Boris Johnson, the favorite to become British prime minister, said the chances of Britain leaving the European Union without a deal are "a million-to-one" even as he repeated his promise to leave the bloc without a deal by the end of October.
The race to replace Prime Minister Theresa May has heated up this week, with the foreign minister, Jeremy Hunt, stepping up his criticism of Johnson, who has warned that he would execute a so-called no-deal Brexit if he fails to agree a deal with the EU.
More than three years after Britain voted to leave the EU, Brexit is dominating the race to become leader of the Conservative Party and the next prime minister.