Politics

The Telegraph reported that last week that Mr Johnson was blocked three times from speaking directly with the German and French leaders as the EU sought to keep a united front over the Brexit talks.

"It is an outrage for Boris Johnson to leave British business in the lurch, with only a handful of days to plan for new trading arrangements."

“The most likely thing now is, of course, that we have to get ready for WTO terms, Australia terms,” the Prime Minister said.

“Boris Johnson’s decision to end the Brexit transition period in the middle of a pandemic and deep recession is an unforgivable act of economic sabotage."

The agreement to carry on talking came despite pessimistic briefings from both sides of the negotiations in the run-up to the deadline set for Sunday on the future of the process.

“I say no-deal is a disastrous outcome for the country, it is not a wonderful outcome and it is a disgrace, frankly, that Boris Johnson said it.”

The investigation came days after former Conservative MP Charlie Elphicke was convicted at Southwark Crown Court in a separate case of sexually assaulting two women, one of whom was a parliamentary worker.

"There is something infinitely depressing in the picture of a British cabinet avoiding the eyes of history even as they make it. Shame on the whole damn lot."

It comes as Chancellor Rishi Sunak imposed a pay cap for millions of public sector workers because of the financial turmoil.