Sir Malcolm Rifkind delivered the stark message after allies of the PM made clear he will try to cling on if he is defeated on a confidence motion by rebel Tories determined to head off No Deal Brexit.

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said today that any vote of no confidence would have to come after a crunch EU summit in three weeks time otherwise ex-Tory Remainer rebels would not back it.

The State Opening of Parliament saw Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn engage in one of the newer political traditions today - the awkward silent walk to the Lords.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson could get a Christmas general election. MPs from across the UK are set to vote on Mr Johnson's call for election.

Boris Johnson said the 2014 ballot - when Scots voted to stay in the union - was a 'once in a generation' decision.

Mr Johnson has poured cold water on the idea of sharing a stage with Ms Sturgeon, because he is only prepared 'to contest the debates with whoever theoretically could be Prime Minister.'

Boris Johnson today claimed Jeremy Corbyn is not 'tough enough' to stand up to Nicola Sturgeon and reject her demands for a second Scottish independence referendum.

The PM even suggested that his Labour rival may throw his weight behind the separatist campaign, and questioned the left-winger's commitment to keeping the United Kingdom glued together.

STEPHEN DAISLEY: Nicola Sturgeon's party went from 35 seats to 48, halving the Scottish Tory MP group and taking Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson's seat of East Dunbartonshire.

SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon teed up a pitch battle for the future of the UK claiming Boris Johnson will be 'subverting democracy' by refusing a ballot.

The SNP won 35 seats in 2017 but managed to secure 12 more at the general election last week - a surge which has bolstered Ms Sturgeon's calls for a second breakaway ballot.

The First Minister said that the Prime Minister's decision to block a new vote was 'a sign of weakness' as she continued to build her case the break up the UK.

Louisa Johnson took to Instagram on New Year's Day to share not one, but three images, prancing around in a bikini, despite claiming she felt 'bloated'.

The X Factor singer, 22, looked blissfully happy as she showcased her figure in a plunging swimsuit during a weekend at the Glass House Retreat in Upminster, East London on Friday.

Marnie Simpson looked smitten with beau Casey Johnson as she joined reality co-stars Holly Hagan and Sophie Kasaei at the Geordie OGs press day in London on Wednesday.

She kicked off 2020 with a holiday to remember in Jamaica. And Louisa Johnson was reminiscing about her trip amid the UK lockdown as she shared a sizzling throwback snap on Monday.

The Tory frontrunner, who will become the UK's new Prime Minister next week if he defeats Jeremy Hunt in the leadership race, is said to have told aides to prepare for an election as early as next summer.

Philip Hammond is believed to be the first Chancellor to have ignored a three-line whip and not being sacked or forced to resign by the incumbent prime minister.

HENRY DEEDES: Almost as likely as Boris Johnson being announced as our new Prime Minister this morning will be the subsequent phoney display of unity between him and Jeremy Hunt.

Barry Gardiner said that the opposition had been discussing the 'nuclear option'  of supporting a no confidence vote in Mr Johnson's Brexiteer administration.

Boris Johnson goaded the Labour leader that he had abandoned his long-standing Euroscepticism as he claimed that the Tories were now the only ones 'on the side of the people'.

Jeremy Corbyn has refused to launch a vote of no confidence against Boris Johnson after Jo Swinson urged the Labour leader to join forces with her to bring down the government.

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said today that the Government should be working on getting ready for an election but he does not expect one before October 31.

The Shadow Chancellor said he would be 'sending Jeremy Corbyn in a cab to Buckingham Palace', at an event at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

The Shadow Chancellor told an Edinburgh Festival Fringe event he would be 'sending Jeremy Corbyn in a cab to Buckingham Palace' if Mr Johnson did not vacate No 10 after losing a vote.

Boris Johnson met Jeremy Corbyn for crisis talks this morning in an effort to agree a timetable for passing the deal.

Labour's John McDonnell has accused Prime Minister Boris Johnson of 'running scared' after he refused to take part in a one-on-one interview with the BBC's Andrew Neil.

The Prime Minister was transferred to the ICU at St Thomas' Hospital in south London last night as his symptoms worsened after he was admitted to hospital on Sunday.

Councillor Sheila Oakes, who is currently mayor of Heanor in Derbyshire, said the Prime Minister 'completely deserves' his intensive care battle with coronavirus.

JACK DOYLE: IN a burst of optimism characteristic of his leadership campaign, Boris Johnson insists he would break the Brexit deadlock and honour the result of the referendum.

The senior minister told the Daily Mail the Prime Minister would fight in court to try to find a way around the law forcing him to extend the October 31 Brexit deadline.

Throughout the campaign, Tory staff out on the road with Mr Johnson were always more optimistic than those based in London, because they saw at first hand the reception he got from the public.

The photo of the Queen at Windsor Castle on the phone to Boris Johnson does not just assuage fears for the health of our 93-year-old monarch, it resolutely declares it is business as usual.

RICHARD KAY: Boris Johnson remained stoically upright as he joined in the mass applause for the NHS and if the usual ebullience was missing there was at least a flicker of determination.

RICHARD KAY: The hardest part must be accepting the sympathy while having to acknowledge that the exterior he has always presented has been breached.

Boris Johnson keen to rebuild relations with Donald Trump and secure an agreement that could boost the UK economy post-Brexit.

JAN MOIR: We are supposed to be sophisticated people, living in a time of enlightenment. Look at us. We paint pictures, play the piano and ice our cakes with star-shaped nozzles.

The 93-year-old monarch, whose son Prince Charles also has the infection, is said to be 'following all the appropriate advice with regards to her welfare' amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Buckingham Palace on Wednesday released a photo of the Queen on the phone to the Prime Minister in a move to calm fears for her health after it emerged Prince Charles had coronavirus.

EXCLUSIVE BY JONATHAN McEVOY: As Lewis Hamilton whisked friends and family away to celebrate his sixth world championship the great and good were working on another important trip.

The Queen, 93, welcomed the new Prime Minister to Buckingham Palace yesterday afternoon, shortly after accepting Theresa May's resignation. But it was her bag that drew attention.

Boris Johnson today opted for the nuclear option of suspending Parliament in a bid to stop MPs trying to block the UK leaving the EU on October 31 as he declared war on the 'Remain Alliance'.

The Queen has agreed to Boris Johnson's plan to suspend Parliament as the Prime Minister tries to stop MPs blocking the UK leaving the EU on October 31.

Explaining yesterday's dramatic events on a conference call with his Cabinet Boris Johnson said negotiations with the EU would be helped if Parliament could not 'frustrate' Brexit.

MPs gathered at Parliament to hear the Queen herald the government's package, which will include tougher sentences for foreign criminals and child abusers.

Sam Taylor-Johnson, 51, and husband of six years Aaron, 28, looked as happy as ever as they sat front row at the Givenchy Paris Fashion Week spring/summer '19 presentation on Sunday.

Boris Johnson's plan to scrap a minimum earnings threshold for migrants who want to move to the UK after Brexit has sparked a backlash among Tory MPs.

The Prime Minister will vow to 'mobilise the full breadth of our new freedoms' on Brexit night - as his Bill paving the way for Britain to leave the EU was finally passed by Parliament yesterday.

Boris Johnson lashed out after the SNP leader said immigration from the EU must continue north of the border because the economy needs workers.

The new Chancellor was beaming as he sat next to the Prime Minister despite the fact that yesterday he saw his boss Sajid Javid purged from the government.