Boris Johnson admits chance of no-deal Brexit is now no longer ‘a million to one’

Accusing rebel MPs and EU of ‘a terrible collaboration’, prime minister admits: ‘The longer that goes on, the more likely it is of course that we will be forced to leave with a no-deal Brexit’

Boris Johnson has admitted a no-deal Brexit is becoming “more likely”, just weeks after dismissing it as a “million to one” risk.

Staging his first “People’s PMQs” on Facebook, the prime minister also failed to rule out a general election in order to thwart attempts to block a crash-out from the EU.

And he accused MPs fighting a no-deal – led by Philip Hammond, the former chancellor – of “a terrible collaboration” with Brussels in order to stop Brexit altogether.

During the Tory leadership campaign, Mr Johnson dismissed the prospects of leaving the EU without an agreement, saying: “I think it is a million-to-one against.”

But, answering questions on Facebook, he struck a very different tone, admitting the EU was refusing to budge on the rejected divorce deal, arguing it was “because they still think Brexit can be blocked in parliament”.

“The awful thing is that the longer that goes on, the more likely it is of course that we will be forced to leave with a no-deal Brexit,” Mr Johnson said.

“That’s not what I want, that’s not what we’re aiming for, but we need our European friends to compromise.

“The more they think there’s a chance that Brexit will be blocked in parliament, the more adamant they are in sticking to their position.”

Earlier, Mr Hammond condemned crashing out of the EU as “a betrayal of the referendum result” and argued parliament would find a way to stop it.

Without naming the former chancellor, Mr Johnson said: “There’s a terrible kind of collaboration, as it were, going on between people who think they can block Brexit in parliament and our European friends.”

Dominic Cummings, the prime minister’s controversial senior aide, has privately threatened that there will be no election until after 31 October so that Brexit can been delivered – even if Mr Johnson is defeated in a vote of no confidence.

The prospect has been attacked as an abuse of democracy by Labour, which would drag the Queen into a toxic political controversy.

The prime minister notably failed to rule that out, saying only: “I think the British public have had a lot of elections and electoral events.

“I think what they want us to do is get on and deliver Brexit on 31 October. I never tire of telling you that’s what we’re going to do.”

Mr Johnson is expected to meet the leaders of Germany and France ahead of next week’s G7 meeting, in an attempt to achieve a breakthrough to avert a no-deal.

But he admitted the road would be hard, saying: “Our European friends are not moving in their willingness to compromise, they’re not compromising at all on the withdrawal agreement, even though it’s been thrown out three times.

“They’re sticking to every letter, every comma of the withdrawal agreement – including the [Irish] backstop.

The comments came after the European Commission insisted Britain must explain its proposals to end the impasse, if talks are to progress.

Vanessa Mock, a commission spokesperson, said “our doors are open”, but insisted any “concrete proposals” would have to be “compatible” with the divorce deal signed by Theresa May.