He stated that Theresa May government’s new policy towards the southern African country was based on a miscalculation.

“There’s a tendency to align with one political party against another. There has been a shift by the British government to focus on stability at the cost of government, ”Chamisa was quoted as saying.

The European Union and the United States imposed sanctions against Zimbabwe in 2000 after they accused ex-president Robert Mugabe of trampling on human rights, rigging elections and repression of press freedom – accusations that the nonagenarian denied.

The sanctions led to devastating economic challenges, with the country reportedly now sitting with about 85% unemployment.

The latest development came amid reports that Britain and the European Union were divided over “the funding and support” to be given to Zimbabwe.

The privately owned Zimbabwe Independent newspaper said that while the British government was on an “aggressive drive” to bail out its former colony as “quickly as possible”, the EU had adopted a “wait and see” approach.

The EU wanted Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government to match its positive messages with action, particularly on the implementation of critical political and economic reforms before committing significant funding to the cash-strapped government.