THE government’s insistence on leaving the EU with or without a deal on October 31 was branded as “absurd” by shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer yesterday.

During the Queen’s Speech debate, he said that he was “troubled” about leaving without a deal and PM Boris Johnson’s “do-or-die” pledge. 

“The talks are going on, they may not be resolved this week,” he went on.

“If they’re still going on by October 30, and possibly making progress, and that’s the readout, is it really the government’s position that ‘do or die,’ it will leave on October 31, not withstanding that the talks are making progress?”

In an intervention, Conservative MP Crispin Blunt said that Labour had the opportunity to have voted for a general election that would have taken place yesterday.

In response, Mr Starmer said: “I’m not going to vote for a general election until we’ve got an extension.

“I’m not going to allow our country to crash out of the EU without a deal, that is perfectly straightforward, that is my position.”

The debate is set to continue over the course of this week.