Tony Blair urges Jeremy Corbyn to avoid general election until after Brexit is sorted

Former prime minister says government has been taken over by a ‘gang of adventurers’ acting in a ‘shocking, irresponsible and dangerous’ way

Tony Blair has issued a direct plea to Jeremy Corbyn not to allow Boris Johnson to call a general election until after Brexit is resolved.

The former Labour prime minister warned that an early election was an “elephant trap” being set by Johnson and his supporters to try to secure a mandate for a no-deal outcome, which is opposed by a majority of voters.

Denouncing Mr Johnson’s team as “a gang of adventurers”, he nonetheless predicted that an early poll would deliver a “comfortable” majority in the Commons for the Conservatives, because opposition parties would split the Remain vote.

And he insisted that, if the government cannot secure a mandate for a no-deal Brexit in parliament, the decision must be put to the voters in a Final Say referendum, not a general election where other factors will be in play.

Under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act, Labour support would be needed to trigger an early election, which requires a two-thirds majority in the House of Commons or a vote of no confidence by MPs.

In a speech to the Institute of Government in London, Mr Blair said: “The Brexiteers are laying a trap, to seem as if pushed into an election, whilst actively preparing for one.”

Describing the government’s behaviour as “shocking, irresponsible and dangerous”, Mr Blair said Mr Johnson was trying to rip the UK out of the EU without a deal “without the consent of parliament ... and without the express consent of the British people”.

The referendum of 2016 provides no mandate for a no-deal Brexit, said Mr Blair. And he warned that Mr Johnson may seek to use a general election to claim a mandate to leave without a withdrawal agreement.

“Boris Johnson knows that if no-deal Brexit stands on its own as a proposition, it might well fail. But if he mixes up the Brexit question with the Corbyn question in a general election, he could succeed, despite a majority being against a no-deal Brexit, because some may fear a Corbyn premiership more.”

Mr Blair acknowledged it was “counterintuitive” for an opposition to vote against a general election, and said Mr Corbyn may well be “tempted” by the fact that the Labour vote could be boosted by Remain support.

Corbyn has stepped away from the idea of being a ‘caretaker leader’, Blair said (AFP/Getty) (AFP/Getty Images)

But he said Mr Corbyn should “put the country first” by ensuring that the public are asked to vote in a referendum, not a general election.

“In backing away from the idea of himself as a ‘caretaker prime minister’, Jeremy Corbyn has behaved responsibly and if he continues to put country first he will benefit the country and himself,” said Mr Blair.

“He can now play a decisive role in how Brexit develops.

“But he should see an election before Brexit is decided for the elephant trap it is.

“After Brexit is resolved, an immediate election is right and necessary. And if Labour approaches the resolution of Brexit with the spirit of strategic cooperation it has shown recently, it will emerge with its standing and that of its leadership greatly enhanced.

“If the government tries to force an election now, Labour should vote against it.”