Brexit: Former PMs Tony Blair, John Major slam Boris Johnson for 'shaming' UK

Former UK Prime Ministers Tony Blair and John Major came together to launch an unprecedented attack on current UK PM Boris Johnson and said that his government's actions were 'shaming the nation'.

Blair and Major who were fierce rivals in the 90s joined forces to criticise new legislation that seeks to override the Brexit deal struck with the European Union. They targeted Johnson in a joint article in The Sunday Times.

The British government said explicitly last week that it plans to break international law by breaching parts of the Withdrawal Agreement treaty that it signed in January when it formally left the EU.

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"What is being proposed now is shocking," said Major and Blair.

Both John Major and Tony Blair were opposed to Brexit said that they accepted that it was happening now. But they expressed displeasure as they said the Boris Johnson's actions were diminishing UK's image as a trustworthy negotiation partner.

"This government's action is shaming itself and embarrassing the nation," they said.

Theresa May, current Prime Minister Boris Johnson's predecessor, has also questioned whether international partners would be able to trust Britain in future.

Johnson says the new legislation is needed to clarify the Northern Ireland protocol element of the Brexit deal, to protect free trade between the four constituent nations of the United Kingdom.

EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said on Sunday that the Withdrawal Agreement on Northern Ireland "is not a threat to the integrity of the UK", and had been agreed by the two sides to protect peace on the island of Ireland.

"We could not have been clearer about the consequences of Brexit," Barnier said on Twitter.

Earlier on Sunday, British Justice Secretary Robert Buckland told Sky News the legislation is "Brexit-critical" and must be passed by parliament, which is due to debate the bill on Monday.

Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition Labour Party, described the legislation as wrong on Sunday.

"We have broken the trust of our international partners," Starmer wrote in the Sunday Telegraph newspaper, adding that his party would oppose the bill in parliament unless changes were made.

European lawmakers have warned they would not approve any new trade deal unless the withdrawal agreement was fully implemented, while there is also talk of possible legal action.

(With Reuters inputs)