Brussels is engaged in an extraordinary war of words with Boris Johnson over his Brexit plans today - accusing him of talking 'bullsh**' and going over old ground.

The Tory front runner has dramatically ramped up the rhetoric vowing to face down the EU and leave without a deal if it will not bend.

He insisted there should be a 'standstill' agreement on trade terms in the divorce package, with the Irish border issue being sorted out after the UK legally leaves.

EU sources immediately dismissed the ideas, saying the two sides had 'been here before'.

But Mr Johnson's supporter Dominic Raab warned this morning: 'If we end up on WTO terms, it will be the EU's choice.'

Boris Johnson (pictured in Oxshott yesterday) has dramatically ramped up the rhetoric vowing to face down the EU and leave without a deal if it will not bend

Yesterday the Tory leadership frontrunner fleshed out a hardline strategy for negotiating with the EU, which he said could succeed where Mrs May had failed.

He pledged to tear up Mrs May's Brexit deal and threaten to withhold all or part of the £39 billion divorce bill in the hope of persuading the EU to back down, saying the sum negotiated by Mrs May was 'at the high end of the EU's expectations'.

Poll suggests MORE people now want to leave the EU than after the referendum The majority of British voters still want the UK to leave the European Union and just shy of a third want a No Deal split, according to a new poll. A YouGov survey of more than 1,600 people revealed that some 28 per cent of the electorate is in favour of a No Deal divorce from Brussels. And 13 per cent of people support a split on the terms secured by Theresa May while 16 per cent want a softer Brexit. The poll, conducted for The Times, suggests that some form of Brexit is favoured by 57 per cent of voters. However, remaining in the EU received more support than any of the other single options. Some 43 per cent of people want Britain to continue with its membership of the EU. The EU referendum in 2016 was won by Leave by 52 per cent to 48 per cent for Remain. Meanwhile, the latest YouGov poll has the Conservative Party and The Brexit Party neck and neck. Both parties were backed by 22 per cent of voters when they were asked who they would vote for at a general election. Advertisement

Mr Johnson said that if this failed he would seek a 'standstill' agreement with the EU to prevent the imposition of tariffs. Bank of England Governor Mark Carney and international trade secretary Liam Fox have both warned that the proposal is impossible.

Mr Johnson said they were 'wrong' to dismiss it as a solution. He acknowledged that it would require 'mutuality' from the EU to achieve it, but said it would be 'bizarre' for Brussels to seek to impose tariffs.

Asked if he could 'categorically' rule out another Brexit delay he replied 'yes' - and suggested parliament could not stop him taking Britain out of the EU without a deal.

He said: 'It would be up to the Prime Minister of the day. I have myself to decide under the current terms of the extension that we have, to apply for such an extension. And it is up to the EU to decide whether to grant it. At the moment, the law says that the UK is leaving the EU - international treaty law -says the UK is leaving the EU on the 31st of October.'

He also dismissed warnings by Kenneth Clarke and other pro-Remain Tories that they would rather vote down the government than allow no-deal.

'People are saying parliament is not going to allow this,' he said. 'But actually I think they are.

'Politics has changed completely since March 29. We are staring down the barrel of defeat.'

Mr Johnson said he was ready to take the UK out on time 'do or die, come what may' - and even suggested he could quit if he failed to deliver on his central pledge.

Asked directly whether he would resign if failed to get Britain out on time, he replied: 'I think that follows from everything that I've said - I think politics is at a crossroads in this country. And it is fundamental to trust in politics that we come out of the EU.'

Interviewed on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme this morning, Mr Raab insisted a PM could simply ignore any motion passed by the Commons.

Jeremy Hunt (pictured leaving his London home today) has warned Mr Johnson against making promises he cannot keep

A YouGov survey of more than 1,600 people revealed that some 28 per cent of the electorate is in favour of a No Deal divorce from Brussels

Carney warns of No Deal Brexit uncertainty Brexit uncertainty among British businesses is now at a higher level than even before the old March 29 deadline for the UK to leave the EU, Mark Carney has claimed. The Governor of the Bank of England told MPs today that 'market expectations of No Deal have gone up in recent months' and the 'degree of uncertainty' had risen as a result. However, Mr Carney insisted financial markets still believed that a deal with the EU was 'more likely' than No Deal because both candidates in the race to succeed Theresa May have said their preference is to strike an agreement with Brussels. But he warned that belief 'could change' in the coming months if Boris Johnson or Jeremy Hunt failed to deliver on their respective plans to renegotiate the terms of the UK's divorce from the bloc. Meanwhile, an apparent row between Mr Carney and Mr Johnson over whether the UK and the EU could strike a standstill agreement on trade if they are unable to agree to a new deal before October 31 appeared to be defused by the Governor. Mr Johnson said yesterday that his Brexit 'Plan B' would be to seek a standstill arrangement with the bloc and claimed Mr Carney was 'wrong in thinking that it's not an option'. But Mr Carney suggested that they were actually in agreement that such an arrangement would be possible as long as both Britain and Brussels agreed to it with a view to striking a free trade deal in the near future. Advertisement

But former leadership contender Rory Stewart, who declared he is supporting Mr Hunt, said MPs could block No Deal.

