Tony Blair blares his bugle on Brexit

Tony Blair. Pic/AFP

London: Former British prime minister Tony Blair issued a battle cry against a so called ‘hard Brexit' on Friday, calling on voters, businesses and campaigners to "rise up" and back a coordinated effort to temper the terms of, or even halt, Britain's EU exit. In his first major political intervention since the EU referendum, Blair said Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May was pursuing "Brexit at any cost", and must be challenged.

"The people voted without knowledge of the terms of Brexit. As these terms become clear, it is their right to change their mind. Our mission is to persuade them to do so," he said in a speech. "This is not the time for retreat, indifference or despair, but the time to rise up in defence of what we believe."