The British Prime Minister, Theresa May, has condemned former prime minister, Tony Blair, accusing him of undermining the Brexit talks by calling for another referendum.
Blair has been calling for another referendum on Britain’s exit from the European Union (EU).
May frowned at the call, saying a new vote would be a “gross betrayal” of democracy.
She said Blair’s comment is an “insult to the office he once held” and a gross betrayal of democracy. She also said MPs could not “abdicate responsibility” to deliver Brexit by holding a new poll.
May and her government are opposed to any further referendum, saying the public made a clear choice when they voted in 2016 to leave by a margin of 51.9 per cent to 48.1 per cent.
The BBC quotes May as saying: “For Tony Blair to go to Brussels and seek to undermine our negotiations by advocating for a second referendum is an insult to the office he once held and the people he once served.
“Parliament has a democratic duty to deliver what the British people voted for.”
She added that there were “too many people who want to subvert the process for their own political interests – rather than acting in the national interest.”
Like Tony Blair, some Labour leaders including MPs are also in support of a new referendum. They are, however, considered to be a minority even within the opposition Labour Party.
After winning a recent confidence vote among her fellow conservative parliamentarians, May made it clear she would step down before the next general election – due in 2022.
She however still faces an uphill task of getting her Bexit deal approved by the House of Commons.
