Brussels has become embroiled in a spat with Tory leadership hopeful Boris Johnson, the Sun reported, citing sources in the European Union.
Johnson declared his intention to seek a "transition period" if Britain was forced to leave the EU with no deal on the 31st of October.
He said: “I have myself to decide under the current terms of the extension that we have, to apply for such an extension.”
“It is up to the EU to decide whether to grant it. At the moment, the law says that the UK is leaving the EU; international treaty law says the UK is leaving the EU on the 31st of October.'
Commenting on the plans, one EU diplomat told The Sun that Britain will have to meet certain criteria regarding the backstop, citizens' rights, and the divorce agreement.
He explained that the agreement is a package deal and that Britain cannot pick and choose which parts to accept.
“This is an old UK idea, to secure the parts you like and forget the rest. But it's a package.”
He continued by saying that the former foreign secretary’s plan just “isn’t going to fly”.
“What is missing is finances and the backstop, so he would get all he wants. And you'd need our agreement for that. It's nonsense.”
Another EU representative rebuffed Johnson’s plans, calling them “bull****”.
"Boris can bull**** all he likes. We've been here before."
"If we didn't make concessions for a Remainer like May, why would we make them for a populist architect of Brexit?" he told The Sun.
According to the Express, another EU official indicated that Boris Johnson’s no deal bluster would not last, saying: "What can we say? I assume that his ideas will probably evolve the moment he steps into Downing Street.”
However, Johnson has committed to scrapping Theresa May's withdrawal agreements and threatened to withhold the £39 billion divorce bill.
He derided her “pathetic” attempt to negotiate a deal and claimed that Mrs. May had agreed to “the high end of the EU's expectations”.
A failure to deliver Brexit by 31 October may call the future of the Conservative Party itself into question.
Jacob Rees-Mogg, head of the European Research Group (ERG) and Boris Johnson supporter said to LBC on Monday that if "the Tories don’t leave, or don’t get us out on 31 October, then there will be no Tory party left to lead, that’s the issue we are facing."
Mr Johnson has echoed these claims, saying that the government faces an "existential crisis" if it does not deliver Brexit. He also hinted in an interview with TalkRadio that he would resign if the UK were not to leave by 31 October.
The Labour shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer sent a a direct message to Mr Johnson regarding attempting a no deal Brexit, saying: "If you become Prime Minister, Parliament will do everything it can to block no-deal on 31 October. No ifs, no buts."
