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Tony Blair does not rule out a Jeremy Corbyn win on a “far Left program”

Monday, July 17th 2017 - 05:26 UTC
Full article 10 comments
“There's been so many political upsets, it's possible Jeremy Corbyn could become prime minister and Labour could win on that program” ex PM Tony Blair said “There's been so many political upsets, it's possible Jeremy Corbyn could become prime minister and Labour could win on that program” ex PM Tony Blair said

Tony Blair says he now accepts Jeremy Corbyn could become prime minister. The ex-PM told BBC Newsnight that a year ago he would have said it was impossible for the left-wing Labour leader to win. But he added: “There's been so many political upsets, it's possible Jeremy Corbyn could become prime minister and Labour could win on that program.”

 Mr Blair, a consistent critic of Mr Corbyn, said he had not changed his mind on the “wisdom” of electing him.

Having defied predictions of a heavy defeat at last month's general election - and stripped the Conservatives of their majority - Mr. Corbyn now describes his party as a “government-in-waiting”. Many of his critics have since admitted they underestimated him.

Speaking to Newsnight, Mr Blair said he still believed “it's a surer route to power to fight from the centre” and that it would be damaging for the country if Mr. Corbyn became prime minister and imposed “an unreconstructed far Left program”

“For most of my political life I've been saying: 'I think this is the right way to go, and what's more it's the only way to win an election'. But ”I have to qualify that now. I have to say 'no - I think it's possible you end up with Jeremy Corbyn as prime minister.'“

The Labour leadership has dismissed Mr Blair's recent interventions - which included claiming Brexit followed by a Corbyn government would leave Britain ”flat on its back“.

”To be frank, Mr. Blair hasn't really listened to the nature of the debate that is going on in the pubs, the clubs and school gates etc,” shadow chancellor John McDonnell said on Saturday.

Categories: Politics, International.

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  • Capt Rockhopper

    If the Cretin ever got into No10, then the UK would be on the road to a Maduro style economic crash.The Cretin is doing anything and everything he can to undermine the current government.

    Jul 17th, 2017 - 07:17 am +2
  • Pytangua

    I understand that “Mercosur” is so very establishment (when do you ever report the concerns of the poor and marginalised in Latin America, the world's most unequal societies?) but, for your information, the name of the leader of the Labour Party is Jeremy Corbyn, not “James” Corbyn. And yes, he is a leftist, something anathema to the elite that still rules Latin America in a way that makes the UK Conservative Party seem like Marxists.

    And who cares what Tony Bliar the war criminal thinks anyway?

    Jul 17th, 2017 - 07:48 am +2
  • Clyde15

    Kipper ex Hepatia

    Are you so stupid that you cannot work it out for yourself ? It seems so !

    Jul 17th, 2017 - 08:45 am +2
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