Boris Johnson hit with barrage of criticism from top Tories

A number of top Tories have banded together to attack Boris Johnson as he continues his public criticism of Theresa May’s Chequers Brexit proposals.

The former foreign secretary called the PM’s official negotiating stance ‘deranged’ in an interview with the Sunday Times this weekend, warning that her approach would cause ‘economic and political damage to the UK’.

Chancellor Philip Hammond used a series of interviews this morning to deliver a withering response, calling Mr Johnson’s own Brexit proposals a ‘fantasy world’.

Mr Hammond told the Daily Mail that his former cabinet colleague was weak on detail, and that his most significant political victory was the introduction of ‘Boris Bikes’.

Speaking on Radio 4’s Today Programme, the Chancellor described Mr Johnson as a ‘big picture man’ who lacked the ‘meticulous attention’ required to deal with Brexit.

Ruth Davidson joined in with the Boris-bashing, pointing to his silence over his own role in the development of the Chequers blueprint.

She said: “He seems to be spending an awful lot of time talking about his London mayorship and very little time… in fact he’s not even mentioned the fact he was foreign secretary for two years and was in the room helping to influence this, and indeed was praising it as soon ago as December.”

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David Davis, who resigned alongside Mr Johnson in protest against Chequers, insisted he was a ‘great mate’ before criticising his ideas for their lack of substance.

He said: “Quite a lot of his ideas are good headlines, not necessarily good policies.”

Mr Johnson will address the Conservative Party conference on Tuesday at a fringe event where he will insist once again that Theresa May should ‘chuck Chequers’.

His campaign against the government’s official Brexit blueprint continues to fuel speculation that he is planning to launch a leadership bid on a hard Brexit ticket.

Ministers have shown their support for the PM during the conference in an attempt to heal the rifts through the party along Brexit fault-lines.

Leave-backing Transport Secretary Chris Grayling offered his support to Mrs May during his speech to the conference, saying of Brexit: “We are doing the right thing – but so is our Prime Minister”.

“I know under Theresa May this country will not accept a deal that is bad for Britain, or one that is bad for the union that is the United Kingdom.

“We know that, so that is why I am backing, and we should all back, our Prime Minister.”