Blair: Brexit would hit living standards of society’s poorest most

Tony Blair has weighed in on the debate over Brexit, warning that leaving the European Union would hit living standards and hit the poorest in society most. The former Prime Minister appears to make an appeal to Labour supporters – seen as an important swing demographic in the vote – in two interventions today.

While Blair is a divisive, and even simply unpopular, figure in the modern Labour Party, there are hopes that he is still seen as a political “big beast” and carries major clout. Sources from the Stronger In campaign have said that they would not deter the former Labour leader from giving his backing to the campaign.

Speaking on the Andrew Marr Show this morning, Blair said that the vote on June 23 “is probably the most important decision we’re going to make since World War Two”.

He laid into the Out campaigns, saying they were determined on making the debate about immigration because the economic case for staying in has already been settled. His comments come as Vote Leave chiefs sent an open letter to David Cameron, accusing the Tory leader of “corroding public trust” on immigration.

“These people are focussing on immigration because on the economy it is now clear that we will suffer a deep aftershock if we leave the European Union,” Blair said.

He added: “We have got over four decades these interlocking economic relationships, you break that up and how can anyone argue that you’re not going to have a problem afterwards, economically?”

On those running the Leave campaign, he said: “These people say they care about people’s living standards and the poorest members of our society: those are the people who are going to suffer.”

In an article for the Sunday Times, Blair warned that the true motives for those who would manage Britain’s exit from the EU for wanting to leave would be anathema for most Labour voters.

“The pain is relatively easy to predict. That pain is measured in jobs, living standards, the value of the money in your pocket,” he wrote.

“The intellectual reasoning behind “leave” is to take us out of that European polity altogether and make us a global outlier. These are the folk who oppose the social chapter of basic employment rights and opposed the minimum wage.

“Most Labour voters would run a mile from that. These are the very people they have spent a lifetime fighting.”

The argument is startlingly similar to the “Tory Brexit” line being pushed by the current Labour leadership of Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell.