Imagine you in a nice comfy seat with your hands behind your head taking in the views instead of taking on the road maybe even taking a nap. That's the bliss of getting where you need to go

without worrying about driving. Book your train journey via avantiawestcoast.co. Oveanti West Coast.

Feel good travel. Welcome to F.T. Politics, a weekly podcast on British politics from the Financial Times.

I'm Sebastian Payne. In this episode we'll be discussing

Tony Blair's big intervention on Brexit and whether Labour can hold Copeland and

Stoke-on Trent in the upcoming by-elections. On this episode I'm delighted to be joined

by Kate Allen, the F.T.'s political correspondent, and he bounds our Northern England

correspondent, plus the political commentator and former advisor to Tony Blair John McTurnen.

Thank you all for joining.

This week saw the return of Tony Blair.

Again, the three-time election winning former Prime Minister gave a speech in the city of London, where else,

on Brexit and why remain backers need to rise up against the government's agenda.

It certainly caught the media attention in a relatively quiet newsweek.

For supporters of Mr Blair and disheartened pro-EU advocates, it was music to their ears,

finally somebody speaking out against this madness, but for his opponents it was seen as anti-democratic

backward looking and well even maybe a bit irrelevant so does Mr Blair have anything

meaningful add to the Brexit debate Kate Allen you were there at Mr Blair's speech on Friday

morning for the FT. How was it received in the room? Do you think it was a good

speech? Oh it was received with absolutely rapturous applause. He was

interrupted a couple of times for

flaws by an audience which frankly has been starved of morale boosting

sentiments and Blair's speech was certainly full of that. It makes you realize

...