Brexit LIVE: Brexiteer reveals plan to scrap no deal but still quit EU by October

Mr Francois said: “We should tell the European Council instead that because it will never pass the House of Commons, we have decided to junk it completely and transition straight to the Future Relationship and indeed that achieving a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is now our desired end state – rather than leaving with No Deal.

“It seems extremely unlikely that our members in the country will pick a final winner who voted Remain in 2016.

“The only candidate who has had the courage – and frankly leadership – to acknowledge that the Withdrawal Agreement is dead, and to propose instead transitioning straight to the Future Relationship and arguing for a comprehensive Free Trade deal, that would allow us to trade to our mutual advantage with our European partners, with low or no tariffs, into the foreseeable future, is Boris Johnson. In short, no deal is still better than a bad deal – but a trade deal is better than both of them.”

The six remaining Tory leadership candidates, including Dominic Raab and Rory Stewart, are due to take face party voting on Tuesday,Hopefuls will need to find at least 33 Conservative MPs backing their race – or face the exclusion from it.

Plans for Brexit – and how Britain will achieve it’s October 31 deadline – will top the agenda when leadership candidates go head-to head in a second televised leadership debate tonight.

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10.20am update: Johnson’s former leadership rival Leadsom backing him for leadership

Boris Johnson got a further boost in his campaign to become Britain’s prime minister on Tuesday when a second former rival in the race backed him to lead the country out of the Brexit crisis.

Ms Leadsom declared her support for Johnson, telling LBC radio: “He is the best placed to get us out of the EU at the end of October.

“Secondly, I do believe he is an election winner.”

10.00am: Hammond “prepared to resign” over May’s legacy spending plans

Chancellor Philip Hammond has warned he owuld be prepared to resign after he was asked to free up funds from his Brexit war chest.

Sources told the Press Association that tension between officials at the Treasury and the Mrs May’s office had reached boiling point over May’s spending intentions according to a report by ITV.

It claimed Mrs May’s intention to spend up to £9billion per year on education over three years, including plans to build new schools and pay teachers higher wages have sparked tension.

These funds would be taken from the £26.6billion chest Hammond has reserved in the case of no deal Brexit

But the chancellor has opposed those plans and would resign over the issue, according to a well placed source.

9.30am update: Germany’s EU affairs minister: “no chance of renegotiating deal”

Michael Roth reiterated Germany’ stance that it will not renegotiate the terms of the UK’s departure from the EU.

Arriving in Luxembourg for a meeting with EU counterparts, Mr Roth said: “”I don’t see any chances to renegotiate the package, the withdrawal agreement is the withdrawal agreement, and I don’t see any appetite to start new negotiations within the European Union.”

Brexit Minister Steohen Baclary is also in Luxemborug attending the regular member state meeting.

9.10am update: Home Secretary says Stewart wants to “remain” in EU

Sajid Javid said hisa Tory leadership rival Rory Stewart has “told us he wants to remain”.

He told the Today programme: “I think he’s effectively telling us that we should remain in the EU and there is a small constituency amongst my colleagues that would rather remain than leave, and I think that is part of the challenge that we have to deal with.

“And so I think up to a point Rory can attract that support but it’s not going to get us any further.”

Following the interview, Mr Stewart: “I’m sure Sajid didn’t mean that. He knows how fiercely and passionately we have both campaigned to get the withdrawal agreement through – and how although I – like he – voted Remain, we have fought together sincerely as fellow Cabinet Ministers for a moderate and pragmatic .”

8.45am update: Rory Stewart would “love” to go against Mr Johnson

Tory leadership hopeful Rory Stewart has said he has “no problem” being the “stop Boris” candidate.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “I have no problem with that and I would love to go against him in the final two in order to give members the chance to choose whether they want Boris’s  or mine,”

The International Development Secretary also faced questions about his back story, amid reports that he allegedly worked as a spy.

Asked if former spies could, under the law, answer honestly whether they worked for MI6, he said: “No, and in fact the law wouldn’t allow newspapers to reveal the identity of intelligence officers.

“I definitely would say I served my country and if somebody asked me whether I am a spy I would say no.”

Credit: Joe Gamp, express.co.uk