Tony Blair has sensationally hinted he could run for Parliament to stop the country being “hijacked” over Brexit by Theresa May.
He said with Theresa May on course for a landslide – the election was about reducing the size of the ‘Hard Brexit’ mandate she wins on June 8th.
He said voters should consider backing Tories or Lib Dems in some seats if it meant electing MPs “open to questioning” the Brexit strategy.
And speaking to the BBC he added: “I look at the British political scene at the moment and I almost feel motivated to go right back into it.”
He said: “It looks like a landslide at the moment – I have never seen polls like it. So the absolutely central question is more to do with the nature of the mandate.
"Is it possible to return as many people as possible who are going to keep an open mind on Brexit negotiation until we see the final terms.
“This is something that is bigger than party allegiance.”
Within minutes the pro-EU Open Britain campaign group was promising to publish a list of candidates who would stop a ‘Hard Brexit’.
The ‘Best For Britain’ campaign group led by pro-EU millionairess Gina Miller is expected to launch on Wednesday.
Mr Blair lavished praise on Ms Miller – the woman who forced Theresa May to go to Parliament before formally launching Britain’s EU divorce.
And he said it was vital that the terms of the EU divorce deal was written by “sensible and moderate people” – not “ardent Brexiteers”.
Jeremy Corbyn’s former press officer Matt Zarb Cousin immediately called for Mr Blair to be “kicked out” of the Labour Party
A Conservative spokesman insisted every vote for the Tories would “strengthen the United Kingdom in the Brexit negotiations” ahead.
He added: “Every vote for other parties, as Tony Blair seems to be suggesting, will weaken our negotiating hand and lead to Jeremy Corbyn in Downing Street at the helm of a coalition of chaos.
“That would have grave consequences for our nation’s future.”
A Lib Dem spokesman said: “Tony Blair’s intervention today shows something: this election is your chance to change Britain’s future.
“If you want to avoid a hard Brexit you need to support the Liberal Democrats.”