Tony Blair has warned of a "silent revolution" in politics if the UK leaves the European Union without a deal.

The former prime minister told Sky's Sophy Ridge On Sunday that under those circumstances, Labour and the Conservatives would be "swept away" at the ballot box by angry voters.

He said: "People talk about how you have to avoid those who feel strongly pro-Brexit, you have to avoid them rioting on the streets and this outburst of populism.

"Okay, I understand that. And that's why you've got to handle this issue, I agree, very, very carefully.

"But let me just tell you this: if we go ahead and tumble out of the European Union with a no-deal Brexit of the sort that Farage and Boris Johnson and these people want, you are going to get a silent revolution in this country as well.


"There are people who are going to feel so strongly about this, that I just say this to both main political parties - they're going to sweep them away."

Mr Blair, who was in office from 1997 to 2007, was speaking ahead of the European elections on 23 May.

Almost three years on from the 2016 referendum, Britain is having to take part after seeking a Brexit delay from March until the end of October.

According to one opinion poll, Nigel Farage's Brexit Party is on course to get a bigger share of the vote than both of the two main parties combined.

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Mr Farage is a prominent supporter of Britain leaving without a deal, but Mr Blair said such a course would be ruinous.

He said supporters of such a scenario were "extreme" and would "cause enormous damage to the country".

Mr Blair said: "Nigel Farage and the people associated with him are not the people to drain the swamp - they are the people who created the swamp.

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"They have created this as if it's the answer to our problems and it is literally the problem."

Mr Farage said his party was riding high because of its clear message.

"We're the only party with a policy that you can actually understand," he said.

"We want to leave the European Union on 31 October, which is the new date, and we'll do so.

"Actually, what a new prime minister would do is say right, we're leaving on WTO terms on 31 October, we're not signing up to Mrs May's new European treaty.

"If you're interested in discussing a genuine tariff-free deal before we leave, we'll talk to you. That's the only negotiating position which works."

Image: Mr Blair has accused his successor of 'destructive indecision' on Brexit

Mr Blair, who has long been a supporter of a second referendum, said Brexit was "literally the answer to nothing" and "based on myth".

And he issued a dim assessment of the cross-party talks between the Tories and Labour.

"It's a fallacy because the soft Brexit Theresa May has tried to articulate and the Labour position won't work," Mr Blair said.

"That soft Brexit is never going to command anything other than a tiny amount of support.

"The people who want Brexit will say it's a betrayal and the people who want to remain will say it's completely pointless."

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Mr Blair was speaking to Sky News after launching a fierce attack on Jeremy Corbyn's Brexit strategy.

He said the party's stance meant it was "doomed to fail" in last week's local elections.

Mr Blair added that Labour's "destructive indecision" of trying to face both ways "pleased no one" and let down the country.

Asked about those comments by presenter Sophy Ridge, he urged Labour supporters who can no longer back the party to cast a ballot for another pro-Remain party.

"I do come across people who cannot vote for Labour, in which case I say, 'don't stay at home - vote for any of the other parties'," Mr Blair said.

Labour, SNP and the Lib Dem held launch events for the EU election and their messages could not be more different.

"At the end of this there's going to be a totting up and... it's important that the Remain side comes out because MPs will be making decisions based on that."

Mr Blair added it was "important the anti-Brexit side is larger and stronger than the Farage side".

Labour's official policy on a second referendum is that if it cannot change the Brexit deal or force a general election, it supports all options being kept on the table, including another public vote.

Responding to the former PM's criticism, Labour frontbencher Barry Gardiner said Mr Blair did not mention the word "democracy" once in his interview.

The shadow international trade secretary said voters were "angry that the referendum result has not been delivered on by an incompetent government" and his party was "trying to bail out the country because of the Tories' failure".

He added: "We believe it's important that as a country we respect the promises that we made and the democratic decision of the people."