Boris Johnson has come under fire from rival Conservative leadership candidates after claiming he would refuse to pay the £39bn Brexit divorce bill unless the EU offers better terms.

The former foreign secretary, who is the bookies' favourite to replace Theresa May as prime minister, used an interview with the Sunday Times to declare he would step up preparations to counter no-deal Brexit "disruption".

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He also claimed he was the only candidate who could see off the threat to the Tories of Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

But - commenting on Mr Johnson's stance to negotiations with the EU - International Development Secretary Rory Stewart claimed his leadership rival had "now adopted Farage's approach to Brexit".


He said: "So the choice for the members is now also clear - does our future lies with a Farage politics of rejection, or with getting a sensible Brexit deal done and then reaching out and unifying the country?"

Jeremy Hunt, who succeeded Mr Johnson as foreign secretary last year, also dismissed the chances of an "ultra hardline approach" to discussions with Brussels.

"We will get an ultra hardline response back," he told Sky News' Sophy Ridge on Sunday show.

A source close to French President Emmanuel Macron warned that refusing to pay would amount to defaulting on sovereign debt.

They told Reuters: "Not honouring your payment obligations is a failure of international commitments equivalent to a sovereign debt default, whose consequences are well known."

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Mr Hunt also claimed delivering Brexit is "about the art of tough negotiation, not the art of empty rhetoric" as he also described Mr Johnson as a "Marmite character" among EU politicians when he was in government.

"There were other European foreign ministers who found him difficult to deal with because of his views on Brexit," Mr Hunt said.

In his newspaper inteview, Mr Johnson compared Mr Farage and Mr Corbyn to sea monsters from Greek mythology which troubled Odysseus.

He said: "I truly believe only I can steer the country between the Scylla and Charybdis of Corbyn and Farage and on to calmer water.

"This can only be achieved by delivering Brexit as promised on 31 October and delivering a One Nation Tory agenda."

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He said he would scrap the backstop - something the EU has so far refused to do - and would settle the Irish border issue only when Brussels is ready to agree to a future relationship.

Mr Johnson said the £39bn settlement would only be paid when there is "greater clarity" about the way forward.

"I always thought it was extraordinary that we should agree to write the entire cheque before having a final deal," he said.

"In getting a good deal, money is a great solvent and a great lubricant."

The former foreign secretary has received backing from prominent Brexiteer Steve Baker, and has also picked up endorsements from cabinet ministers James Brokenshire, Chris Grayling and Alun Cairns, and former international development secretary Priti Patel.

Former leadership candidate James Cleverly also offered his support to Mr Johnson.

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Setting out his own Brexit strategy, Mr Hunt revealed German Chancellor Angela Merkel told him this week that the EU "would be willing to negotiate" on the Brexit deal with a new prime minister and "would look at any solutions" the UK offers on the Irish border.

He claimed getting a Brexit deal through the House of Commons is the "only way" to avoid the "catastrophe" of a general election.

Meanwhile Home Secretary Sajid Javid's leadership campaign has received a boost with an endorsement from Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson.

Her decision to back Mr Javid came as he set out his own plan to tackle the Irish border issue by spending hundreds of millions on a technological solution.

Mr Javid said there is a moral duty on the UK to pay for measures at the Irish border in an effort to secure a Brexit breakthrough.

Mr Stewart's camp said he is the challenger best placed to take on Mr Johnson, pointing to polling by Opinium which puts the two leadership candidates neck-and-neck on the question of "would they make a good prime minister".