David Cameron hits out at Boris Johnson for suspending parliament and expelling MPs, warning no-deal Brexit would be ‘bad outcome’

Former prime minister claims suspension ‘a bad thing’ and warns that tough stance against rebels has ‘rebounded’

David Cameron has hit out at Boris Johnson and his Brexit strategy, saying the prime minister was wrong to suspend parliament and warning that a no-deal Brexit would be a “bad outcome”.

The former prime minister condemned Mr Johnson’s decision to prorogue parliament as “a bad thing” and said a fresh Brexit referendum should not be ruled out as a way of breaking the current impasse.

Breaking his silence on his former rival, he also criticised Mr Johnson for expelling 21 Conservative MPs from the party after they opposed him on Brexit, and claimed the now prime minister had behaved “appallingly” during the Vote Leave campaign, along with “mendacious” Michael Gove.

Mr Cameron’s highly anticipated memoir, titled For the Record, is published next week and is expected to lift the lid on his feelings about the decision to leave the EU, with current cabinet ministers Michael Gove and Priti Patel reported to bear the brunt of his anger.

Speaking to The Times ahead of the publication, he said he wanted Mr Johnson to succeed in securing a Brexit deal but criticised the prime minister for his current strategy.

He said: “Of course, as a new prime minister, I wished Boris well. I wanted him to get a deal from the EU that would have passed in the House of Commons. If that was to happen, I would have been elated.

“But clearly, while he started out down that road, the strategy has morphed into something quite different. Taking the whip from hard-working Conservative MPs and sharp practices using prorogation of parliament have rebounded. I didn’t support either of those things. Neither do I think a no-deal Brexit is a good idea.”

The former prime minister urged Mr Johnson not to deliver a no-deal Brexit, saying: “I think it is a bad outcome. I very much hope it doesn’t happen. I don’t think it should be pursued.”

In his book, Mr Cameron reportedly claims that Mr Johnson and Mr Gove had behaved “appallingly” during the Brexit campaign and accuses Mr Gove of being “mendacious”.

He told The Times that the pair had “left the truth at home” while campaigning for Vote Leave and admitted that, while he has since had “a conversation” with Mr Gove, the relationship between the two former friends remained “difficult”.

With parliament still deadlocked over a Brexit outcome, Mr Cameron said another referendum should be considered, adding: “I don’t think you can rule it out because we’re stuck.”

Asked if he would campaign for another poll, he said: “I’m not saying one will happen or should happen. I’m just saying that you can’t rule things out right now because you’ve got to find some way of unblocking the blockage.

“I think there are certain things you shouldn’t do to unblock the blockage. I think proroguing parliament – pretending it doesn’t exist – I think that would be a bad thing.”

The former prime minister said he was “hugely depressed” when he left No 10 and admitted that he thought about the consequences of the Brexit vote daily.

He said: “Every single day I think about it, the referendum and the fact that we lost and the consequences and the things that could have been done differently, and I worry desperately about what is going to happen next.

“I think we can get to a situation where we leave but we are friends, neighbours and partners. We can get there, but I would love to fast-forward to that moment because it’s painful for the country and it’s painful to watch.”

However, he insisted that his decision to call the referendum was the right one, saying: “When I think through all the things I thought and all the arguments I had with colleagues and with myself, I still come to the same conclusion: that we were going to have a referendum.”