The two former UK prime ministers have joined forces to urge lawmakers to abandon the government's plans to reject a Brexit deal with the European Union, arguing that it threatens the world and damages the UK's reputation.

In an article in The Sunday Times, John Major and Tony Blair accused the current UK government of embarrassing the country with a bill that in places runs counter to the agreement it signed to ensure a smooth UK exit from the EU.

Major and Blair said that PM Boris Johnson's home market bill calls into question the very integrity of the UK.

The said law, which will be debated by UK lawmakers this week, has sparked fierce protests in the EU as it will weaken previously agreed EU oversight of mainland UK-Northern Ireland trade unless a UK-EU trade agreement is concluded.

The British government has acknowledged that the law will violate international law but claims it is an insurance policy in the event of a possible rejection scenario. Johnson said the law was needed to end EU threats to impose a blockade in the Irish Sea, which the prime minister argued could divide the country.