David Davis plans to retire in 2019 and leave Boris Johnson to steer the UK through the transitional period, The Telegraph can reveal.

The Brexit secretary told friends that Michel Barnier, the EU's chief negotiator, "needs this to work more than I do" because he plans to step aside in June 2019 whereas Mr Barnier will still be in post.

Mr Davis believes Brexit will be his "last big job", friends told this newspaper.

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson told Conservative activists that Brussels believes Britain will "bottle it" over Brexit.

The Foreign Secretary told a fringe meeting at the party conference that some EU leaders believe Britain will lose its nerve during the Brexit negotiations and try to cancel Article 50.