behind one's back

“It’s like fighting with one’s hand tied behind one’s back,” he told the BBC.

Theresa May is still the Prime Minister, but this is the week in which, having exhausted her energies in seeking and failing to crack the puzzle of Brexit, a task akin to solving a Rubik’s Cube with both hands tied behind one’s back, in space, she will cease to lead the Conservative Party.

Hog-tying involves shackling someone's hands and feet in a knot behind one's back.

Hog-tying involves shackling someone’s hands and feet in a knot behind one’s back.

“Overstaffing, ridiculous union demands, and outlandishly skewed procurement contracts are the financial equivalent of having to fight with one hand tied behind one’s back.”