BRITAIN will break out of the European Union's "manacles" like The Incredible Hulk if a Brexit deal cannot be struck by the end of next month, Boris Johnson has claimed.
But the Prime Minister insisted he was “very confident” of sealing a new deal with Brussels, claiming a “huge amount of progress” was being made and a “very, very good conversation” was taking place about how to resolve the bugbear of the backstop.
He repeated his vow to take the UK out of the bloc on October 31, suggesting he could ignore legislation designed to prevent a no-deal in order to fulfil his promise.
Stephen Barclay, the Brexit Secretary, told Sky News’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday that a “landing zone” was in sight but there was still a significant amount of work to do. “A huge amount has been happening behind the scenes,” he insisted.
The Cabinet minister also suggested that key changes could be made to the Irish backstop so long as there was “consent” from the Northern Irish parties; although Stormont remains suspended.
Ahead of his meeting with Jean-Claude Juncker, the outgoing European Commission President, in Luxembourg tomorrow, Mr Johnson used an unusual metaphor about sealing a new Brexit deal, likening Britain to the fictional scientist Bruce Banner, who transforms into the monstrous green Hulk when he is angry in the Marvel superhero comics and movies.
"Banner might be bound in manacles but when provoked he would explode out of them...Hulk always escaped, no matter how tightly bound in he seemed to be; and that is the case for this country. We will come out on October 31 and we will get it done," declared the PM.
He struck a confident tone on reaching a Brexit deal, telling the Mail on Sunday in an interview "we will get there" and that a "huge amount of progress is being made".
Mr Johnson went on: "I will be talking to Jean-Claude about how we're going to do it; I'm very confident. When I got this job everybody was saying there can be absolutely no change to the Withdrawal Agreement, the backstop was immutable, the arrangements by which the UK was kept locked in to the EU forever, they said no-one could change that.
"They have already moved off that and, as you know, there's a very, very good conversation going on about how to address the issues of the Northern Irish border. A huge amount of progress is being made."
Escargot, salmon and fromage will be on the menu when Mr Johnson and Mr Juncker meet for lunch tomorrow.
The PM, accompanied by Mr Barclay and No 10's Brexit sherpa David Frost, will also meet the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier during the Luxembourg visit.
However, Downing Street has cautioned that Monday's meetings will not be a "big breakthrough" moment in the Government's bid to strike a deal with Brussels.
Ahead of the trip, Mr Johnson added: "Don't be fooled by Corbyn and the ringleaders. On the one hand, they say I don't want a deal. On the other, they want to force me to extend. Both are wrong. I am straining to get a deal but I will also end the uncertainty and take us out on the October 31."
His interview came as research by Opinium suggested the Conservatives have increased their poll lead to 12 points over Labour.
The pollsters put the Tories on 37 points, with Labour on 25, the Liberal Democrats on 16 and the Brexit Party on 13.
A separate poll by ComRes suggested just one in 10 people thought Parliament "works well and is fit for the 21st century".
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