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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Politics
Mikey Smith

Tony Blair praises Jeremy Corbyn - and warns Labour not to agree to an election

Tony Blair will warn Labour they should not agree to an emergency election until after Brexit is resolved.

In a speech the former Labour PM will brand the idea of a pre-Brexit election an “elephant trap” set by Number 10.

He will say Tory Brexiteers are “laying a trap, to seem as if pushed into an election against their will, when they're actively preparing for it".

And in an extraordinary intervention, Mr Blair will heap praise on Jeremy Corbyn .

In a speech to the Institute for Government, he will say: "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.

Blair says Corbyn is "behaving responsibly by putting his country first" (Ian Forsyth)

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

"But he should see an election for the elephant trap it is.

"If the Government tries to force an election, Labour should vote against it."

He will add: “It is counter-intuitive for opposition parties to refuse an election.

"But in this exceptional case, it is vital they do so as a matter of principle, until Brexit is resolved."

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