Boris Johnson has been accused by Conservative MPs of damaging the UK and everything the Conservatives stand for, as he prepares to publish a bill to take Britain out of the EU.
The legislation will bring Johnson into conflict with many of his own Conservative MPs, as well as the House of Lords, the EU, and even some business groups in Northern Ireland.
The bill breaks international law and no shopping around for rent-a-quote lawyers can hide that, according to an internal note circulating among Conservative MPs.
The Northern Ireland protocol is part of a treaty with the EU. It would allow ministers to change almost everything in the text.
Brandon Lewis, Northern Ireland secretary, insisted on Sunday that the bill was legal and would fix the protocol in Johnson's deal.
The bill could be blocked for months by the house of lords. The review of policing in Northern Ireland was led by a former chair of the Conservative Party.
Political tensions and business disruptions have been created by the protocol. Goods moving into the region from the rest of Great Britain need to be checked.
The note being shared by Conservative MPs states that breaking international law to rip up the prime minister's own treaty is damaging to the UK and Conservatives.
The bill was drafted with the help of the Eurosceptic European Research Group. The bill was warned that it would be voted against if it didn't meet their demands.
Goods from Great Britain destined to stay in Northern Ireland would go through a "green lane" with no checks, while goods from the Republic of Ireland and the EU single market would face "red lane" checks.
The bill would end the role of the European Court of Justice in policing the protocol and end EU control over state aid and value added tax in Northern Ireland.
Clause 15 of the bill gives ministers the power to remove other parts of the protocol if they feel they are causing political or economic disruption in Northern Ireland.
sceptics fear that the clause could be used more widely and that it was sponsored by the foreign secretary to be used as a tidying up exercise.
The officials were left confused by the new powers. The proposal showed contempt for the people of Northern Ireland according to a former cabinet minister.
It is feared that it could be used to scrap the democratic vote on the protocol that will be held in Northern Ireland in 2024.
Government officials insisted that the consent vote was not the intention of Clause 15 and could not be affected by a domestic law change.
The rights of individuals, free travel and north-south co-operation are covered by the clause, according to the Financial Times.
Sir Jonathan Jones, the former head of the UK government's legal department, quit last year over the government's handling of the protocol issue.
The food, meat and dairy industry in Northern Ireland asked for the protocol to be retained because it gave them access to international markets.
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