Johnson assaults May's Brexit plan at fractious party meeting

Britain's Boris Johnson on Tuesday launched a blistering attack on Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plan at a fractious party conference that came as Brussels pressed London for a compromise on leaving the EU.

Mixing jokes with biting one-liners that always stopped short of attacking May herself, the former foreign minister called her strategy "dangerous and unstable", as well as a "political humiliation".

"My fellow Conservatives, this is not democracy. This is not what we voted for. This is an outrage," he said in a 35-minute address that was interrupted by repeated bursts of laughter and cheers.

The wide-ranging speech, which many saw as Johnson's audition for May's job, was attended by some 1,500 people who packed a conference hall room after queueing for hours.

Johnson did little to douse suspicions of an eventual leadership bid, using his characteristic swagger and wit to pick apart the faults of May's proposal -- while not actually spelling out what Britain should do ...