The Tory leadership frontrunner has been attacked after he hardened his stance on Britain’s exit from the bloc , as he promised Brexit would happen “with or without a deal”. In a furious intervention, former civil service chief Bob Kerslake called Boris Johnson’s October 31 pledge “a complete hostage to fortune”. The ex-Whitehall mandarin warned Parliament will not countenance leaving the EU without a deal.
The peer told the Chamberlain lecture in London on Tuesday: “It is always a good maxim in politics not to enter a room unless you know that you can get out of it.
“Boris Johnson has not only entered the room but he has put on the straitjacket, padlocked the door and started the tap running.”
Mr Johnson has used a series of broadcast interviews to set out his plans for Brexit, insisting that the shock of the European election results would force both the Tories and Labour to acknowledge the current impasse could not continue.
READ MORE: Tory leadership LIVE
Boris Johnson has pledged to leave the EU by October 31 (Image: REUTERS )
