Boris Johnson claims moon landing proves he can deliver Brexit

'If they could use hand-knitted computer code to make a frictionless re-entry to Earth’s atmosphere in 1969, we can solve the problem of frictionless trade at the Northern Irish border', claims likely next PM

Boris Johnson has claimed that the 1969 moon landing proves that he will be able to deliver Brexit by 31 October.

The frontrunner to take over from Theresa May this week said a "sense of mission" akin to that of the Nasa project was all that was needed to take Britain out of the EU on time.

He also launched an attack on "pessimist" Tories after two current cabinet ministers, chancellor Philip Hammond and justice secretary David Gauke, said they would resign before Mr Johnson takes office.

The result of the Tory leadership contest between Mr Johnson and Jeremy Hunt will be announced on Tuesday, with Mr Johnson seen as all but certain to emerge victorious.

The next prime minister will then take over from Theresa May after she steps down on Wednesday.

Writing in what is expected to be his last column in the Daily Telegraph before he enters No10, Mr Johnson said the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, which fell on Sunday, showed why he will be able to deliver Brexit by the 31 October deadline.

He wrote: "If they could use hand-knitted computer code to make a frictionless re-entry to Earth’s atmosphere in 1969, we can solve the problem of frictionless trade at the Northern Irish border.

"There is no task so simple that government cannot overcomplicate if it doesn’t want to do it. And there are few tasks so complex that humanity cannot solve if we have a real sense of mission to pull them off.

"It is time this country recovered some its can-do spirit. We can come out of the EU on October 31, and yes, we certainly have the technology to do so. What we need now is the will and the drive."

Mr Johnson claimed the solution to the Brexit impasse must be "technical and logistical".

Insisting that the issue of how to keep the Northern Ireland border open could be solved through technology, he denounced "technological pessimists...some of them apparently in London" who think such a solution is "impossible".

His comparison between Brexit and the Apollo moon landing was mocked by Tony Blair, who said: "The two things are, obviously, rather technically different."

The former prime minister told BBC Radio 4's Today that it was "a very Boris Johnson approach to things, which is to say 'never mind the detail, if we only believe in ourselves we can do it'".

And Tom Brake, the Liberal Democrats' Brexit spokesperson, said: “Considering Boris seems to know as much about frictionless trade as he does space exploration, perhaps we should send Boris on a one way trip to the moon for a fact-finding mission.”

Mr Blair had earlier urged Mr Johnson not to call an early general election.

Writing in The Times, he said the next prime minister would "fail" at securing a new Brexit deal and would be left with a choice between trying to force no deal through parliament, holding a second referendum or calling a general election.

He wrote: "Johnson may be tempted to go for a general election because of the weakness of Labour. This would be unacceptable and deeply damaging for the country.

"Brexit stands on its own. We decided to leave in a single-issue referendum and we should decide whether to have no-deal on the same basis - not mix it up with the normal business of politics."

He added: "Brexit would be the reason for the election but of course it would be fought across the range of issues on which the Tories would fancy themselves against Labour.

"Such a ploy would be completely unjustifiable and would shake politics to its roots with consequences neither Johnson nor the rest of us can predict. Resolve Brexit first."