Former Conservative Party Minister and shadow chancellor, Michael Portillo, has claimed Boris Johnson could use his “charm” as a “weapon” to get Brexit over the line. Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson has said he will deliver Brexit by the end of October this year “do or die”, but believes he can secure a deal. Mr Johnson came head to head with Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt in a debate on Tuesday night, and Mr Portillo believes the Tory MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip can secure a deal through the Commons.

Mr Portillo said: “The only way this Brexit thing can possibly be resolved is by negotiation in which charm is going to be the only weapon.

“I can just about imagine Boris sitting down with Varadkar, the Taoiseach, the Irish Prime Minister, over a bottle of whisky and sorting out the border.

“I can imagine Boris getting hold of around 20 Labour MPs and getting them to vote for a Brexit deal – a Brexit deal that will probably look very much like Theresa May’s Brexit deal, but the point is that Boris might be able to get it through.

“The thing about Boris… I’m not a fan of Boris, but when you’re with him, you’re with a celebrity. People like spending time with Boris.

The only way this Brexit thing can possibly be resolved is by negotiation in which charm is going to be the only weapon

Michael Portillo

“I can tell you that 20 Labour MPs, if they’re invited into Downing Street by Boris, made a fuss off, they’re with a celebrity, they’re going to enjoy the moment. He’s the guy who might just pull it off.”

Commenting on Tuesday night’s debate, Mr Portillo said he thought the former foreign secretary “help up pretty well”.

He said: “I thought Boris had the better of the evening. That was largely perhaps because Jeremy looked a bit egotistical, having to tell us about his virtues and his experience, and a bit peevish having to chip away at Boris.

“I thought Boris, funnily enough, emerged with greater dignity. I have for some years not been the President of the Boris fan club, not a man I want to see in Number 10.

“But, I must say, at this stage, Boris looks more attractive than Jeremy. Jeremy carries the baggage of having been a Remainer and that is very hard to shake off.

“He carries the baggage of having been very much the minority candidate in the vote amongst members of Parliament. I think Boris has the edge at this point and should have.”

During ITVs debate with Mr Hunt on Tuesday evening, Mr Johnson said he was “not going to take anything off the table” with Brexit.

Mr Johnson said: “I’m not going to take anything off the table, any more than I’m going to take no deal off the table.

“I think it’s absolutely bizarre at this stage in the negotiations for the UK – yet again – to be weakening its own position.”

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But, the Foreign Secretary ruled out proroguing Parliament to force through a no deal exit.

“When that has happened in the past, when Parliament has been shut down against its will, we actually had a civil war,” Mr Hunt said.

On Wednesday morning Sir John Major said it would be “utterly and totally unacceptable” for any British premier to shut down Parliament and he would seek a judicial review if it happened.

He told the Today programme: “You cannot and should not bypass Parliament in this fashion. I cannot imagine how anyone could conceivably think that is right.”

The UK is currently scheduled to leave the European Union at the end of October this year.

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