'Parliament is against no deal. It is only the legal default because parliament made it the legal default,' he said.

'Parliament can unmake it the legal default. There are many, many opportunities in legislation that have to brought forward, that could be amended in order to stop a no-deal Brexit.'

Mr Johnson has argued that a provision under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade - known as Gatt 24 - could be used to avoid tariffs under World Trade Organisation rules for up to 10 years.

But Trade Secretary Liam Fox, who is backing Mr Hunt, said that would require the agreement of the EU, which Brussels has ruled out.

He said it was essential that the public debate on the issue was conducted 'on the basis of fact rather than supposition'.

EU sources told the Sun Mr Johnson's strategy was 'not going to fly'.

'This is an old UK idea, to secure the parts you like and forget the rest. But it's a package,' one said.

'What is missing is finances and the backstop, so he would get all he wants. And you'd need our agreement for that. It's nonsense.'

Another source added: 'Boris can bull**** all he likes. We've been here before.

'If we didn't make concessions for a Remainer like May why would we make them for a populist architect of Brexit?'

Amber Rudd, who is backing Mr Hunt, said Mr Johnson had failed to explain how he would unite all wings of the party behind his plans.

Beckett fires Brexit broadside at Team Corbyn Labour Remainer Margaret Beckett has fired a broadside at Jeremy Corbyn's top team, saying they 'don't give a toss' as the party continued to muddy the water over its Brexit position. The former foreign secretary and People's Vote backer accused senior figures of even being prepared to support a No Deal Brexit as she tore into the party's strategy. It came after Mr Corbyn deferred a decision on whether to back a second referendum by two weeks. Former Labour deputy leader Dame Margaret told the BBC: 'I'm beginning to think that some of them do actually want Britain to leave the EU no matter what. 'They don't give a toss about what the British people now want or what Labour members think is in the country's interests. 'They just are determined to try and make sure we don't do anything to impede Britain leaving, if necessary with no deal.' Advertisement

'This is an incredibly difficult situation and Boris needs to explain how he will deal with both sides of the Conservative Party that have concerns and try and break the impasse with the European Union,' she said. 'Enthusiasm and optimism is not sufficient.' Labour's shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer issued a warning to Mr Johnson, saying: 'If you become Prime Minister, Parliament will do everything it can to block no-deal on October31. No ifs, no buts.'

Mr Johnson upped the ante yesterday by suggesting he would resign as PM if Britain is still in the EU on November 1.

In an open letter to his leadership rival last night, he challenged Mr Hunt to match his commitment, warning that failure to deliver on time would have 'devastating' consequences for both the Tories and the country.

In a bid to open up a dividing line in the campaign, Mr Johnson wrote: 'The central question in this leadership contest is whether the next Prime Minister agrees to honour the referendum result and commits to leaving the EU on 31 October. If we fail to deliver once again, the consequences for our Party and our country will be devastating.

'We must not kick the can down the road again. The British people have had enough of being left in limbo. So both of us have a responsibility to provide clarity on exactly when we believe the UK should leave the EU.'

Mr Hunt said he was happy to discuss his plans and asked why Mr Johnson had pulled out of a leadership debate organised by Sky TV last night.

The change of tone from Mr Johnson followed the appointment yesterday of prominent Brexiteer Iain Duncan Smith to shake up his lacklustre campaign.

But a source on Mr Hunt's campaign warned that Mr Johnson was making a series of 'hostages to fortune' he would be unable to keep.

'His Brexit plans are undeliverable and he knows it,' the source said. 'He's making exactly the same mistakes as Theresa May - boxing himself in too early with rhetoric he can't deliver on.'

Mr Johnson said his 'positive energy' would help secure a new deal with the EU. And he derided the 'pathetic' attempts of Theresa May's regime, in which he served for two years, to get Britain out of the EU.

Doesn’t Boris wash his SOCKS? Johnson is spotted repeatedly wearing the same £5.99 ‘King of the World’ British museum hosiery

Boris Johnson has been pictured wearing the same pair of socks on three days in the last week.

The Tory leadership favourite was seen sporting the distinctive hosiery at a hustings event in Birmingham on Saturday.

He also wore identical footwear in footage of interviews on Monday night yesterday - raising questions about whether he has run out of clothes after being forced to flee the south east London flat where he has been living.

The £5.99 socks bought from the British Museum shop depict King Ashurbanipal, who was ruler of the Neo-Assyrian Empire.

Tory leadership favourite Boris Johnson was seen sporting distinctive socks at a hustings event in Birmingham on Saturday

The socks were on show on Monday night when Mr Johnson was interviewed by the BBC

At the time of his reign between 669 and 631 BC, it was the largest empire in the world and stretched from Cyprus in the west to Iran in the east. Its capital Nineveh was the world’s largest city.

King Ashurbanipal called himself ‘king of the world’.