Amid last-ditch talks with Tory rebels to persuade them that negotiations with the EU are going well and a Brexit deal is the top priority, PM Johnson’s confident rhetoric has been bluntly curtailed by Brussels.

A spokesperson for the European Commission told reporters in Brussels on Tuesday that despite encouraging words from the UK government, “I cannot report any concrete proposals having been made that we have seen.”

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Asked whether Johnson was wrong to suggest that progress had been made, the spokesperson gave a somewhat diplomatic answer, explaining: “We are progressively making progress in pursuing the talks... I will not go into any substance because these are technical talks.”

It would appear to back up the assessment made by Dominic Cummings, the PM’s top strategist, who reportedly described the UK-EU negotiations as “a sham,”according to the Telegraph.

In the weeks after becoming UK prime minister, Johnson claimed that he had been “encouraged” by discussions conducted with EU leaders, adding that it was time for both sides to “step up the tempo.”

It comes as British lawmakers debate and vote on a new law in the House of Commons on Tuesday, which would essentially block a ‘no-deal’ Brexit on October 31 and force Johnson to seek a three-month extension to Article 50 from Brussels.

Addressing the nation from the steps of 10 Downing Street on Monday, Johnson insisted that the bill intended to “chop the legs out from under the Government.” He also stressed that “there are no circumstances in which I will ask Brussels to delay. We’re leaving on October 31, no ifs or buts.”

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