Downing Street is pushing the possibility of a general election after talks between Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn on a new timetable for his Brexit bill broke up without agreement, but Labour declined to say it would support an immediate poll.

No 10 also said that Johnson spoke to Donald Tusk on Wednesday morning, telling the European council’s president, who has called for EU leaders to allow a further Brexit extension, that he does not personally want one.

Johnson’s spokesman said: “The PM was clear in restating his position that he does not believe that any delay beyond 31 October is in the interests of the UK or the EU and that we need to get the deal through parliament before that point.”

The prime minister was forced to write to the EU on Saturday to seek a delay until 31 January under a backbench-instigated law averting no deal, but had hoped to rush the bill putting his plan into law through parliament this week, to meet the current 31 October deadline.

However, while MPs approved the second reading of the withdrawal agreement bill , they voted down the rapid timetable. Johnson and Corbyn met on Wednesday morning to see if they could agree on a way to press on with the “paused” bill under revised timings.

Corbyn was accompanied by his key adviser Seumas Milne, and Johnson by Dominic Cummings, as well as the two parties’ respective chief whips. The meeting took place in the prime minister’s office in the House of Commons.

But both sides said little was achieved. Asked if Johnson seemed to think there was a possibility of agreeing a new timetable, Corbyn’s spokesman said: “He certainly didn’t lean in that direction, but he didn’t rule it out.”

A Downing Street source was more blunt when asked if the process would resume: “I do not expect any further talks.”

The source strongly indicated that Johnson would now seek an election, even though it is not in his gift, as Labour would be needed to back a vote under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act to deliver the two-thirds majority needed for an election earlier than the five-year cycle.

“Any time that parliament gets a vote for delay it will always choose delay,” the source said. “Therefore, if this parliament is unwilling to vote for a deal, we will have to go for a general election.” This could happen before Christmas, they added.

However, this does not mean this is definitely Johnson’s position. Before the vote on the timetabling motion on Tuesday evening, the PM said he was likely to pull the entire bill and seek an election if he lost the vote, but did not subsequently do so.

While Labour’s official position is that it will back an immediate election as soon as no-deal is ruled out, a number of the party’s MPs are wary and would prefer to push for a referendum on a Brexit deal instead.

Corbyn’s spokesman repeatedly refused to say whether Labour would vote for an election if the EU agreed a delay until 31 January.

“Exactly how the extension is made, and how it’s communicated and what the legal status is, will determine whether we consider [no deal] taken off the table, and the risk of a crash-out there or not,” he said.

“As soon as the threat of a no-deal crash-out is off the table, and that is clear and guaranteed, then of course we would support an election.”

The spokesman declined to say what further guarantees would be sought on preventing no deal, saying only: “We need to wait and see what they will come up with.”

The lack of progress was shown earlier during prime minister’s questions, at which Corbyn called for the government to give parliament “the necessary time to improve on this worse-than-terrible treaty”. In response, Johnson accused Labour of seeking to scupper Brexit.

Corbyn used all his questions at PMQs to ask Johnson about elements of the bill, including standards for environmental, consumer and workers’ rights, and the continued inclusion of Northern Ireland in elements of the EU’s customs union.

After Johnson incorrectly said there would be “no checks between Northern Ireland and GB [Great Britain]”, Corbyn accused him of having not properly read his own bill.

“The prime minister unlawfully prorogued parliament; he said he would refuse to comply with [the] law; he threw Northern Ireland under a bus; he ripped up protections for workers’ rights and environmental protections; lost every vote along the way; and tried to prevent genuine, democratic scrutiny and debate,” the Labour leader said.

“Even worse than that – he’s not that familiar with it.”