Brexit weakens Britain’s position globally: Tony Blair

Dubai : Britain’s exit from the European Union (EU) weakens its position economically and politically in the world, former Prime Minister Tony Blair said here on Sunday.

Speaking at a panel discussion on day two of the 2018 Global Education and Skills Forum, Blair noted that Brexit “for sure diminishes Britain’s standing,” Xinhua reported.

Blair said the impact of Brexit must also be seen in the light of geopolitical shift to the east.

The impact of Brexit would also be a watershed from a global perspective as the EU is not the sole powerful bloc in the world, said Blair.

“In Asia you have ASEAN, then you’ve got the African Union, in South America you have Mercosur. This is the way the world is,” Blair added.

Under Blair’s government, the EU went through a deep political crisis at that time when in 2003, Britain joined the US in the Iraq war, while two major EU powers — Germany and France — opposed the invasion.

Britain will leave the EU on March 29, 2019 after being a member for 46-years.

The divorce is based on a referendum on June 23, 2016 in which 51.6 per cent of Britons voted in favour of withdrawing from the EU.

IANS