British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday said he would rather be "dead in a ditch" than ask the EU for an extension to the October 31 Brexit deadline.

When pressed on if he would resign rather than ask for an extension, the leader avoided the question, reiterating his call to "get Brexit done".

He made the comments during an address as he visited a police training centre in West Yorkshire.

You can watch the event back in the above video player.

The speech was the kick-off to what is in effect an election campaign.

Johnson referred to MPs' defiant moves on Wednesday as a vote "to scupper the government's negotiating power," which handed over control to the EU.

Lawmakers approved a bill that forces Johnson to ask the EU to delay Brexit until January 31, unless he has a deal approved by parliament beforehand on the terms of the exit.

Watch: How did the legislation to delay Brexit get through Parliament?

Rebellious MPs also rejected his call to trigger a snap election, with opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn comparing the prospect as like the poisoned apple offered to Snow White by the wicked queen.

Johnson continued to provoke the Labour chief, saying his refusal to agree to an election was "a breach of his job description".

He insisted he didn't want an election but that it was "the only way to get this thing (the UK leaving the EU) moving".

On a flurry of questions about the resignation of his brother, Jo Johnson, as an MP earlier on Thursday, Boris thanked his sibling for his work as a minister.

Jo Johnson, UK PM Boris Johnson's brother, quits as an MP

"Jo doesn't agree with me about the EU," he said, adding "Jo would agree we need to get on and sort this (Brexit) out."

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