Tony Blair blames mass immigration on Brexit as he tells Keir Starmer to reestablish close links with EU
Former prime minister Sir Tony Blair
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Sir Tony Blair has hit out at Brexit, saying that Britain has ended up with mass immigration instead of the promise to "take back control."
The former Prime Minister said "we have weakened ourselves" following the UK's departure from the European Union.
Speaking to The Independent, Sir Tony urged Sir Keir Starmer to "repair the relationship" with the EU as he said that Western leaders must prepare for a potential global war.
Sir Tony also warned about the dangers from Russia, calling the Vladimir Putin "delusional."
Sir Tony Blair and Sir Keir Starmer
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He said: "We need to think how we repair the relationship with the EU, and then in time, we’ve got to think as a country of where we fit in the world.
"One of the things that gives a country energy, and appetite for facing all the challenges is they know where they fit. There’s no doubt we’ve weakened ourselves.
"We’ve swapped out younger, usually single people coming in from Europe to work in hospitality, technology and other sectors for much increased immigration from Asia and Africa.
"By the middle of this century, you’re going to have three superpowers, America, China, and...India. All other countries are going to be small in comparison."
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Former prime minister Sir Tony Blair
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Sir Tony then took aim at Brexit, accusing it of failing to deliver on its one big promise of reducing immigration, calling it "absolutely extraordinary" that Brexit had "increased immigration."
He added: "I understand it wasn’t the intention, but the result is we have higher levels of immigration and high levels of people bringing dependents into the country."
Sir Tony also said West must stand up to the Kremlin and be resolute in its support for Kyiv.
He added: "The one thing that Putin thinks is that he can always outlast the West, that the West lacks staying power. We must provide evidence, and Ukraine is the test, that it’s got staying power."
Sir Tony with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2001
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He added: "If we ever end up with a major global conflict, it will almost certainly be as a result of the American-Chinese relationship deteriorating.
"[But] I find it hard to believe that either America or China wants such a conflict. China’s got such a massive interest in stability.
"Yet what Russia did in Ukraine changed the conventional wisdom. I think you’ve got to be anxious, because you’ve also got flash points like Taiwan, and obviously what Putin’s doing in Europe that could potentially lead to this.”
"The consequences of such a conflict would be so devastating, so I hope people won’t do it, but you’ve got to prepare for all eventualities"
The then US President George W Bush alongside Sir Tony in 2003
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Sir Tony also addressed his controversial legacy, particularity over his decision to invade Iraq alongside the US.
He said: "The relationship with the US was absolutely critical for me and still is...Now, I know a lot of people didn’t like the decisions I took post 9/11 on Afghanistan and, of course, Iraq. But it was always important that we stayed as the closest American ally, and I still believe that’s still true.
"History is a long time in the making and look, there may be different perspectives in time that come about on it."