Leadership contenders Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt have clashed over the Halloween Brexit deadline, as the foreign secretary said he is the candidate that can be trusted to reach a deal with the EU.
It comes after Mr Johnson, the frontrunner to replace Theresa May, pledged to take Britain out of the EU "do or die, come what may" by the 31 October, and called on Jeremy Hunt
The move led to Mr Johnson being criticised by the UK's former civil service chief, Lord Kerslake, who said the ex-foreign secretary's premiership would be an "opportunity for disaster".
The European Commission also reiterated that the Brexit withdrawal agreement will not be negotiated, “full stop” – despite claims by Boris Johnson that he would somehow be able to re-open talks.
When asked whether the agreement could be reopened under any circumstances – including to stop a no-deal or prevent a hard border in Ireland, – a spokesperson for the Commission was emphatic: “I can confirm, as has been repeated several times, we will not be renegotiating the withdrawal agreement, full stop,” she told reporters in Brussels.
This liveblog has now closed, but you can view Wednesday's events below
Lord Kerslake delivered the scathing verdict as he claimed the Conservative leadership frontrunner’s promise to take Britain out of the EU by Halloween with or without a deal “is a complete hostage to fortune”.
By tying himself so emphatically to delivering Brexit by the 31 October, Lord Kerslake said Mr Johnson had put himself in the position of an escapologist who had put on a “straitjacket, padlocked the door and started the tap running”.
Jeremy Hunt has said that he is the Tory leadership candidate who can be trusted to get a Brexit deal with the EU, in an apparent swipe at rival Boris Johnson, reports political editor Andrew Woodcock.
In an interview with the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, the foreign secretary said that Tory voters must make a judgment on the contenders’ “personality” and warned that if the UK sent “someone where there’s no trust” to talks, there would be “no negotiation, no deal”.
Mr Hunt denied that he was questioning the trustworthiness of his predecessor as foreign secretary, who has frequently infuriated Brussels, but his comments will be seen as a warning that the former London mayor’s character may get in the way of a smooth and orderly Brexit.
Liam Fox has slapped down Boris Johnson over his claim Britain could use international world trade rules to continue tariff-free trade with the European Union (EU) in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
Mr Johnson argued on Tuesday that a provision under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade - known as Gatt 24 - could be used to avoid tariffs under World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules for up to 10 years.
But the international trade secretary, a Brexiteer who is backing Jeremy Hunt for the leadership, said that would require the agreement of the EU, which Brussels had made clear would not be forthcoming.
"In order to benefit from the terms of Article 24, there must be an agreement between two WTO members as to the elimination of duties and other restrictive regulations on substantially all trade," he said in an article posted on LinkedIn.
"Therefore, Article 24 would not, by itself, allow the UK to maintain tariff-free trade with the EU in the absence of a negotiated agreement."
He told the Press Association: "It was a very strange phrase to say 'do or die' because it's taken from that Tennyson poem (The Charge of the Light Brigade).
"I'm a little bit troubled by that. I hope he's not setting it up in those kinds of terms. I don't quite understand why he would agree with that kind of language.
"What I would hope he meant and I'd hope he'd clarify and say is that he's going to try to deliver a Brexit that works for Britain ... that this isn't some sort of charge towards the guns."
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"The trouble with 'do or die' is you could end up with a general election, Corbyn in Downing Street and no Brexit at all, and I want to offer a more positive future than that."
Claims Jeremy Corbyn's aides will accept any Brexit have been rubbished by Labour's spokesman, who also denied Mr Corbyn was "under the influence" of Unite boss Len McCluskey.
When asked directly if he was the problem, the spokesman also denied this, saying "there are many people around Jeremy Corbyn".
"I think we're all familiar with the trope of good kings and their bad advisers," he said. "The idea that Jeremy doesn't make his own decisions or decide what he wants to do is laughable.
"Jeremy has his own views and takes his own decisions and decisions are not taken for him by anybody."
The spokesman insisted Mr Corbyn was working to "find a common position" and said he expected this to reach a conclusion "in the next few weeks", indicating this would be before recess.
Arlene Foster - the DUP leader - has said it is "very important" the UK leaves the EU by 31 October, but declined to back either Jeremy Hunt or Boris Johnson for the leadership of the Conservative Party.
Ms Foster told the Policy Exchange think tank: "It's very important that we leave on October 31.
"Of course, we should have left by now and I think a lot of the discontent within the United Kingdom is caused by the fact that we haven't left, and we've seen that in the European election results."
She refused to back either Mr Johnson or Mr Hunt as next Tory leader at the event on Wednesday in central London, but said she has a "good relationship" with both.
"That is not a matter for me, thankfully," she said, referring to the leadership contest. But she added she will "look forward" to working with either and has conversations with both "all the time".
The European Commission has again reiterated that the Brexit withdrawal agreement will not be negotiated, “full stop” – despite claims by Boris Johnson that he would somehow be able to re-open talks, writes Europe Correspondent Jon Stone.
When asked whether the agreement could be reopened under any circumstances – including to stop a no-deal or prevent a hard border in Ireland, – a spokesperson for the Commission was emphatic:
“I can confirm, as has been repeated several times, we will not be renegotiating the withdrawal agreement, full stop,” she told reporters in Brussels.
"Any Conservative leadership candidate must put the Union first. Jeremy has done so and will get my vote," she said.
