A No 10 source has said a Brexit deal is “essentially impossible” after a call between the PM and Angela Merkel.

Boris Johnson and the German chancellor spoke earlier about the proposals he put forward to the EU – but the source said she made clear a deal based on them was “overwhelmingly unlikely”.

Mrs Merkel’s office said it would not comment on “private” conversations.

But the BBC’s Adam Fleming said there was “scepticism” within the EU that Mrs Merkel would have used such language.

And the EU’s top official warned the UK against a “stupid blame game”.