Boris Johnson today broke cover in the Tory leadership race hours after Theresa May quit - and instantly pitched the UK closer to a No Deal Brexit.
The mop-haired Brexiteer ruled out delaying Brexit any further - even if that means crashing out with no deal.
The Tory leadership frontrunner made his bombshell intervention hours after Theresa May announced she'll quit on June 7.
It seems to confirm Mr Johnson would be prepared to crash the UK out of the EU without agreement on October 31 if he becomes Prime Minister.
And it could prove a blow to his prospects of winning backing from more moderate, pro-EU MPs.
"We will leave the EU on October 31, deal or no deal," Mr Johnson told an economic conference in Switzerland.
He added: "The way to get a good deal is to prepare for a no deal situation.
"To get things done you need to be prepared to walk away."
Mr Johnson "prohibited image and sound recordings" of his comments at the conference, according to a Swiss news report, but one attendee posted a photo anyway.
The intervention is significant because Mr Johnson has tried to put across a nuanced Brexit position to appeal to both sides of the Tory party.
The Mirror understands his team have been far more careful with their words in private.
One Boris camp insider said: "His preference is still a negotiated exit.
"He knows that no deal would be damaging.
"But if you want to renegotiate you've got to keep it on the table."
A Tory leadership race will kick off on June 10 after Theresa May formally stands down on June 7.
The winner - installed as PM towards the end of July - will wield enormous power over the Brexit process.
Only around 124,000 Tory members - many of them hard Brexiteers - will take part in the ballot for the UK's next Prime Minister.
Mr Johnson, who declared he would run last week, said today "of course" he will stand to be PM.
He paid tribute to "patient and stoical" Theresa May but claimed the next PM can revive stalled talks with the EU.
"A new leader will have the opportunity to do things differently and have the momentum of a new administration," he said.
