By this morning, as hopes of a trade deal apparently faded, he was giving this assessment.

There's a way to G.

O.

Uh, we're hopeful that progress could be made, but I've got to tell you that from where I stand now, here in Blythe, uh, it's looking.

It's looking very, very likely that we'll have to go for a solution that I think would be, you know, wonderful for the UK We'd be able to do exactly what we want from from January the first.

Obviously, it would be, uh, different from what we set out to achieve.

But I've no doubt that this country can get ready to many brexiteers steeped in the idea that the you only talk seriously.

At the 11th hour.

The idea of a dash to Brussels by Boris Johnson seemed to make sense, and they offered the chance to repeat his achievement of last year in improving the withdrawal agreement.

But the U was determined to deny him access to national leaders and not to concede on any point of substance.

This morning we learned that on Monday, President Macron and Chancellor Merkel both refused requests from number 10 for consultations by phone routing Mr Johnson back to the EU's top official, Ursula von Delay, in with the attempt to get political intervention from France or Germany thwarted.

The PM's Wednesday visit to Brussels was simply a moment in which both sides restated their positions on the EU, was determined to send him packing before its leaders arrived for their summit yesterday.

If he'd ever hope to make his case to them in person, it was not to be.

There was some concern about Boris Johnson having range bilaterals with different leaders right at the end of the negotiation.

This notion of unity has been very, very important and of course, different member states are affected differently by a deal and no deal.

So the risk that some kinks in that narrative around unity would appear at the last moment.

I think it was something of a concern so better if Boris is not there in a few years has to work through European Commission President s live on DeLay in the leaders dinner last night was found.

Aliens report on the British talks lasted only 10 minutes.

Briefing that out looks like a deliberate snub.

Undaunted, Boris Johnson offered to fly to have face to face talks with you leaders in order to find a solution.

We've got to keep going on.

We'll go the extra mile on.

We will Andi, I will goto Brussels.

I'll goto Paris.

I'll goto Berlin or wherever to try Thio, get this home and get toe a deal.

But this too was swiftly rejected.

Nay e.

I would invite him to stay in London and work at it.

He must help his team to come to an agreement with the European team.

Damn it!

By this morning, Ursula von der Leyen was suggesting that the EU would make a unilateral assessment on Sunday.

A.

Still, whether there's any point having further talks, we will decide on Sunday whether we have the conditions for a new agreement or not.

The EU's rebuff this week essentially take it or leave.

It was rather reminiscent of the Greek debt crisis on the treatment meted out to that country's leaders.

Will it leave Boris Johnson so humiliated that he can only choose no deal.

Well, the you did leave the door slightly ajar in today's post summit briefing, just live on DeLay and did at least suggest that the level playing field provisions at the heart of the remaining disagreement might be less onerous than imagined.

But this is not to say that we would require the U.

K to follow us every time we decide to raise our level of ambition, for example, in the environmental field, they would remain free sovereign if you wish to decide what they want to do.

So are the leaders masking a readiness to compromise at this late stage?

And could they pile pressure on Boris Johnson by declaring this weekend that the talks air over to see if that raises the economic cost to the UK well, gnome or on Sunday evening?