Former PM Blair: "People voted without knowledge of the terms of Brexit" - Reuters

Former British prime minister Tony Blair was on the wires, via Reuters, as he issued a battle cry against a so-called 'hard Brexit' on Friday, calling on Britons to "rise up" and back a coordinated effort to temper the terms of, or even halt, Britain's EU exit.

Key Highlights:

•"The people voted without knowledge of the terms of Brexit. As these terms become clear, it is their right to change their mind. Our mission is to persuade them to do so."

•"This is not the time for retreat, indifference or despair, but the time to rise up in defense of what we believe."

•“The road we're going down is not simply 'hard Brexit'. It is 'Brexit at any cost'. "Our challenge is to expose relentlessly what this cost is and to build support for finding a way out from the present rush over the cliff’s edge."

•Blair's reputation among the British public remains tarnished by the Iraq war, an issue that resurfaced last year when a long-awaited inquiry was critical of his role in the decision to join the U.S.-led invasion of 2003.

Meanwhile, the GBP/USD has been drifting lower as recent UK data was far from being supportive and attempted during the week to erode any profit expectations. As an example, today's Retail Sales showcased 'a disappointment festival' as Year-over-Year clocked 1.5% below consensus and previous. As of writing, the pair navigates bearish waters near 1.2430.