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Tony Blair today praises Jeremy Corbyn for his handling of the Brexit crisis, and tells the Labour leader: “Don’t give up.”

In this ­exclusive article for the Sunday ­Mirror, he also tells Boris Johnson that an election won’t solve anything, warning: “If we end up with another hung Parliament, nothing is resolved.”...

My disagreements with Jeremy ­Corbyn are well known. They remain. But he has co-operated with other parties in the last weeks very sensibly and skilfully to stop a No Deal Brexit.

Parliament is blocked and Boris Johnson completely boxed in. The blockage is not – as Farage and Johnson insist – because MPs are a bunch of “Remoaners” thwarting the will of the people.

There is a substantial majority for doing Brexit with an agreement to replace the existing arrangements with the ­European Union.

(Image: Getty) (Image: Getty)

There is, however, also a big majority against No Deal Brexit for the simple reason that it is a massive gamble with the British economy that no responsible prime minister or ­government would take.

And the reason Parliament has had difficulty, under both May and Johnson, of reaching agreement on the type of deal which would work, is that Brexit was an easy instruction to give but a hugely complicated one to do.

We have traded and operated as a nation within Europe for almost half a century. It is the biggest commercial market and political alliance in the world right on our doorstep. Divorce was always going to be difficult.

(Image: PA)

Contrary to what we are told by the Tories, it isn’t really a negotiation with Europe. It starts with a choice.

Stay in Europe’s trading structure to ­minimise economic pain and keep borders, not least in Ireland, open (but then what’s the point of Brexit?).

Or exit, in which case the adjustment will be painful, ­particularly in Ireland.

Both May and Johnson have tried to have it both ways and that was never going to work.

(Image: PA)

(Image: Getty)

So the question now is how to break the blockage, because the one thing everyone wants is for the Brexit nightmare to end.

Johnson wants to go back to the people in a General Election. This is crazy. We decided Brexit by a ­referendum. If we’re to reconsider it, do it the same way.

An election is about masses of different things and is to elect a government. Don’t muddle it up with the very specific issue of Brexit, because if we end up with another hung Parliament then nothing is resolved.

The Tories want an election because they’re afraid to consult the people on No Deal.

And with an election, they believe that a split opposition vote will give them victory. Labour should say: “Sure, have an election – but not on Brexit. Do that directly.”

This is right in principle and smart politics. Far better for Labour to campaign on what the Tories have done to our country than twisting into contortions to try to appeal to Leave and Remain voters at the same time.

Labour, working with other parties, including rebel Tories, has control of this ­situation now. Don’t give it up!