Jeremy Corbyn dismisses Tony Blair’s latest attempt to halt Brexit with tougher immigration policies

'He seemed not to understand the economic policies of the Labour party and I was surprised at that'

Jeremy Corbyn: 'I’m not quite sure what the point of his interview was actually' (PA)

Jeremy Corbyn has dismissed Tony Blair’s latest intervention to try to halt Brexit, saying he did not know “the point of his interview”.

The Labour leader resumed his feud with his most successful predecessor, arguing he had failed to make his case for trying to change the minds of the British public.

At the weekend, Mr Blair proposed tough new rules to allow Britain to curb EU immigration, to persuade voters such restrictions were possible without leaving the bloc.

Asked if he “supported” that position, Mr Corbyn said: “No, because he seemed not to understand the economic policies of the Labour party and I was surprised at that.

On whether it would tougher immigration restrictions might be possible, within EU rules, he replied: “I’m not quite sure what he means by that.

“If he agrees with me on the question of undercutting of workers by the attacks on working conditions then okay, but he didn’t specify what he meant by that.

“I’m not quite sure what the point of his interview was actually.”

The cold reaction – even in a BBC interview in which Mr Corbyn left open possible support for permanent single market membership – is probably explained by Mr Blair’s harsh words about the current Labour leader.

A day earlier, Mr Blair had turned his fire on Mr Corbyn’s “anti-business old-fashioned leftist programmes”, which would exacerbate the damage from Brexit.

He said the only conceivable way to make a success of Brexit was to turn Britain into a Singapore-style low-tax, low-regulation country competing with the EU.

But, Mr Blair told the BBC 's Andrew Marr programme: “The risk is the British people won't vote for that, they are not going to vote for the huge economic and social restructuring - to the changes to the health service and other things that that would require.

“And the risk is actually that we have a Brexit followed by, I'm afraid, an unreconstructed leftist programme from Labour, and if you combine those two things together in my view we will be in a very serious situation as a country.”

Mr Blair commended the way Mr Corbyn fought the general election campaign, but said that “doesn't make that programme right”.

The Prime Minister has been blamed for allowing European migration to expand unchecked during his decade in power until 2007, fuelling support for Brexit.

On Marr, he admitted open borders were no longer appropriate, putting his name to a report calling for tighter domestic controls and negotiated restrictions to free movement rules with the EU.

This would fulfil the will of the people expressed in last year's Brexit vote while allowing Britain to stay in the EU, Mr Blair argued.

Mr Blair then urged pro-EU MPs of all parties to defy their leaders and start campaigning publicly to halt Brexit, saying: “Put this case to people, maybe they will listen.”