16 March 2023 , 17:28
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Sir Tony Blair admitted he is “so grateful that social media wasn't a big factor” at the time the Good Friday Agreement was made.
The former Labour Prime Minister told MPs on the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee that social media is a “plague on modern politics”.
He spoke to MPs this morning ahead of next month’s 25th anniversary of the historic agreement, which ended most of the violence of the Troubles.
Committee chairman Simon Hoare asked Sir Tony whether he thought the agreement could have been delivered in the age of social media and “echo chambers”.
Sir Tony responded: “I'm so grateful that social media wasn't a big factor... it's a plague on modern politics. It makes life really difficult.
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“But I think the only way that you can lead in these circumstances is just to put it to one side, and, look, it was still a very charged atmosphere.
“I think even throughout those days of the negotiation, I would say it came together and collapsed several times before we eventually reached an agreement in the run up to it.
MPs will vote on Rishi Sunak's new Brexit deal on Friday (PRU/AFP via Getty Images)"What there was was an appetite to have an agreement. That was the only thing that kept me going and I think kept the team going during that time it was that you could definitely feel that people wanted it to happen.”
Sir Tony told MPs political stability is the best way to protect the union between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.
He said he wanted the union to be maintained but added the "less stability there is in the system the more anxious it makes me about the future".
"My preference is that Northern Ireland remains part of the union, but it can only be that way in my view if people feel the status quo is something stable,” he explained.
Sir Tony added that he supports the Government’s new Windsor Framework - which replaces the Northern Ireland protocol - as it “represents the most practical way forward”.
MPs will get their first chance to vote on Rishi Sunak's new deal next Wednesday.
The House will be asked to approve the so-called Stormont brake element of the Windsor Framework.
Downing Street said the measure - which potentially gives the UK a veto over new EU rules being imposed in Northern Ireland - was the "most significant part" of the agreement.
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The PM’s spokesman said: "We believe this meets the commitment the Prime Minister made to have a vote on the new arrangements focused on an issue which is at the heart of the framework.”
DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has acknowledged the framework is an improvement on the protocol - part of Boris Johnson's Brexit deal. However, he has said "fundamental problems" remain.
Mr Sunak could also face a backbench rebellion by Tory hardliners in the European Research Group (ERG) who are studying the fine print of the framework before deciding whether to back it.
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