The British cabinet minister in charge of no-deal Brexit preparations has said his government "must operate on the assumption" that the UK will crash of the EU without a deal.
Michael Gove has been commenting after being tasked by Boris Johnson with 'turbo-charging' hard Brexit planning.
The new British prime minister asked Mr Gove to "mobilise the civil service to deliver this outcome, should it become necessary".
Mr Johnson has insisted he's eager to get a deal before October 31st.
However, he also said any deal must involve the abolition of the Irish backstop from the withdrawal agreement - a demand which has been rejected by Irish and EU leaders.
Writing in the Sunday Times today, Michael Gove warns that no-deal is a "very real prospect".
He said: "While we are optimistic about the future, we are realistic about the need to plan for every eventuality.
"The EU’s leaders have, so far, said they will not change their approach -it’s the unreformed withdrawal agreement, take it or leave it."
He added: "We still hope they will change their minds, but we must operate on the assumption that they will not."
Meanwhile, UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said his party will do everything they can to stop a no-deal Brexit.
He told Sky News: "No deal we'd oppose, and we think people should have a final vote on it.
"There will be a second referendum to make a choice between whatever deal is arranged and what the public want... if we're in power yes of course the same thing would apply."
He also said any deal that damages the Good Friday Agreement is "simply not going to work".
Mr Corbyn has previously said his party will campaign for remain in any second referendum on a Tory Brexit deal - but he indicated he'd have to wait and see what stance to take if a Labour government secured a new deal after a successful election.
Opinion polls
Opinion polls published in the UK today indicate the Tories have enjoyed a boost in support following Mr Johnson's election as party leader.
A number of polls showed the Conservative party as the most popular - with Nigel Farage's Brexit party losing support in the wake of Mr Johnson's election.
Westminster voting intention:
CON: 28% (+3)
LAB: 27% (-1)
LDEM: 19% (+2)
BREX: 16% (-3)
GRN: 4% (-1)
via @ComRes, 24 - 25 Jul
Chgs. w/ 16 Jul— Britain Elects (@BritainElects) July 27, 2019
There was a mixed showing for Labour - with two polls showing minor bumps in support for the main opposition party, and two showing small decreases.
Westminster voting intention:
CON: 31% (+6)
LAB: 21% (+2)
LDEM: 20% (-3)
BREX: 13% (-4)
via @YouGov
Chgs. w/ 24 Jul— Britain Elects (@BritainElects) July 27, 2019
Mr Corbyn insisted he isn't afraid of facing the new prime minister in a general election.
He said: "We'll go out there and we'll make our case.
"I don't get involved in personal abuse, I don't make any personal abuse, I don't do personal - as far as I'm concerned the issues are too serious."
