Brexit will happen on 31 October 'whatever the circumstances' - No 10

PM's spokesman declines to say if Commons vote against no deal would change anything

Brexit will take place on 31 October "whatever the circumstances", Downing Street has said, refusing to say whether Boris Johnson would regard a vote in parliament against a no-deal departure as sufficient reason to change course.

Quizzed repeatedly at a media briefing, the prime minister's spokesman also declined to say whether the government would consider allowing no deal to happen if it were amid an election campaign, or if Johnson lost a no-confidence vote in the Commons.