epa06843730 Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair arrives, ahead of his speech, John C Whitehead Lecture, In Defence of Globalization, at Chatham House in London, Britain, 27 June 2018. Reports state that Tony Blair is delivering the annual John C Whitehead Lecture, honouring the many contributions John Whitehead, the former US deputy secretary of state to George Shultz, made to Anglo-American relations in the public and private sectors.  EPA/ANDY RAIN
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair arrives ahead of his speech at Chatham House in London. Andy Rain/ EPA

Delay the date of Brexit, says former UK leader Tony Blair



Former UK prime minister Tony Blair called on Wednesday for the date of Brexit to be extended beyond the deadline of March 2019, arguing that the UK government's negotiations with Brussels have been “drifting”.

Addressing international think tank Chatham House, Mr Blair, a staunch supporter of the UK remaining within the European Union, said: “The UK cannot go on like this. I have never been more worried about the future of our country than now.”

“Parliament must assert itself [regarding negotiating a deal on Brexit] because neither government nor opposition can or will," he said.

Mr Blair, who led the country between 1997 and 2007, said the British public has a right to decide what “version” of Brexit they desire.

The EU Withdrawal Bill officially became law on Tuesday but a withdrawal agreement remains under negotiation in Brussels.

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Read more:

British public are ‘pragmatic’ about immigration after Brexit, experts say

Britain’s auto industry warns against leaving the EU customs union

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The UK’s vote to leave the EU in June 2016 triggered the Article 50 process, which enshrined into law the process by which the UK would withdraw from the EU would commence on March 29, 2019.

UK prime minister Theresa May has said that after this date, Britain will no longer be a member of the EU. However, after March 2019 there will be a "transition period" that outlines the future relationship between the UK and the bloc, which is expected to last until December 2020.

Mr Blair has suggested the transition period should also be extended beyond 2020.

The UK government is due to release a long-anticipated white paper early next week, which is set to outline its position on a post-Brexit future for the country. The paper is expected to propose an agreement on the terms of the UK’s withdrawal as well as clarify its position on a future partnership with the EU.

Georgina Wright, Research Associate at the Europe Programme at international think tank Chatham House, said the lack of progress on reaching an EU deal is largely due to uncertainty on the part of the UK government regarding what kind of deal it wants and how such a deal would work in practice.

“It is really important to be clear on the process," Ms Wright said. "At the moment we are still negotiating the terms of the UK’s withdrawal [from the EU]. It looks like we are going to have to extend the transition period because we are running out of time.”

Sarfira

Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal

Rating: 2/5

if you go

The flights

Emirates have direct flights from Dubai to Glasgow from Dh3,115. Alternatively, if you want to see a bit of Edinburgh first, then you can fly there direct with Etihad from Abu Dhabi.

The hotel

Located in the heart of Mackintosh's Glasgow, the Dakota Deluxe is perhaps the most refined hotel anywhere in the city. Doubles from Dh850

 Events and tours

There are various Mackintosh specific events throughout 2018 – for more details and to see a map of his surviving designs see glasgowmackintosh.com

For walking tours focussing on the Glasgow Style, see the website of the Glasgow School of Art. 

More information

For ideas on planning a trip to Scotland, visit www.visitscotland.com

The Al Barzakh Festival takes place on Wednesday and Thursday at 7.30pm in the Red Theatre, NYUAD, Saadiyat Island. Tickets cost Dh105 for adults from platinumlist.net

Kill

Director: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat

Starring: Lakshya, Tanya Maniktala, Ashish Vidyarthi, Harsh Chhaya, Raghav Juyal

Rating: 4.5/5

COMPANY PROFILE

Company name: Klipit

Started: 2022

Founders: Venkat Reddy, Mohammed Al Bulooki, Bilal Merchant, Asif Ahmed, Ovais Merchant

Based: Dubai, UAE

Industry: Digital receipts, finance, blockchain

Funding: $4 million

Investors: Privately/self-funded

MEDIEVIL (1998)

Developer: SCE Studio Cambridge
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Console: PlayStation, PlayStation 4 and 5
Rating: 3.5/5


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