"Nobody is aiming for no-deal, that is not the strategy. We want a better deal, parliament wants a better deal, and Boris Johnson has made clear throughout that he wants a better deal.

"But the way to get a better deal is to be very firm that that date is there in law.

"There are three months now before the end of October and it is perfectly possible, with plenty of goodwill on both sides, to improve the agreement so that Parliament does, in the end, support it."