Tony Blair is 'sickened' at Brexiteers threatening peace in Northern Ireland

Tony Blair has said he is ‘sickened’ at the uncertainty surrounding the Irish border as EU chiefs warned a hard border would be one of the “possible negative consequences” of the kind of Brexit set out by the UK’s red lines.

The former PM’s warning comes amid a frenetic 48 hours of Brexit diplomacy for Theresa May as she tries to secure a united Cabinet ahead of crunch talks with European Council president Donald Tusk.

In recent weeks, the issue of the Irish border has muscled its way to the front of the Brexit debate of the UK’s future relationship with the EU.

And, on Thursday morning, Mr Blair condemned the way in which Brexit could potentially result in a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

‘I find it I mean, not just disappointing, but I have used the word and use it now, sickening, that people should really be prepared to sacrifice the peace in Northern Ireland on the altar of Brexit’, Blair told the BBC.

‘I mean the fact of the matter is those of us who grew up at the time of the Troubles remember what it was like.

‘I was explaining this to some young people the other day who, you know, obviously and thankfully, have not grown up with this.

‘That every day you know the news on your programme will be dominated by news of acts of terrorism and death, division, destruction from Northern Ireland.’

‘We need to preserve it, we need to build on it, but to suggest that we should get rid of the Good Friday Agreement because it prevents us doing this hard Brexit is I think, really quite extraordinary’, he conceded.

Blair’s comments come the day after the EU published its draft withdrawal agreement – which Theresa May explicitly stated no UK Prime Minister could sign up to.

Ahead of a meeting between Mrs May and Donald Tusk, the European Council president warned that her Brexit red lines will inevitably cause friction in trade between the UK and EU.

Mr Tusk said: ‘One of the possible negative consequences of this kind of Brexit is a hard border on the island of Ireland.

‘The EU wants to prevent this scenario and, if no other solution is found, the proposal (is) to establish a common regulatory area comprising the Union and the UK in respect of Northern Ireland.

‘And, until now, no-one has come up with anything wiser than that. In a few hours I will be asking in London whether the UK Government has a better idea that would be as effective in preventing a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.’

Mr Tusk added he was ‘absolutely sure that all the essential elements of the draft’ would be accepted by the 27 remaining EU members and stressed that the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, had the support of the bloc’s leaders.

Yesterday, Brexit secretary David Davis warned that Britain will refuse to pay an EU divorce bill until Brussels backs down on attempts to keep Northern Ireland subject to European Union rules.

In a terse letter sent to Tory MPs, the Brexit secretary said that Britain would not finalise financial payments to the EU until ‘all the issues’ of concern to Britain were addressed.

Former Prime Minister John Major also warned Theresa May that MPs should be given a ‘free vote’ on a final Brexit deal.