us out in a fair democratic vote

Tony Blair is a knob ,liar and took our boys to war for nothing. Have him shot they should.

How can a referendum be valid when it was sold on a lie. No 350 nhs money and no immigration on all newsdesks today. What a back track!!!!!

How can a referendum be valid when it was sold on a lie. No 350 nhs money and no immigration on all newsdesks today. What a back track!!!!!

Spot on - it's been a lie and only time will tell... Sadly there are too many Thick people in this country who can't see the truth.

As for myself i don't have to worry about what goes up next,if more houses are built or hospitals for that matter.

IN or OUT I will post my views on each side - but lies i don't do .....

No body I know that voted out did so on the basis of the 350 claim and the NHS. Every person I know voted for it because they do not want uk governments of any party being over ruled by Europe or European law taking precedence over uk law. They did not want to be part of an EU super state. So to say the exit campaign was won on lies is not accurate in my experience. Sure they bent the truth but so did remain.
If we had chosen to remain I would have suck it up. Grudgingly accepted more people disagreed with me then moved on. All I have seen and experienced since the result however is abuse, name calling, patronising comments and all that can be described as extreme straw clutching. Why oh why can loud voices on the remain side not just accept that for a variety of reasons more people disagree with them than agree with them?? We have had 40 years of their way and still people dislike the EU. if it was so universally liked then ukip would have no supporters and the conservatives would have had no internal divides. Face it. A lot of people do not like the European Union. As was born out in the referendum, of those that bothered to vote, more people wanted to leave a political union of nations the stay in it. I really can not understand where the confusion lies.
It's sad that the same level of ignoring a democratic decision is doing its best to destroy the Labour Party too. Corbyn won and won convincingly. He was elected in a democratic manner and his mandate is to win the general election. He hasn't had one yet!! But still the people that didn't want him are scheming to get him out.
It's petulant politics from bad losers.

How can a referendum be valid when it was sold on a lie. No 350 nhs money and no immigration on all newsdesks today. What a back track!!!!!

how many lies was there from camaron and his cronies but irrelevant a politician telling lies is still not valid reason for new referendum as all politicians lie

I voted out and would do so again and again. Anyone who is daft enough to believe this second referendum nonsense needs to wake up 51.9% of our country voted out and that's what's happening.

How can a referendum be valid when it was sold on a lie. No 350 nhs money and no immigration on all newsdesks today. What a back track!!!!!

how many lies was there from camaron and his cronies but irrelevant a politician telling lies is still not valid reason for new referendum as all politicians lie

While I stand firmly in the remain camp, you are right; all politicians lie and this is not cause for a second referendum. It is however galling to see these chancers turn around the very next day and say that they didn't make these promises, while the country is thrown into chaos all around us primarily as a consequence of their empty words. I appreciate that not everyone who voted leave did so on the basis of the nhs etc. but the truth is that many did.

We are heading for another election. I can't see us coming out of the EU

How can a referendum be valid when it was sold on a lie. No 350 nhs money and no immigration on all newsdesks today. What a back track!!!!!

On the other hand I'm still waiting for WW3 to break out

I didn't vote out because of the NHS bus I voted out because I want those who make the decisions on my every day life to be accountable for their actions. The EU Commission is APPOINTED and not elected. The elected EU body (the Parliament) does-not make EU law, it instead reviews and rubber stamps the decisions made by the EU Commission.

When power returns to Westminster if none of the savings are spent on the NHS or there is a failure to curb immigration or a failure to declare WW3 I will then have an ability to vote out the Government which failed to carry out their promises.

We are heading for another election. I can't see us coming out of the EU

I think the eu want us out now, they are pushing for the exit to be quicker plus they are already holding meetings and not inviting the uk!! Childish

No body I know that voted out did so on the basis of the 350 claim and the NHS. Every person I know voted for it because they do not want uk governments of any party being over ruled by Europe or European law taking precedence over uk law. They did not want to be part of an EU super state. So to say the exit campaign was won on lies is not accurate in my experience. Sure they bent the truth but so did remain.
If we had chosen to remain I would have suck it up. Grudgingly accepted more people disagreed with me then moved on. All I have seen and experienced since the result however is abuse, name calling, patronising comments and all that can be described as extreme straw clutching. Why oh why can loud voices on the remain side not just accept that for a variety of reasons more people disagree with them than agree with them?? We have had 40 years of their way and still people dislike the EU. if it was so universally liked then ukip would have no supporters and the conservatives would have had no internal divides. Face it. A lot of people do not like the European Union. As was born out in the referendum, of those that bothered to vote, more people wanted to leave a political union of nations the stay in it. I really can not understand where the confusion lies.
It's sad that the same level of ignoring a democratic decision is doing its best to destroy the Labour Party too. Corbyn won and won convincingly. He was elected in a democratic manner and his mandate is to win the general election. He hasn't had one yet!! But still the people that didn't want him are scheming to get him out.
It's petulant politics from bad losers.

Well Said

We are heading for another election. I can't see us coming out of the EU

I think the eu want us out now, they are pushing for the exit to be quicker plus they are already holding meetings and not inviting the uk!! Childish

That's because they know, no one wants to push the button [ article 50 ]

We are heading for another election. I can't see us coming out of the EU

I think the eu want us out now, they are pushing for the exit to be quicker plus they are already holding meetings and not inviting the uk!! Childish

That's because they know, no one wants to push the button [ article 50 ]

Cameron makes no bones about it in his speech just now - the NEXT government will have to negotiate and implement article 50. And the EU cannot instigate it. Nothing doing for now then...

EU spitting the dummy out of the pram because we've spoilt the SECRET TTIP agreement

Oh dear, what's that? Trying to negotiate undemocratic laws onto a country without their consent?

Yeah they will damn right get a second referendum, and they will completely rig the vote.

Tony Blair is a knob ,liar and took our boys to war for nothing. Have him shot they should.

Harsh but fair

David Cameron ruled it out in the commons today said we need to accept it

David Cameron ruled it out in the commons today said we need to accept it

yes, but he also used delaying tactics by saying he won't be signing anything and it will be up to the next government. That means nothing even starts until he goes...

David Cameron ruled it out in the commons today said we need to accept it

yes, but he also used delaying tactics by saying he won't be signing anything and it will be up to the next government. That means nothing even starts until he goes...

straws.jpg

You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

David Cameron ruled it out in the commons today said we need to accept it

yes, but he also used delaying tactics by saying he won't be signing anything and it will be up to the next government. That means nothing even starts until he goes...

straws.jpg

[/quote

whatever

Cameron is always bragging about us being a democratic country ,Leave the EU That's what the majority voted for