The European Commission president said the Prime Minister is “pretending” to the British public that a no-deal Brexit would be just as damaging for Brussels. Mr Juncker insisted the European Union’s preparations for Britain leaving without an agreement are far superior to Whitehall’s own arrangements, which have been ramped up since Mr Johnson won the keys to Downing Street. Brussels will continue to take a hardline approach at the negotiating table, rejecting any attempt by the Prime Minister to remove the Northern Ireland backstop from the draft EU withdrawal agreement, Mr Juncker added.

“If it comes to a hard Brexit, this is in no one’s interest, but the British would be the big losers. They pretend it’s not like that, but it will be,” Mr Juncker told an Austrian newspaper this weekend.

He laughed off suggestions from London that Brussels would not be sufficiently prepared for a no-deal Brexit and would suffer more than Britain.

The eurocrat said: “We are at maximum preparation, though some British authorities say we are not well prepared for a no deal.

“But I do not participate in this summer game. We are prepared and I hope the British are too.”

Mr Juncker, however, expressed that he does not want to see Britain leaving the EU without a deal on October 31.

“Secretly, of course, I hope that we do not need a no deal,” he said.

The Commission president is expected to step down from as the EU’s most senior official on November 1, which is also Britain’s first scheduled day as a non-member.

Despite the looming threat of a no-deal Brexit, Mr Juncker insisted that the withdrawal deal, which was agreed by Theresa May and EU leaders last November, would not be renegotiated.

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He said: “The new Prime Minister has made clear that he does not think of presenting this deal, which is not a deal, but a state agreement between the British Government and the European Union, to Parliament because it has already been rejected there three times.

“We’ve made it clear that we are unwilling to renegotiate the exit agreement.”

Mr Juncker once again said Brussels would only consider redrafting the non-binding political declaration on the future relationship to define a clearer path for avoiding the Irish backstop.

The 64-year-old eurocrat also laughed off suggestions that his Commission had been too kind to Britain during the Brexit negotiations.

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“This is the first time I’ve been told that the European Commission has been too lenient,” he said.

“I read everywhere that it is because of my stubbornness that we do not come to an agreement.”

Meanwhile, MPs at Westminster are working hard to also put a stop to Mr Johnson’s “do or die” pledge to quit the EU on October 31.

The Prime Minister’s central leadership promise to ensure Brexit happens – with or without a deal – on the country’s next scheduled exit date.

But plans have emerged detailing claims by Mr Johnson’s opponents that they believe it is possible to thwart a no-deal Brexit and force him to hold a general election with Britain still in the EU.

MPs think they have an opportunity in the Fixed-term Parliament act, which governs what happens if a pier minister loses the confidence of Parliament.

The act says that before an election can be called, MPs have 14 days to attempt to establish a new government that commands a majority.

The leaked plan suggests that MPs can instead use this period to change the law, forcing Mr Johnson to extend Article 50 to allow time for an election or referendum.

The memo reads: “In the circumstances in which the government is defeated in a confidence vote, the 14-day period that follows must be used to prevent a prime minister crashing us out with no deal.

“It would be counterproductive to spell out the precise mechanism(s) through which this might be achieved, but we must be clear about the principle — a general election must not be used as a device to get a no deal or any other form of Brexit over the line without the public having their say.”

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