For No Deal Fans this will come as great news, from today’s Times:
Is there any chance that a deal could be struck with the EU before October 31?
Almost certainly not. The EU is prepared to make some concessions to get a deal but not enough to meet Mr Johnson’s red lines and not until they can be reasonably certain that they will be passed by parliament.
Mr Johnson has overstated how the threat of no-deal could force the EU to make concessions. But it could help to get a compromise over the line if that compromise included some kind of Irish backstop.
Insiders in London and Brussels confirm that no meaningful negotiations are taking place at the moment and that talks are focused on scoping out each other’s positions.
It is wrong to suggest that there could be a last-minute unexpected deal struck between Mr Johnson and the other EU27 leaders at the summit on October 17. A deal would have to have been negotiated in advance to be signed off at that meeting. Throughout the Brexit negotiations EU leaders have refused to negotiate head to head with the British prime minister. That is not going to change now.