Boris Johnson is returning to London today to consider his next move in the Brexit crisis, cutting short his visit to the Queen at her Scottish holiday home.
Yesterday, the House of Lords passed a bill which effectively blocks a no-deal Brexit, meaning Mr Johnson will have to return to the EU to ask for an extension, should it become law.
But Mr Johnson has remained steadfastly committed to bringing the country out "come what may" on 31 October, with the chances of a new deal fading day by day.
Mr Johnson may be forced to defy the law rather than ask for a new Brexit extension, according to a letter sent to Tory Party members.
The Daily Telegraph reports that Mr Johnson wrote to party members on Friday evening, saying: "They just passed a law that would force me to beg Brussels for an extension to the Brexit deadline. This is something I will never do."
Mr Johnson does risk being taken to court if he fails to carry out the will of parliament, and could be held in contempt or jailed, if he refuses.
Former Conservative Party chairman Iain Duncan Smith told the Telegraph: "This is about parliament versus the people. Boris Johnson is on the side of the people, who voted to leave the EU.
"The people are sovereign because they elect parliament. But parliament wants to stop the will of the people."
