In a scathing intervention in the House of Commons, the former prime minister said legislation put forward unilaterally by the government would breach international law, and would lose the UK the respect of countries elsewhere in the world. And she told MPs she did not believe Mr Johnson's controversial plan would solve the problems created by his decision to draw a customs border down the Irish Sea with his Brexit deal something which she previously said "no UK prime minister could ever agree to".
Speaking to MPs, Ms May said "as a patriot" she could not back a course of action that would diminish the UK's standing in the world - and then accused the PM's plan of doing exactly that. She questioned whether the EU would in any case take his threats seriously after he narrowly survived a confidence vote among his own MPs, saying that European leaders will now be asking themselves: "Is it really worth negotiating with these people in government, because will they actually be there for any period of time?"
Her comments mark the highest-profile assault from within his own party on Mr Johnson's plan, which would effectively tear up his Brexit agreement with Brussels and risk a trade war with the EU.
MPs voted 295 to 221, a majority of 74, to give the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill a second reading last night, clearing the way for it to undergo detailed scrutiny in the coming weeks.
This story is from the June 28, 2022 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the June 28, 2022 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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