UK will get 'diddly squat' from May's Brexit plans: Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson has savaged Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plans, saying they would leave the UK with "diddly squat" after the negotiations and hand the EU "victory".

The former Foreign Secretary said in his Daily Telegraph column that May's Chequers deal -- which led him to resign in July -- "means disaster" for Britain, BBC reported.

Negotiations based on the Chequers plan had so far seen the European Union (EU) take "every important trick", he said, adding that "the UK has agreed to hand over 40 billion euros of taxpayers' money for two-thirds of diddly squat".

If it continued on the same path, the government would "throw away most of the advantages of Brexit", Johnson said.

His comments come as EU's Chief Negotiator, Michel Barnier, said he is "strongly" opposed to parts of the plan.

The UK government insisted its Brexit strategy was "precise and pragmatic".

Critics of the deal say it will leave the UK tied to EU rules and prevent Britain from striking its own trade deals in years to come.

The UK is due to leave the EU on March 29, 2019.

--IANS

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