Boris Johnson news – live: Tusk accuses PM of 'stupid blame game', after disastrous Merkel call leaves Brexit talks on brink of collapse

The British government said it would oppose any Turkish incursion into Syria and rejected a claim by Donald Trump that the UK was “thrilled” with his decision to withdraw troops from the Turkey-Syria border. 

“We have been consistently clear with Turkey that unilateral military action must be avoided as it would destabilise the region and threaten efforts to secure the lasting defeat of Daesh (Isis),” foreign office minister Andrew Murrison told parliament.

Downing Street confirmed foreign secretary Dominic Raab had spoken to his US counterpart Mike Pompeo to warn the Turkish action warranted "serious concern".

“We are deeply concerned by reports that Turkey intends to launch a military operation in north-east Syria,” said the PM’s spokesman.

Michael Gove is now taking questions on the government’s no-deal readiness report. But it’s turned into a general bun-fight over Brexit.

“There are people in this parliament who do not want to do a deal, who do not want to leave by October 31 and who want to delay,” says Gove.

“We in this government have compromised, we in this government are showing flexibility … faced with the delaying, disruptive and denying tactics of the opposition – we say on behalf of the 17.4 million [Leave voters] enough, enough, enough, we need to leave.”

Michael Gove addresses the House of Commons 

Our deputy political editor Rob Merrick has more on the no-deal readiness report – which confirms Britain will be at greater risk from terrorism and organised crime if it crashes out of the EU without a deal.

The Irish government has announced a budget with a 1.2bn euro fund to help absorb the impact of a no-deal Brexit.

The package includes 650m euro to support the agri-food and tourism sectors. There will also be 200m euro made available to government departments to increase staffing levels and upgrade airports and ports.

Finance minister Paschal Donohoe said the budget was “without precedent”.

“This is a budget developed in the shadow of Brexit and the context for Brexit has shifted to no deal as our central assumption, this does not mean no deal is inevitable, but equally we stand ready if it does happen,” he told the Dail parliament in Dublin.

The spending plan is based on the anticipated gloomy financial outlook if the UK leaves without an agreement on 31 October.

“A no deal is unpredictable,” said Donohoe. “Our response will demand flexibility.”

No 10 has made sure the “blame game” is well under way.

A new ComRes poll for The Telegraph shows a majority of voters – 56 per cent – would blame Boris Johnson for the failure of the UK to leave the EU on 31 October.

Yet an even higher proportion would blame the Europeans Commission (63 per cent) and parliament (83 per cent). So plenty of blame to go around.

Labour MP Yvette Cooper has asked Michael Gove about the remarks made by an unnamed No 10 source who suggested to The Spectator that the UK could use border security cooperation as leverage with the Irish government and the EU.

Does he agree such threats are “extremely irresponsible and dangerous”? She suggests any No 10 official who could say such things is “unfit” to be there.

Gove said security cooperation with the EU was vital.

Michael Gove has told the Commons that he has not met a single business representative who would prefer a Jeremy Corbyn government to a no-deal Brexit. 

The Cabinet Office minister was responding to a question from Labour MP Clive Betts, who said the economy had returned to the levels of growth of ten years ago and asked: "Would any other government consider a no-deal Brexit with the finances in that state?"

Mr Gove replied: 

"Business takes a variety of views on Brexit and indeed on no-deal Brexit, but I've yet to meet a single businessman, woman or organisation that thinks a no-deal Brexit would be worse than a Jeremy Corbyn government."

MPs have been condemning a poster tweeted by the Leave.EU group earlier today, which branded German chancellor Angela Merkel "a kraut".

Independent Group for Change MP Chris Leslie raised the issue in the Commons, claiming the offensive image was a result of Downing Street's "deliberate dog whistle briefing" about a phone call between Ms Merkel and Boris Johnson this morning. This had "sparked a series of frankly racist attacks against the Germans from Leave.EU and others", he said.

He added: "This is an extremely dangerous course for the Government to embark on, and I want to hear right now the minister condemn it and distance himself from it."

In response, Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, said:

"The first thing to say is I wasn't in on that telephone call. The second thing I want to affirm is that the Bundeskanzler and the Federal Republic's Government are good friends of this country."

"And I take this opportunity at this despatch box to entirely disassociate myself from any sort of racist or demeaning language towards Germany - they are our friends, our allies, they are a great country."