Revealed: Real reason EU leaders won't budge on Boris Johnson's no deal Brexit threat

European leaders are working on the assumption Boris Johnson is bluffing with his threat of a no deal Brexit scenario to push for a general election against Jeremy Corbyn after he is potentially stopped by both Brussels and MPs in Parliament, Charles Grant has claimed.

Speaking to Channel 4 News, the director of the Centre for European Reform claimed European Union chiefs believe an early general election is likely and that Boris Johnson "wants to be stopped" in his bluff to take the UK out of the EU without an agreement. Mr Grant argued the EU also expects Jeremy Corbyn to win such an election and call for a second Brexit referendum.

He explained: “European leaders think a general election is quite likely and they think that if there is an election it could be won by Jeremy Corbyn supported by Liberals and the SNP.

“Then possibly there could be a second referendum.

“That is certainly an option considered by Europe.”

He added: “Maybe Boris wants the EU not to give him no deal, he wants Parliament to stop no deal or any deal.

“So he can go to the people in a general election and say look, Brussels has been beastly, they’re not giving me what I want, Parliament is preventing the will of the people being heard, vote for me in a general election.

“That is the working assumption of many people in the EU, that Boris actually wants an election, he wants to be stopped.”