Boris Johnson news – live: EU reveals no Brexit talks arranged despite no-deal threat as PM ‘absolutely’ rules out calling election before 31 October
Follow how the day in Westminster unfolded
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Your support makes all the difference.The EU has revealed that no Brexit talks are currently scheduled with Boris Johnson‘s government, despite Britain being on course to leave the bloc without a deal in less than three months.
A spokesperson for the European Commission said they had “no further announcements” to make about future negotiations.
Later on Friday evening, Mr Johnson received a call from Donald Trump, the US president, in which the pair agreed to begin free trade talks as soon as the UK leaves the EU, Downing Street said.
A spokesperson said the two world leaders discussed the “unparalleled” trade opportunities offered by Brexit.
It came after Mr Johnson suffered a blow to his efforts to woo hardline Brexiteers when a senior Eurosceptic MP snubbed his offer of a government job.
However, he may have more success in other areas of recruitment, as insiders said he had requested a dog to join him in No10.
The new prime minister is understood to raised the idea with staff when he addressed them on his arrival and received an enthusiastic response.
Follow how the day in Westminster unfolded
Asked by reporters if he would rule out calling an election, Mr Johnson said: "The British people voted in 2015, in 2016, in 2017.
"What they want us to do is deliver on their mandate, come out of the EU on 31 October.
"They don't want another electoral event, they don't want a referendum, they don't want a general election.
"They want us to deliver."
Businessman Ben Elliot has been appointed co-chairman of the Conservative Party.
He will work with fellow co-chairman, James Cleverly, the party said.
Speaking during a visit to a police training centre in Birmingham, Mr Johnson said he would "absolutely not" call for another vote.
He said: "We want to come out of the EU on 31 October - that is what we're going to do.
"But before then we are going to get on and do some things I think are absolutely the top of people's concerns - putting more money into schools, lifting up the funding of schools around the country, putting more money into frontline policing and that's what we're doing today."
Asked if he could reassure "Brenda from Bristol", who famously showed exasperation at then-prime minister Theresa May's 2017 snap general election announcement, Mr Johnson said: "Brenda from Bristol, everyone - absolutely, absolutely."
After Ireland's foreign affairs minister Simon Coveney described Mr Johnson's approach to Brexit as "very unhelpful", the prime minister said: "I want to say to our Irish friends and what I've said repeatedly is under no circumstances will the UK be instituting any kind of checks at the frontier of Northern Ireland.
"Of course we don't want that.
"But the UK will be coming out of the EU on 31 October and after we come out of course there will be all sorts of discussions to be had with our Irish friends about how to ensure we have continued friction-less trade."
Mr Johnson said the police recruitment pledge was "the most fundamental investment you can make in society".
"Reducing crime, making our streets safer - safer streets equals more investment, equals more businesses with jobs, equals growth," he said.
"It's absolutely crucial for everywhere in this country and what I want to see is the police not just given powers to do things like stop and search and take knives off the streets and beat the gangs.
"I also want politicians to support them and back them up in every way that we can.
"That's why today we're beginning another big programme of recruitment for another 20,000 officers.
"It will take a while to get them all out there but the work starts now and it will be more than £1bn we're putting into it."
The prime minister said: "I believe very strongly in keeping police numbers high.
"When I was mayor of London I always kept the numbers at or around 32,000 for the whole eight years and the reason for that is you do need to see officers out on the street.
"I think the public need that confidence that comes with seeing a safer neighbourhood team, a police officer out on the streets.
"I used to argue sometimes with senior police officers who said 'oh no we can do this with fewer officers' and I'd say 'no, no, let's keep the numbers high'.
"So what we are doing now is putting another £1.1bn in for another 20,000 police officers and I think that is totally the right thing."
In new ministerial appointments, Jo Churchill has been made a parliamentary under secretary of state at the Department of Health and Social Care.
Heather Wheeler is a parliamentary under secretary of state at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Paul Maynard is a parliamentary under secretary of state at the Department for Transport.
Seema Kennedy is a parliamentary under secretary of state at the Home Department.
Baroness Barran is a parliamentary under secretary of state at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
Mims Davies is a parliamentary under secretary of state at the Department for Work and Pensions.
And Edward Argar remains as a parliamentary under secretary of state at the Ministry of Justice.
In further ministerial appointments, Wendy Morton MP is a parliamentary under secretary of state at the Ministry of Justice.
Matt Warman MP is a parliamentary under secretary of state at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
And Robin Walker MP is a parliamentary under secretary of state at the Scotland Office and the Northern Ireland Office.
Downing Street said Donald Trump congratulated Boris Johnson on his new role when they spoke by phone on Friday evening.
"They discussed the important relationship between our countries and the president's successful State Visit to the UK last month," a spokeswoman said.
"They agreed that Brexit offers an unparalleled opportunity to strengthen the economic partnership between the UK and United States. The leaders both expressed their commitment to delivering an ambitious free trade agreement and to starting negotiations as soon as possible after the UK leaves the EU.
"The prime minister and the president also discussed the current tensions with Iran and the need to work together and with partners to address their destabilising behaviour in the Gulf. They ended by looking forward to seeing each other at the G7 Summit in Biarritz next month."
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