Boris Johnson has told MPs "today is the first day of a new approach" towards Brexit in his first appearance in the House of Commons as prime minister.

The new Conservative Party leader repeated his "absolute commitment" to the UK leaving the EU on 31 October, saying he would push ahead with Brexit on Halloween "whatever the circumstances".

The prime minister told MPs that failing to abide by the latest Brexit deadline would see a "catastrophic loss of confidence" among the public.

"It will leave the British people wondering whether their politicians could ever be trusted again to follow a clear democratic instruction," he said.

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Commenting on his new government's preparations for a no-deal Brexit - to be overseen by his former Vote Leave colleague Michael Gove - Mr Johnson said they would be "about grasping the opportunities" for Britain's future and "not just about technical preparations".


Raising the prospect of a no-deal Brexit budget, the prime minister said his government will "prepare an economic package to boost British business".

He said the UK was "better prepared" for a no-deal Brexit "than many believe".

In a bid to demonstrate his seriousness to the UK leaving the EU in less than 100 days, Mr Johnson announced the UK would not nominate a new EU commissioner.

The bloc is due to change its top-level officials on 1 November.

Mr Johnson said: "Our national participation in the European Union is coming to an end. This reality needs to be recognised by all parties."

The prime minister repeated that he would "much prefer" to leave the EU with a deal, saying it was "still possible even at this late stage" and that he will "work flat out to make it happen".

But he declared the current withdrawal agreement - drafted by his predecessor Theresa May - is "unacceptable to this parliament and this country".

He said any new deal must see the "abolition" of the controversial Irish backstop arrangement.

The prime minister claimed "other arrangements are perfectly possible" in ensuring no hard border on the island of Ireland, even with the UK outside the EU's customs union and single market.

Mr Johnson also spoke about protecting the rights of EU citizens in the UK.

He told MPs his government would provide "absolute certainty of the right to live and remain" but offered little further detail in his Commons statement.

It has been suggested the prime minister's aides see an offer on EU citizens' rights as the way to prise open the existing withdrawal agreement, which the EU has consistently said is not up for renegotiation.

Downing Street later sowed confusion over the issue, by suggesting such rights are already guranteed in law through existing legislation.

Mr Johnson expressed his hope the bloc will "rethink their current refusal" to alterations to Mrs May's Brexit deal.

Ending his address, the prime minister claimed today would mark "the beginning of a new golden age" for the UK.

In response, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told Mr Johnson: "No-one underestimates this country but the country is deeply worried that the new prime minister overestimates himself."

He added: "People do not trust this prime minister to make the right choices for the majority of the people in this country when he's also promising tax giveaways to the richest of big business - his own party's funders."

Referring to Mr Johnson's sweeping changes to the top level of government, Mr Corbyn accused the new prime minister of having "hastily thrown together a hard-right cabinet".

He also told Mr Johnson that Labour would campaign to stay in the EU if the government proposed a Brexit deal that "fails to protect jobs, workers' rights or environmental protections."

Mr Corbyn also claimed Mr Johnson will "effectively make us a vassal state of [Donald] Trump's America" under a trade deal with the US.

Labour accused Mr Johnson of ignoring 10 specific questions in his exchanges with Mr Corbyn.

Earlier, Labour dismissed a Liberal Democrat effort to pressure Mr Corbyn into tabling an immediate motion of no confidence in Mr Johnson.

A Labour spokesman said: "A no confidence vote now will only strengthen Boris Johnson's hand and further his march towards no deal."

The SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford welcomed Mr Johnson as the "last prime minister of the UK" as he challenged him to call a general election.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford wrote to Mr Johnson on Thursday asking him to immediately rule out a no-deal Brexit.

Meanwhile, former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith, who was Mr Johnson's leadership campaign manager, praised the prime minister's Commons address.

"Today I think the EU will have listened and realised that the days of supplication are over and we are intent on a policy to leave," he said.

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Conservative MP Alberto Costa - who has long campaigned on the issue of EU citizens' rights - commended the prime minister's words in the Commons.

But he pressured Mr Johnson to follow up his comments by introducing legislation to protect those rights.

Mr Costa told Sky News: "I welcome Boris's comments today, they're a step in the right direction.

"But what I want to see an an MP, as a legislator, the legislation that enshrines in law those pledges that Boris made today."

He added: "I am confident that the prime minister will honour that statement, he's used the phrase himself repeatedly 'enshrine in law' - that can only be done by way of an act of parliament.

"The current system, the 'settled status' scheme, is not enshrined in law and therefore cannot gurantee absolutely or unequivocally those rights."

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Mrs May, who was seen enjoying the cricket at Lord's on Thursday with some of her former ministers, has made a similar pledge to protect the rights of EU citizens in the UK in any Brexit outcome.

Mr Costa had earlier suggested Mr Johnson was planning to go further than his predecessor by introducing legislation to enshrine those rights in UK law.

Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg had earlier signalled the new government will ignore "mere motions" passed by MPs aimed at stopping a no-deal Brexit.

He said: "I have perhaps a somewhat romantic view of the House of Commons... about how it is our job to hold the government to account, not simply to facilitate whatever the government wants to do.

"However, this House passed into law the [EU] withdrawal act and the Article 50 act.

"We only speak our view by legislation, we do not speak our view by mere motion and mere motion cannot and must not overturn statute law.

"Because if that were to happen we would not have a proper functioning representative democracy, we would have an erratic, changeable and irregular system of government."