Boris Johnson says Theresa May could be prosecuted for her Chequers Brexit plan

Getty

• Boris Johnson suggests Prime Minister Theresa May could be locked up for her Brexit plan.
• The former foreign secretary told a fringe event at Conservative conference that May's plan could cause her to be prosecuted under a 14th-century law.
• In fact, the law no longer applies in the UK.
• The comments led to comparisons on social media to the "lock her up" chants made about Hilary Clinton by Donald Trump supporters.

BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - Theresa May could be prosecuted for her Chequers Brexit plan, the former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said today.

Speaking at a rally on the fringes of the Conservative conference, Johnson said May's plan, which would leave the UK under EU regulations on the trade of goods, would risk her being prosecuted under an archaic 14th-century law.

"It occurs to me that the authors of the Chequers proposal risk prosecution under the 14th-century statute of praemunire, which says that no foreign court or government shall have jurisdiction in this country," Johnson said.

"It would mean that UK business and industry - the entire UK economy - would be exposed perpetually to regulations that might have been expressly designed, at the behest of foreign competitors, to do them down."

The comments brought immediate comparisons on social media to the "lock her up" calls from Donald Trump's supporters about former US presidential candidate Hilary Clinton.

Under the law of Praemunire, those found guilty would lose their civil rights, forfeit their land or goods and even face imprisonment.

However, the offence was removed from UK law under Criminal Law Act of 1967.

Our Brexit Insider Facebook group is the best place for up-to-date news and analysis about Britain's departure from the EU, direct from Business Insider's political reporters. Join here.