Tory war as Boris ‘lobs grenade at No.10’ in bid ‘to oust May’

ALLIES of British Prime Minister Theresa May last night accused Boris Johnson of treachery after he staged an open revolt over her plans for a ‘soft’ Brexit.

Mrs May was said to be furious after the Foreign Secretary said Britain should refuse to pay the EU a big divorce bill – and did not bother to tell her about his bombshell intervention in advance.

One of Johnson’s most prominent ‘hard Brexit’ Conservative MP supporters boasted: ‘He has just lobbed a hand grenade through Downing Street’s window.’ Fellow ministers claimed Mr Johnson’s Brexit manifesto was a blatant attempt to oust Mrs May. And one former minister said she should ‘have the balls’ to fire Mr Johnson for threatening to sabotage her own major Brexit speech in Florence this week. Downing Street officials denied there was a rift between the two and said Mr Johnson’s job was safe. But ministers loyal to Mrs May privately denounced his ‘hostile’ intervention. One said Mrs May was ‘deeply disappointed’ – politician’s code for livid. Another accused Johnson of ‘attention seeking’. There were claims, denied by Johnson’s camp, that he was preparing to resign in anticipation of a ‘soft Brexit sell-out by Mrs May’. With Brexit talks close to breakdown and Mrs May under fire for her botched snap election, it’s feared Johnson’s outburst could trigger a Tory leadership crisis at the party conference in two weeks. David Davis, Amber Rudd, Jacob ReesMogg and other Tories have been tipped to throw their hats into the ring if Mrs May resigns.