Tony Blair's evaluation of the opposition Labour Party's Brexit strategy was set out in an article published on Thursday on his Institute for Global Change website in which he called for the party to join the fight to keep the UK from leaving the European Union.

Blair said Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn wants to have his "cake and eat it" on Brexit.

Read more: UK to abide by EU rules in Brexit transition, with no voice

"Labour's position is confusing," Blair said, adding it would be far better if the Labour Party made the case that leaving "isn't and never was the answer."

"Make Brexit the Tory [ruling, Conservative Party] Brexit," Blair said. "Make them own it 100 percent. If Labour continues to go along with Brexit and insists on leaving the Single Market, the handmaiden of Brexit will have been the timidity of Labour."

Brexit negotiations: What are the key issues? Two phases EU leaders agreed to negotiating guidelines during a summit in April 2017 that divided the divorce talks into two phases. Phase I, in which both sides aimed to settle the basic terms of Britain's departure, started in July and ended with an agreement on "sufficient progress" in December. Officials are now holding Phase II negotiations on the post-Brexit relationship between Britain and the EU.

Brexit negotiations: What are the key issues? The "Brexit Bill" London agreed to a formula for calculating what it owes in its "divorce bill" to the EU in early December after months of haggling by British officials. The current EU budget expires in 2022 and EU officials have said the divorce bill will cover financial obligations Britain had committed to before triggering article 50. The final bill will reportedly total around £50 billion (€67 billion).

Brexit negotiations: What are the key issues? Citizens' rights Both sides agreed in early December that the 3 million EU citizens currently in Britain and the 1.1 million British citizens in the EU keep their residency rights after Brexit. British courts will have immediate jurisdiction over EU citizens living in Britain. But the EU's highest court, the ECJ, can hear cases until 2027 if British judges refer unclear cases to them.

Brexit negotiations: What are the key issues? The Irish border Britain and the EU also agreed in December that no border checks between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland would return post-Brexit. How feasible the commitment will be is unclear, as Britain's commitment to leaving the EU Single Market and Customs Union makes it difficult to avoid customs checks at the Irish border.

Brexit negotiations: What are the key issues? Transition period Theresa May envisages a two-year transition period after March 2019. Both sides still have to hash out the details of the transition period in Phase II, including the exact end-date, whether new EU laws passed during the period will apply to Britain, and whether Britain can negotiate its own free trade deals. British officials hope to agree on the terms of the transition by March 2018.

Brexit negotiations: What are the key issues? Trade May has repeatedly said Britain will leave the European Single Market and the EU Customs Union. Leaving both could disrupt British-EU trade, but allow Britain to negotiate its own free trade deals and restrict EU migration — key demands by pro-Brexit politicians. London has said it wants to negotiate a new EU-UK trade deal during Phase II to minimize trade disruption before March 2019.

Brexit negotiations: What are the key issues? Immigration Britain has also vowed to restrict EU migration into Britain after Brexit. However, some British lawmakers are wary that a sharp drop in immigration could lead to shortfalls in key sectors, including health, social care and construction. The EU has warned that Single Market access is out of the question if London decides to restrict the ability of its citizens to live and work in Britain.

Brexit negotiations: What are the key issues? Security Recent terror attacks across Europe including a string in Britain underline both sides' support for continued security cooperation after March 2019. But access to EU institutions such as Europol and programs such as the European Arrest Warrant require compliance with EU laws. Whether Britain will still be compliant after it leaves is unclear. Author: Alexander Pearson



Blair, prime minister from 1997 to 2007, said Britain would be poorer and weaker after Brexit. "We are making an error the contemporary world cannot understand and the generations of the future will not forgive," he said.

"2018 will be the last chance to secure a say on whether the new relationship proposed with Europe is better than the existing one," he added.

Blair said in December he would seek to reverse Brexit, arguing that voters deserve a second referendum because the "

£350 million (€390 million) per week for the NHS" promise has now been exposed as untrue.

"When the facts change, I think people are entitled to change their mind," said Blair.

"The will of the people is not something immutable,” he said, adding that there was "a significant group of people," particularly Labour voters, who backed Brexit due to economic and cultural worries.

Labour members in tune with Blair

Eight out of 10 members of the Labour Party want a referendum on the terms of Brexit, according to a survey of attitudes released on Thursday.

The survey, conducted by Mile End Institute at Queen Mary University of London, also showed that 49 percent of Labour members definitely want a second referendum on the exit deal and a further 29 percent said they were more in favor of the idea than against it.

But 18 months after voting 52 percent to 48 percent to withdraw from the EU, Britons remain divided over leaving the bloc.

In December, one survey showed 50 percent of voters supported a second referendum while 34 percent did not.

Britain's Prime Minister, Theresa May and opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, during the State Opening of Parliament

Labour in a bind

Corbyn's stance on Brexit has gained in significance since last June's general election that saw his party perform better than expected.

At the election Labour's "constructive ambiguity" was seen to have won votes from EU Remainers and Leavers alike.

But after the vote Corbyn — a reluctant Remainer during the 2016 referendum campaign — appeared to move toward a harder position, sacking three frontbenchers for backing a parliamentary amendment saying the UK should remain in the single market and customs union.

Corbyn has expressed concerns that a commitment to the single market could limit a Labour government's room for manoeuver, with state aid for companies a concern for the left-leaning politician.

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But Labour Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer has since said Labour wants "full participation” in the single market and the "full benefits” of the customs union. It would also consider paying for market access and the "easy movement" of people.

John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor and a euroskeptic, now said Labour could stay in "a reformed single market and a customs union."

Deputy leader Tom Watson refused to rule out another referendum last Sunday, but three of his shadow cabinet colleagues insisted it was not Labour policy.

Blair is highly unpopular with Labour members, mainly due to his role in the invasion of Iraq in 2004. For Corbyn's supporters, the former prime minister also represents a betrayal of what they consider should be Labour's commitment to more radical left-wing policies.

Conservatives in a bind

Current Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative minority government has dismissed the idea of a second referendum. But her fragile hold on power is unlikely to be strengthened by the slew of Brexit negotiations slated for 2018.

The government was forced in December to give parliament a greater say in the Brexit process than it initially wanted after members of May's own party rebelled on the issue.

The UK's planned EU exit is scheduled to take place on March 29, 2019.

jbh/sms (Reuters)