Boris Johnson news – live: Tusk accuses PM of 'stupid blame game', after disastrous Merkel call leaves Brexit talks on brink of collapse
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Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal appears on the verge of collapse after German chancellor Angela Merkel told him over the phone this morning than an agreement is “overwhelmingly unlikely”, according to Downing Street.
Asked if talks with the EU were close to breaking down, a No 10 source told The Independent: “That is what the prime minister told Merkel. They aren’t negotiating or engaging in Brussels.”
A No 10 source has also claimed there were ways to “scupper” the Brexit delay required by the Benn Act. Amber Rudd said Downing Street sounds “angry and desperate”, while EU Council president Donald Tusk accused the prime minister of playing a “stupid blame game”.
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The question remains - is this still bluster and brinksmanship in the hope of getting the EU to give in to his demands, or is he really intending to defy the law requiring him to ask for an extension?
"I must note that there has been no progress," says the European Parliament president.
Downing Street says that Boris Johnson will meet Irish premier Leo Varadkar later this week in an attempt to reach a Brexit agreement.
The two leaders spoke by telephone for about 40 minutes amid accusations from No 10 that the EU was making it "essentially impossible" for Britain to leave with an agreement.
"Both sides strongly reiterated their desire to reach a Brexit deal," a Downing Street spokesman said. "They hope to meet in person later this week."
Meanwhile there are a reports of a split in Downing Street between chief aide Dominic Cummings and Mr Johnson's longstanding adviser Eddie Lister, who are said to disagree on strategy.
To add another bizarre note to the day, the Privy Council have approved plans for a special Brexit 50p coin bearing the date 31 October 2019 and the inscription “Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations”.
The coins - all ten million of them - have not been minted yet, which is probably wise given the existing situation.
If that wasn't enough, prime minister's brother Jo Johnson has been sworn in as a member of the Privy Council at Buckingham Palace even though he resigned from the cabinet last month and announced he would be stepping down as an MP.
Among the other council business was the order proroguing Parliament from today until Monday 14th October.
Boris Johnson has now responded to the London Assembly's request for details about his relationship with Jennifer Arcuri, according to Downing Street.
Officials said the information was provided about an hour after the 6pm deadline, having complained that the Assembly never specified the exact deadline in its original letter.
Brexit campaign group Leave.EU, founded by Arron Banks (below), has been condemned for a xenophobic tweet referring to Angela Merkel as a "Kraut".
The London Assembly confirm they have received Boris Johnson's response on the Jennifer Arcuri scandal - but say they are not able to publish it.
It has been reported that it was marked "strictly not for publication".
Tony Blair has launched another thinly veiled swiped at his successor Jeremy Corbyn, by claiming that Labour is now "hostile territory" for centrists.
In the wake of deep divisions over Brexit, he insisted the party was not capable of unifying the country and he argued that leaving the European Union without a deal at the end of this month would not be possible if there was a "strong opposition".
Although did not mention Mr Corbyn by name when he spoke at an event in Edinburgh, organised by the think tank Reform Scotland, when asked about the state of the party, he said: "It's certainly hostile territory for centrists at the moment.
"At the moment if it stays as it is it is a tragedy, because of its politics at the moment it is not capable of unifying the country."
Leo Varadkar, the Irish prime minister has said their is a "wide difference" between his nation and the UK about how a customs union would work.
Speaking to RTÉ News, the Taoiseach said he would "certainly work until the very last moment" to secure a deal, but not at any cost.
"There are some fundamental objectives that haven't changed for the past three years and we need them guaranteed," he said.
He added: "I think it is going to be very difficult to secure an agreement by next week, quite frankly. Essentially what the United Kingdom has done is repudiate the deal that we negotiated in good faith with prime minister May's government over two years and sort of put half of that now back on the table and are saying, 'That's a concession'. And of course it isn't really."
Marcus Ball, the campaigner who brought the private prosecution against Boris Johnson over claims he lied during the 2016 referendum campaign by saying the UK gave the EU £350m a week, has been advised that his case been killed.
He explains more in this video:
David Sassoli, president of the European Parliament, said Boris Johnson told him the UK would not be seeking to delay Brexit beyond October 31.
He told Newsnight: "He (Johnson) told me that 'with agreement or without agreement' the United Kingdom will leave on October 31st. There are a few days left and I hope that Boris Johnson's imagination can produce ideas that we can actually discuss.
"I am very worried. I also expressed these worries with Prime Minister Johnson. We are worried about the United Kingdom leaving without an agreement; it can cause huge economic and social repercussions. It can cause issues and reopen those issues in the island of Ireland and this worries us a lot. Yesterday I also met President Macron and he expressed the same concern.
"Angela Merkel's opinions must be taken seriously; we are all very worried because there are only a few days left. Because we understand that going out without an agreement leads to having a real problem, if not a real catastrophe.
"The meeting with Prime Minister Johnson began with a very strong declaration that with or without a deal the United Kingdom will come out on October 31 with no agreement.
"To my question if they will require an extension of Article 50, he told me no.
"Well, we have few days left and we need the basis to negotiate and discuss something credible."
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