Boris Johnson told his Brexit plans are dead already by EU bosses
BRUSSELS chiefs have ruled out granting Britain a transition period if there's No Deal in a major blow to Boris Johnson's Brexit plan.
Dutch PM Mark Rutte rejected giving the UK a stand-still window, during which a future trade deal could be struck, unless MPs accept Theresa May's pact.
Irish leader Leo Varadkar also piled in, vowing: "If there is no Withdrawal Agreement then there is no transition period for the UK."
Boris Johnson has suggested Britain and the EU should agree a two-year implementation period even if MPs refuse to ratify the Withdrawal Agreement.
But asked about the proposal, Mr Rutte told the BBC: "Brexit is Brexit. A hard Brexit is a hard Brexit. I don't see how you can sweeten it."
He also warned there would be "no point" in granting Britain another extension unless the next PM commits to a radically altered course.
Mr Varadkar ruled out opening bilateral talks with the next UK Government over a solution to the backstop impasse.
He said Mr Johnson will have to negotiate with Michel Barnier and insisted: "The Withdrawal Agreement is not going to be reopened."
The Irish PM said: "There's no Withdrawal Agreement without a backstop and there's no implementation period without a Withdrawal Agreement."
Senior EU officials have moved quickly to rule out Mr Johnson's plan, saying the UK will have to face the "misery" of an immediate severing of ties.
One told The Sun: "There is no such thing as managed No Deal. There is no quick fix - you’re really off into the abyss for a while."
A hard Brexit is a hard Brexit. I don't see how you can sweeten it
Dutch PM Mark Rutte
Mr Varadkar also warned there is "enormous hostility" within the EU towards granting Britain another delay as his fellow leaders have "lost patience".
He said: "An extension could really only happen if it were to facilitate something like a General Election or perhaps even something like a Second Referendum.
"What won't be entertained is an extension for further negotiations or further indicative votes. The time for that has long since passed."
Mr Rutte urged the next PM to ditch Mrs May's red lines of leaving the Single Market and Customs Union if they want fresh talks with Brussels.
The Dutch PM claimed the UK will be a "diminished country" economically and on the world stage even if it gets the best possible Brexit.
He also angered Unionists by suggesting an alternative to the backstop still won't be ready five years after Britain has left the bloc.
Asked why the EU can't put a time limit on the border fix, he said: "I don’t think we will have anything in place in four or five years."
He added: "If the backstop would have a time limit that would mean a hard border and a hard border means the end of the Good Friday Agreement, going back to the Troubles."
But the DUP's leader in the Commons, Nigel Dodds, accused him of making "utterly uninformed and careless" remarks about the border.
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In a furious statement he accused Mr Varadkar of "feeding emotionally charged but inaccurate information" to other EU leaders about Northern Ireland.
He fumed: "London, Brussels and Dublin have all confirmed that even in a ‘no deal’ scenario, there would be no hard border.
"If Mr Rutte and his fellow EU leaders really want to protect the peace process then they will not impose a deal which all Unionists in Northern Ireland reject.
"They will work for a sensible deal which everyone can support.
"Building a new border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom would run absolutely contrary to the Belfast Agreement."
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