Boris Johnson warns Theresa May

THERESA May’s soft-Brexit plans risk turning Britain into an “EU economy” like Greece, Boris Johnson warned last night.

In a fresh attack on the PM the former Foreign Secretary urged Brits to reject her Chequers proposals or face becoming a “perpetual punk of Brussels”.

He also suggested Mrs May lacks the “nerve” to take on Brussels negotiators.

The strength of his attack signals he is preparing the ground for a major intervention to kill off Mrs May’s plans as early as next month.

Writing in his weekly Daily Telegraph column Mr Johnson said Brits must reject her plans to keep Britain closely aligned to Brussels – citing the economic devastation suffered by Greece if we fail to tell hardball EU negotiators to “get lost”.

Earlier this month Greece completed its three-year Eurozone emergency loan programme that imposed crippling austerity on the country.

And despite the reforms unemployment is at 20 per cent, the economy is a quarter smaller than a decade ago and more than a third of the population lives in absolute poverty.

Mr Johnson warned that Britain must get a clean break from Europe’s economy – warning that the euro crisis was “far from over” and predicting next global economic shock could prove “fatal” for the euro.

In an ominous warning Mr Johnson wrote: “In the meantime the experience of Greece alone is a lesson in the absolute insanity of any country allowing itself to be bullied by EU negotiators.”

He said Greece’s economic troubles has “direct read-across for Britain” and taking a fresh pop at Mrs May’s plans he wrote: “Under the Chequers proposals, we are about to make a historic mistake and turn this country into a rules-taker from Brussels, with no say on those rules – not just for industrial goods and agri-foods but across a wide range of economic activity.

“Look at the humiliation of Greece – an EU member – and ask yourself how the EU will legislate with the UK out of the room, and when we can no longer do anything to protect ourselves from the imposition of those rules.

“Will the EU act in our interests and the interests of UK jobs and growth, or the interests of the EU?

“The answer is clear. It is written in graffiti all over Greece. Why, then, are we proposing to turn the UK, in important respects, into the perpetual punk of Brussels? Chuck Chequers.”