Blair Urges UK Parliament to Vote Down Any Deal on Brexit, Let People Decide

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair urged the country’s Parliament on Sunday to turn down any divorce agreement between London and Brussels and let the UK citizens decide as each option would have negative consequences.

"We are approaching Brexit crunch time. Everyone is going to come under intense pressure to agree a ‘reasonable deal’, Labour MPs especially. They should resist. There is no 'reasonable deal.' There is the pointless, the painful or fudge through postponement of the core issues. Each option is bad … MPs should vote it down and give the people the final say," Blair wrote in his article for The Guardian newspaper.

READ MORE: Labour Supporters Back Final Say Referendum on Brexit Outcome — Poll

The European Union will never allow the United Kingdom to retain its membership in the Single Market without compliance with its rules, the former leader of the Labour Party noted.

"Britain has probably gained more from this market than anyone. So wrenching us out of it gives rise to this dilemma: stay in step with Europe’s rules to minimize economic damage or break free from those rules and suffer the damage. The first is pointless and the second painful. Pointless versus painful is the choice," Blair underlined.

The idea of a second referendum appeared just after the 2016 vote and was supported by the opposition, however, the UK government has repeatedly dismissed such a possibility.

While the United Kingdom will leave the European Union on March 29, 2019, with the transition period set to end in December 2020, London and Brussels still have not reached an agreement on a number of issues, such as the Irish border and the post-Brexit economic relations.