THERESA May lacked the social skills needed to reach a Brexit compromise, her former Solicitor General said.

The ex-prime minister left Number 10 earlier this summer after three-times failing to get her Brexit deal past the House of Commons.

Robert Buckland, South Swindon MP, served as Mrs May’s Solicitor General – frequently taking to the despatch box and the nation’s TV screens to defend the top Tory’s deal.

Last month, he was given a promotion by Boris Johnson – taking a seat in cabinet as the former Mayor of London’s justice secretary.

He told the Adver: “I think she’ll be remembered as a woman of great duty who at the end was faced with the sort of political situation that required the social and persuasive skills that perhaps she didn’t have.

“Boris has got those skills. He is able to communicate in a way she can’t. The way he thinks and the way he communicates is very open. You know where you stand.”

Mr Buckland said he and the prime minister saw eye-to-eye on justice matters, with Mr Johnson joining him on a recent visit to Leeds Prison to unveil a £2.5bn investment and previewing plans for longer jail terms for violent offenders.

The new Lord Chancellor said he felt “ready” for the role: “It’s the sort of job I think I’ve been quietly preparing for all my life, really, without realising it. I know the lie of the land and I think I know what needs to be done in criminal justice in particular.”