Tony Blair blasts back at 'irresponsible' Theresa May for trying to 'steamroller' her deal past MPs after she accuses of him of trying to 'undermine' Brexit with secret Brussels visits
- May launched a ferocious attack on Blair for undermining Britain in Brussels
- She accused the ex-PM of 'insulting' the No 10 office that he held for 10 years
- Blair insists there must be a re-run referendum to end the crisis over May's deal
- Embarrassingly for the PM members of her own staff and Cabinet may back it
Tony Blair blasted back at 'irresponsible' Theresa May today after she accused of 'insulting' his former office by 'undermining' Britain's Brexit talks.
The former PM said the current resident in No 10 was trying to 'steamroller' her unpopular Brexit deal through the Commons.
The vicious war of words is an extremely rare clash between a serving Prime Minister and one of her predecessors.
Mrs May started the clash last night with a furious assault on Mr Blair's secret visits to Brussels to meet with EU leaders and promote a new referendum.
Mr Blair travels regularly to Brussels for meetings. His decade in No 10 leaves many doors open among friends and former colleagues he worked with in office.
He renewed his public campaign for a second referendum on Friday with a new speech warning Mrs May's deal was in 'crisis' and a vote was the only answer.
Embarrassingly for Mrs May as she attacked Mr Blair it was claimed members of her own staff and Cabinet are now considering a second referendum.
Theresa May (left in Maidenhead today) angrily denounced Tony Blair right in London on Friday) today for 'insulting' the office of Prime Minister by 'undermining' Britain by backing a second referendum on secret visits to Brussels
As the row escalated today, Mr Blair said: '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.
'Far from being anti-democratic, it would be the opposite - as indeed many senior figures in her party from past and present have been saying.
'What is irresponsible however is to try to steamroller MPs into accepting a deal they genuinely think is a bad one with the threat that if they do not fall into line, the Government will have the country crash out without a deal.'
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Last night 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.
'I have never lost sight of my duty, and that is to deliver on the referendum result.'
She added: 'We cannot, as he would, abdicate responsibility for this decision.
'Parliament has a democratic duty to deliver what the British people voted for.'
The attack came as Mrs May's chief of staff has triggered a civil war in Downing Street by telling Cabinet Ministers that a second EU referendum is the only way to break the Brexit deadlock.
Gavin Barwell, the Prime Minister's most powerful and influential adviser, is understood to have decided that plans should be drawn up for another public poll.
The incendiary suggestion has been greeted with fury from Brexiteers in the Cabinet.
Meanwhile, The Mail on Sunday can reveal that Mrs May's deputy, David Lidington has held a series of secret meetings with Labour MPs to build a 'coalition of the willing' to force a new EU vote.
Sources say that Mr Barwell has told the pro-Remain 'gang of five' Cabinet Ministers – Mr Lidington, Chancellor Philip Hammond, Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd, Justice Secretary David Gauke and Business Secretary Greg Clarke –that a second vote is 'the only way out of this'.
Gavin Barwell (left with Philip May on Wednesday), the Prime Minister's most powerful and influential adviser, is understood to have decided that plans should be drawn up for another public poll
But the idea is being fiercely opposed by pro-Brexit Cabinet ministers led by Home Secretary Sajid Javid, Commons leader Andrea Leadsom and International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt.
They argue that it would be greeted with fury – and possibly civil disorder – by people who had voted for Brexit two years ago.
Mr Blair insisted on Friday there must be a second referendum on Brexit because of the 'crisis' over the deal.
And the former PM claimed the EU would now reform free movement if Britain decided to stay - insisting 'European politics has been transformed' since the 2016 vote.
Mr Blair said: 'We have had 30 months of negotiation. Universally it is accepted that this negotiation has been massively more fraught than anyone ever imagined.
'Survey the political wreckage of the past weeks… Chaos, the character of the process; and no viable solution in sight.
'The clock which should never have been set ticking now ticking ever louder as we approach the midnight hour.
'How can it be said that in these circumstances, given the riot of confusion... it is wrong to go back to the people and ask that they clarify whether they wish now, in the light of all this, to remain or leave?'
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