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Sunday 29 May 2016 10:00 am

Sick of the scaremongering? It’s not over yet! Tony Blair just compared Brexit to World War Two

By: Helen Cahill

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Just when you thought there couldn't be any more hyperbole in the Brexit debate, Tony Blair has added his voice to the chorus, comparing a British exit from the European Union to World War Two.

Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show this morning, Blair said: "This is the most important decision we are going to make since World War Two, by the way.

"We are going to suffer a deep after-shock if we leave the European Union.

"If we vote to leave we will suffer an immediate shock to our economy, we will create years of uncertainty…And that isn’t some hypothetical risk, that is something you will see directly in people's jobs and living standards.

"Is that pain worth the gain? What is that gain that people say is so important?"

Read more: Immigration should be part of the Brexit debate

Responding to Boris Johnson and Michael Gove's open letter on immigration – which claimed migration could not be controlled if Britain remains an EU member – Blair trashed the idea that the country's migration problems would evaporate in the event of Brexit, saying: "If we vote to leave, these problems will still remain."

"It’s not going to go away as an issue if we leave the European Union," he said.

"Levels of migration are higher in Norway and Switzerland."

Blair also attacked claims that Britain could successfully create a trade deal with the World Trade Organisation, saying "it doesn't bear thinking of". He said the fact that the pro-Brexit politicians are suggesting such a move means they have lost the economic argument.

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