Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern has described British Prime Minister Theresa May as being “totally out of her depth”.
Mr Ahern also claimed that Ms May looks like she wants “out” of her job and describes past comments made by labour leader Jeremy Corbyn as “bonkers”.
The scathing assessment of some of the most powerful people in British politics came during a discussion in Dublin last weekend titled A United People - A Divided Island, which focussed on current affairs in the north and issues relating to Brexit.
According to the Irish Mail on Sunday, which obtained an audio recording of the event, Mr Ahern was also critical of people who backed Brexit describing them as “headbangers”.
Mr Ahern believes that the British are now realising “that they made an enormous mistake” in voting to leave the EU.
“They have a weak prime minister who is only there because the other headbangers who were on the Brexit side were fighting each other at the time.
“She came up in the middle.
“I feel sorry for her because she is a lady totally out of her depth, and I’d say she wakes up every morning saying ‘maybe I’ll be out of this (her job) tonight’.
“That’s the away she looks.”
The discussion was held as part of the inaugural Festival of Politics and was moderated by RTE radio’s Marian Finucane.
Mr Ahern, who served as taoiseach between 1997 and 2008, also launched a blistering attack on Jeremy Corbyn.
“And you’ve Corbyn, lets be honest, Corbyn is beginning to look good,” he said.
“In my department of labour days….when I was at conferences….the only thing he ever said that I thought was sensible was that there were good teams that played in English football.
“Most of the rest of the stuff he said is bonkers.
“Now he is beginning to look like he may be the next prime minister.”
Mr Ahern was also critical of Vote Leave campaigner and British Foreigh Secretary Boris Johnson after suggesting that electorate should not consider Mr Corbyn as next prime minister.
“Or if they totally go mad it might be Boris, and I’m getting out of here,” he said.
The former Fianna Fail leader also criticised farmers in the north who voted for Brexit.
“They reckon about half the Northern Irish farmer voted to leave,” he said.
“And 80 percent of their money comes from Europe.
“Maybe it a just a bad day…. But what a stupid decision.”
