Boris Johnson: Britain will break free of the EU 'like the Hulk'

Boris Johnson has said Britain will break out of the EU’s “manacles” like The Incredible Hulk if a Brexit deal is not struck by the end of October.

The Prime Minister repeated his vow to take the UK out of the bloc on October 31, even hinting he could ignore the anti-no-deal legislation which passed through Parliament earlier this month.

In an interview with the Mail On Sunday, Mr Johnson likened Britain to the fictional scientist Bruce Banner, who transforms into the monstrous green Hulk when he is angry in the Marvel superhero comics and movies.

“Banner might be bound in manacles, but when provoked he would explode out of them,” Mr Johnson said.

“Hulk always escaped, no matter how tightly bound in he seemed to be – and that is the case for this country. We will come out on October 31 and we will get it done.”

The PM, who is set to meet European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker in Luxembourg this week, struck a confident tone on reaching a Brexit deal.

Mr Johnson told the paper he thinks “we will get there” and that a “huge amount of progress is being made”.

He said: “I will be talking to Jean-Claude about how we’re going to do it. I’m very confident.”

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“When I got this job everybody was saying there can be absolutely no change to the Withdrawal Agreement, the backstop was immutable, the arrangements by which the UK was kept locked in to the EU forever, they said no-one could change that.”

“They have already moved off that and, as you know, there’s a very, very good conversation going on about how to address the issues of the Northern Irish border. A huge amount of progress is being made.”

The PM, accompanied by Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay and Number 10’s Europe advisor David Frost, will also meet the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier during the Luxembourg visit.

However, Downing Street has cautioned that Monday’s meetings will not be a “big breakthrough” moment in the Government’s bid to strike a deal with Brussels.

Ahead of the trip, Mr Johnson added: “Don’t be fooled by Corbyn and the ringleaders. On the one hand, they say I don’t want a deal.”

“On the other, they want to force me to extend. Both are wrong. I am straining to get a deal, but I will also end the uncertainty and take us out on the October 31.”

Meanwhile senior Cabinet ministers said progress was being made on securing a deal with Brussels, but cautioned that “significant work” remained to be done.

Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay said a “landing zone” for an agreement was in sight, telling Sky News’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday that there had been “extensive talks” happening at both a technical and political level.

On Mr Johnson’s comments that Britain will break out of the EU like The Incredible Hulk, he said: “The Hulk was a winner and was extremely popular and I’d rather be backing a character and a leader who is The Hulk rather than one who is on the “chicken run” as Jeremy Corbyn is.”