Boris Johnson agreed Brexit protocol knowing it was a ‘mess’, says John Major

Britain’s exit from the EU was a colossal mistake that had left the UK outside the world’s main three power blocs, John Major told a Commons committee. Photograph: House of Commons/PA

John Major has launched a scathing attack on Boris Johnson’s handling of Brexit, saying his administration agreed to the Northern Ireland protocol despite knowing it was unworkable.

“That must be the first agreement in history that was signed by people who decided it was useless in the first place,” Major told a Westminster committee on Tuesday.