Europe is bracing for a showdown with Boris Johnson at next month’s European Council following his combative performance in the Commons that left Labour MPs deeply alienated over remarks about their murdered colleague Jo Cox.

EU officials and diplomats said they had been left "in despair" by Mr Johnson’s approach to Parliament which appeared to dash any hopes that he intended to find enough Labour MPs to vote for a last-minute Brexit deal.

"Last night was a new low," said a senior EU official. "The obvious conclusion is that the PM has no intention of cultivating MPs – whether on his own benches or from the opposition. We do actually watch Parliament TV - even late at night."

Senior EU diplomatic sources added that meetings between Mr Johnson and several EU leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York had raised expectations that he might stage a walkout at the EU leaders meeting on October 17.

Officially 'technical talks' are continuing in Brussels, with a fourth 'non-paper' submitted by the British side this week, but EU sources familiar with the documents said it appeared clear they were not intended as a serious solution to the Irish border question.

Mr Johnson told MPs that while the talks in Brussels were "difficult" they were making progress towards a deal ahead of the October council.