Brits face harsh months of lower living standards because of Boris Johnson's failed Brexit deal, Lord Heseltine has warned.
The former Deputy Prime Minister slammed Mr Johnson for using Brexit to get into Number 10 and failing to end the crises that fell from it.
He blames the fuel shortage, Christmas food fears and NHS backlogs on Mr Johnson's bid to leave the EU.
"One can be forgiven now for wondering if Boris Johnson had any idea what lay in store , as we remember the queues for petrol, are warned to buy early for Christmas, view the gaps in the supermarket shelves, wait in queues in doctors surgeries, beg builders to spare someone to fix a leaking tap or broken window, read that well over a million European workers have gone home and see the containers stacked up at Felixstowe," Lord Heseltine said.
And the Tory peer believes Covid is being used as an excuse for anything that goes wrong but it was not Covid that created a labour shortage with European workers going back home, and it was not Covid that "failed to penetrate the walls of bureaucracy".
Lord Heseltine said: "The Prime Minister advocates a high wage high productivity economy without explaining that the high productivity has to precede the high wages.
"This failure has made him the shop steward for every inflationary wage claim that will, over the coming months lead to growing inflation, rising interest rates and falling living standards. Not quite the dividend Brexit promised."
Lord Heseltine's warning follows a post-Brexit fishing row between France and Britain.
French President Emmanuel Macron previously warned that Paris could block British boats from landing their catches in French ports and tighten customs checks in protest at what they claim is a refusal by the UK authorities to grant licences to French boats.
But France suspended the threats at the 11th hour as negotiations continued.
Downing Street has acknowledged France could reimpose its threats, as Brexit minister Lord Frost prepares to hold talks with France’s Europe minister Clement Beaune on Thursday.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “He will be discussing both the (Northern Ireland) protocol and the fisheries issues, we want to emphasise that our position as regards to how we grant licences has not changed in any way.
“But we are keen to discuss the broader issue of the protocol and come up with substantive changes."
Lord Heseltine believes we have not heard the last on Britain's relationship with the European Union.
Urging Remainers to never give up, he said: “The last opinion poll I saw showed that that narrow Brexit vote has been replaced by a 10-point lead for those who took the opposite view. I agree therefore that it is unfinished business. It will take time.
"It will require energy and leadership. There is a lesson to be learnt from the Brexiteers. They never gave up. Our purpose is clear. We must restore Britain's position in the corridors of European power.”
Lord Heseltine, who campaigned to stay in the EU and has been a fierce critic of the Government’s Brexit policy, suggested there could be a public appetite to rejoin the EU in future.
He said: “The last opinion poll I saw showed that that narrow Brexit vote has been replaced by a 10-point lead for those who took the opposite view. I agree therefore that it is unfinished business. It will take time.“
