Former Prime Minister Tony Blair has declined to confirm whether he will vote Labour at the next general election, citing the party's handling of anti-Semitism as a major concern. In an interview with BBC Newsnight, the ex-Labour leader was asked three times about his voting intentions but stopped short of pledging his support.
Mr Blair stated that the anti-Semitism crisis is 'a real problem for me' and expressed hope that the party would 'deal with it'. He described anti-Semitism as 'fundamentally repugnant to everything the Labour Party should stand for' and warned that if it is not sorted out, 'it's going to be a big problem'.
His comments come as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn vowed to speed up expulsions of members in response to criticism from MPs. Nine MPs and three peers have already left the party over its handling of anti-Semitism allegations.
When asked if he might consider voting Liberal Democrat, Mr Blair said: 'I don't want to vote Lib Dem. I want to vote Labour. But I won't resile from the fact that the Labour Party is in a difficult situation at the moment, particularly with this anti-Semitism business.'
Mr Blair also criticised the Conservatives, saying they are able 'to behave with an almost surreal sense of irresponsibility at the moment because of the weakness of the Labour Party'. He added that Brexit is 'not a reason for voting Labour or not voting Labour' and that there will be 'a moment to debate the state of the Labour Party', but that moment is not now.
