Stefan Rousseau/PA
It’s becoming glaringly obvious that, whatever Brexit promised us eight years ago, none of it has actually been delivered. In fact, in some areas, the exact opposite of what was pledged has actually taken place – something Tony Blair pointed out this weekend.
The former Prime Minister, who won three elections and led the country for 10 years, has declared Brexit as an outright failure. In the years since the agreement to leave the EU was formalised, economic growth has stalled – and increased red-tape has hit trade hard.
However, one promise in particular seems to have backfired spectacularly. Brexit, essentially a referendum on managing the borders and limiting immigration, has not allowed Britain to ‘take back control’. As Tony Blair has pointed out, it has only served to exacerbate these issues.
The former Labour leader states that Brexit has caused an increase in immigration, which has seen ‘young, single Europeans’ replaced by larger numbers of ‘Asian and African migrants’, who are more likely to bring their dependents over.
“We’ve swapped out younger, usually single people coming in from Europe to work in hospitality, technology and other sectors for much-increased immigration from Asia and Africa. I understand it wasn’t the intention.”
“But, instead of the promise to ‘take back control’, we have higher levels of immigration and more people bringing dependents into the country. We need to think how we repair the relationship with the EU, and then in time, we’ve got to think as a country of where we fit.” | Tony Blair
Blair further elaborated on his pro-EU views, suggesting that Keir Starmer should consider bringing the youth mobility scheme back. It was reported earlier this month that the PM is seeking similar agreements with individual European nations.
“After Brexit, there’s no doubt we’ve weakened ourselves as a country – and personally, I think youth mobility within Europe would be a good thing for us, but, you know, the government’s got to take a view on that.” | Tony Blair
