THERESA MAY has been accused of forsaking human rights protections to ‘throw a bone’ to Brexiteers.

The prime minister was criticised on both sides of the Commons over plans to abandon the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights post-Brexit.

Conservative backbenchers threatened a rebellion yesterday in the latest stage of line-by-line debate over the withdrawal bill.

MPs warned that failing to incorporate the charter would remove legal protections on areas including data, children’s safety and public health.

Former Labour minister Chris Leslie said: ‘It does seem to me, that the prime minister – worried the hardline Eurosceptics, the hardline Brexiteers on her benches are champing at her heels, nipping at her heels – that she had to throw them a bone.’

Europhile former Conservative cabinet minister Sir Ken Clarke challenged suggestions that getting rid of the charter made no difference to British laws.

He asked: ‘If it is doing no harm, why is the government going to such lengths to get rid of it as the one specific change in this bill?

‘Presumably it’s because it has the words “European” and “rights” in it.’

Former attorney general Dominic Grieve urged ministers to U-turn on their plans and was backed by some Conservative colleagues, along with Labour MPs who said the same charter was used by Brexit secretary David Davis to sue the government as a backbencher in 2014.

But Tory Sir Desmond Swayne accused Labour of once describing the charter as having ‘no more influence in the UK than a copy of the Beano’.

Mr Grieve later withdrew a proposed amendment after getting reassurances the government would address his concerns in a way that ‘reflects the disquiet’ among MPs.

Justice minister Dominic Raab promised to publish a memo by December 5 setting out how each of the charter’s articles would be ‘reflected’ in British law after Brexit.

‘All of those substantive laws, principles and rights of which the charter is a reflection of the source will already be converted into domestic law by this Bill – so it is not necessary to retain the charter in order to retain such substantive rights,’ he said.

Stumbling Davis ‘risks taking Britain off cliff’

DAVID DAVIS declared that Britain was prepared to walk away from Brexit talks without a deal, then promptly tripped as he exited the stage.

His stumble came as critics accused the Brexit secretary of risking taking the country over a cliff edge, despite claims Theresa May was willing to more than double Britain’s ‘divorce’ payment to the European Union .

Mr Davis insisted both sides were ‘within touching distance’ of an agreement on EU nationals in the UK and British expats – but ongoing disputes over trade and the divorce bill could still scupper any deal. He did not comment on reports that Mrs May has won Cabinet support to raise the payment from £18billion to £38billion.

He told a London conference: ‘I don’t think it would be in the interests of either side for there to be no deal. But as a responsible government it is right that we make every plan for every eventuality.’

Francis Grove-White, of pro-EU campaign group Open Britain, said: ‘If David Davis carries on like this, he and his Cabinet colleagues are going to take Britain stumbling off a hard Brexit cliff edge. Nobody voted in the referendum last year to become poorer.’

Hard Irish border ‘unthinkable’ insists Johnson

BORIS JOHNSON insisted a hard Irish border would be ‘madness’ as Labour urged him to set a red line or prepare to resign over the issue.

The foreign secretary (pictured) told the Commons all MPs knew the ‘social, political and spiritual ramifications’ of such an ‘unthinkable’ move.

His comments came as Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney warned that Brexit trade talks would only begin when the border issue was resolved.