Boris Johnson warned Brexit approach 'playing into Keir Starmer's hands'

Boris Johnson has been warned that failure to secure a deal and give parliament a vote on Brexit is playing into Keir Starmer's hands.

The Labour leader has been at pains to balance his party's pro-European outlook with accepting the vote of the June 2016 referendum.

But with Johnson's government unable to fully commit to MPs getting a vote on the outcome before the end of the transition period, a political commentator has warned it will play into the hands of the leader of the opposition.

He said that in particular leaving without a deal would "remove any dilemma" for Starmer.

Professor Tim Bale told the Express website: "No deal might be the worst of all worlds for the country but probably not for Keir Starmer.

"It would remove any dilemma about whether to vote for or abstain on a deal.

"And, it would allow him to lay into the government big time for not delivering what it promised voters all along."

Last week Johnson reiterated “no sensible government” could agree to a treaty that does not give the nation control of its laws and waters, two major sticking points for No 10 in the negotiations as the brinkmanship continued.

The PM said: “Our door is open, we’ll keep talking, but I have to say things are looking difficult.

“There’s a gap that needs to be bridged, the UK has done a lot to try and help and we hope that our EU friends will see sense and come to the table with something themselves, because that’s really where we are.”