Two of the Anglosphere’s most intimate political bedfellows, former US President Bill Clinton and Britain’s ex-PM Tony Blair, will combine to fight against a possible British exit from the European Union.
Reports indicate Clinton will soon fly to the UK to join Blair in the campaign against Brexit.
However, the itinerary of Bill Clinton’s visit cannot be confirmed until his wife, Hillary, is confirmed as the Democratic Party nominee, a source told the Times on Tuesday.
Both Clintons have backed the “Remain” positon articulated by serving US President Barack Obama during his recent UK visit.
“Hillary Clinton believes that transatlantic co-operation is essential, and that cooperation is strongest when Europe is united,” Hillary Clinton’s senior policy advisor Jake Sullivan told the Times.
“She has always valued a strong United Kingdom in a strong EU. And she values a strong British voice in the EU,” he added.
A recent YouGov poll suggests Bill Clinton is less trusted than both David Cameron and Nigel Farage on the EU. He is rated as trustworthy by only 14 percent of those asked, against Cameron’s 20 percent and Farage’s 23 percent.
The job of securing Clinton’s appearance has fallen to Blair, who forged a close alliance with Clinton during the Kosovo War and the eventual peace settlement in Northern Ireland.
Although many senior “Remain” figures are said to be against giving Blair a larger platform in the campaign, it is rumored he is also planning his own personal interventions.
The Clintons and Blairs are reported to have remained close despite the former US president’s mild criticism of the 2003 Iraq War, led by his successor George W. Bush and wholeheartedly championed by Blair.
Blair is reported to have regularly updated Hillary Clinton on events in the Middle East during his ill-fated stint as peace envoy to the region.