The whole thing seems to be a mess. On QT a few weeks ago Owen Smith was asked why he wouldn't have had a referendum if so many people were willing to vote to come out of the UK, but they came out (partly) under the banner of "take back control" only to see a system where UKIP can have millions of voters and still only one MP or where false promises on buses can have such influence in campaigns continue.

I am no fan of Tony Blair. I wouldn't find it to hard to believe that this is meant to disrupt Labour under Corbyn in the next by-election rather than promote UK/EU relations or help bring about a softer Brexit.