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Axios
Axios
World
Ursula Perano

Former PM Tony Blair says Britain is unified by Brexit exhaustion

Photo: Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images for Sport Industry Group

Amid ongoing political chaos and uncertainty, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair says Brexit exhaustion is a unifying issue.

  • "The only thing that unites the British people at the moment is a desire to have the thing over with," Blair told CNN Sunday. "So if there was another referendum and people voted to leave, well, you’d just have to accept that result and make the best of it. I’m not sure they would."

The big picture: British Prime Mister Boris Johnson has been seeking a general election in the hopes that incoming lawmakers could overturn a block on a no-deal Brexit, set to take place on Oct. 31. Johnson is firmly in favor of departure, deal or no deal.

  • Reports forecast that a no-deal Brexit could induce food and medicine shortages, and would leave Northern Ireland in a state of uncertainty.
  • "He thinks if you have a general election, then he can mask the unpopularity of a no-deal Brexit by pointing to the greater unpopularity of the Labour leadership. That’s one bet that I think he’s making," Blair said.

Go deeper: What's next for Brexit bedlam

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