Mr Davis went on to say that the EU is actually relying on Remainers in British Parliament to block Brexit.

Referring to the EU, he told Christopher Hope’s Chopper’s Brexit Podcast: “So what they’re hanging on is what happens in September, and in Parliament.”

Boris Johnson yesterday attended the first day of the G7 summit in France with EU leaders such as Donald Tusk, Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron.

He met with Mr Macron and Mrs Merkel on Wednesday and Thursday this week, with both warming to him in chummy pictures.

Mr Johnson was photographed enjoying a drink with Mr Merkel, who put on an animated display on a balcony in Berlin.

The next day in Paris, Mr Macron put his arm around him in pictures and laughed at the eccentric blond’s jokes in other images.

Both leaders said they felt certain the EU and UK could reach an agreement on the Northern Ireland backstop.

But even before the G7 summit kicked-off EU President Donald Tusk poured cold water over the idea, by issuing a scathing attack on Mr Johnson.

He said: The EU will be ready to hold serious talks with PM Johnson.

“One thing I will not cooperate on is no deal and I do hope PM Johnson will not want to go down in history as Mr No Deal.”

Mr Johnson hit back by saying Mr Tusk would be remembered as "Mr No Deal Brexit" if Brussels refused to scrap the backstop - the main sticking point of negotiations.

Mr Johnson said: “I don’t want a no deal Brexit but I say to our EU friends, if they don’t want no deal they have to get rid of the backstop from the treaty.

“If Donald Tusk doesn’t want to go down in history as ‘Mr No Deal Brexit’ then I hope this point will be borne in mind by him too.”

When Mr Johnson officially meets with Mr Tusk he is to tell him that France and Germany are willing to reopen Brexit talk.

Speaking ahead of the gathering in the French seaside town of Biarritz, Mr Johnson said the UK will not “retreat” from the international stage when it breaks ties with Brussels at Halloween.

He said: “Some people question the democratic decision this country has made, fearing that we will retreat from the world. Some think Britain's best days are behind us.

"To those people I say: you are gravely mistaken.”

This week the UK signed its first trade deal with an Asian nation which will come into effect after October 31.

International Trade Secretary Liz Truss celebrated the deal with South Korea, saying it would mean “huge gains” for British businesses.

Issues affecting the global community such as climate change, inequality and security are some of the topics thought to be on the agenda at the three-day event which began on Saturday.

The G7 is an annual gathering of representatives of the world’s seven richest countries - the UK, the US, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada.

Representatives of the European Union also attended, although the body is not an official member of the G7.