KEN Clarke, the veteran Conservative, is willing to become Britain’s caretaker Prime Minister if leading a unity government were the “only way” to stop a no-deal Brexit.

The former Chancellor, now in his 80th year, returned from his summer holiday to confirm the assertion by Jo Swinson, the Liberal Democrat leader, that he would be prepared to lead the country if MPs voted to collapse Boris Johnson’s government in a no-confidence vote.

"If it was the only way in which the plain majority in the House of Commons that is opposed to a no-deal exit could find a way forward, I said to Jo - when she managed to raise me when I was on holiday - that I wouldn't object to it; if that was the judgement of people, the only way forward," said the Tory grandee.

Mr Clarke, the Father of the House, who has been the MP for Rushcliffe in Nottinghamshire since 1970, suggested the country was in a similar situation to 1931 and the two world wars when governments of national unity were formed.

He claimed Jeremy Corbyn was wrong when he suggested he was entitled to form an alternative government, noting how in the “precedents of the three national governments I've described, in no case was the national government led by the leader of the largest political party…

"He'll have to do what…similar party leaders did on previous occasions and let somebody else lead it because it is the only way to get a multi-party group to come together".

Mr Clarke said his government of national unity would be a "single-issue, short-term government" with a policy to "sort out Brexit".

He explained: “It would seek an extension; put together a mandate for discussions the majority of the House of Commons approved of and the Europeans would not resist like staying in the customs union, staying in regulatory alignment, keeping our free flows of trade and investment, protecting our jobs and our key sectors of business and agriculture in this country.

"Then, once it had got that under way, it would call an election, probably, or resign and let's see if Parliament could form a party government of any kind that took it all forward and started resuming other politics."

But his Eurosceptic Conservative colleague Nigel Evans rubbished the notion of Mr Clarke becoming a caretaker premier, saying: "We've filled the vacancy with Boris Johnson and so I really don't know what Ken is talking about."

The former Deputy Speaker added: "It does seem to be Westminster meets La-La Land because it's not as if these ideas are half-baked; I really don't think they've been anywhere near an oven."

Mr Corbyn’s plan to try to bring down the Johnson Government and then form a “strictly time-limited” caretaker administration to extend the Brexit deadline and call a general election received qualified support from the SNP, the Greens and Plaid Cymru but was rejected by the Liberal Democrats, who said the Labour leader could not get the necessary majority.

Credence was given to this suggestion when leading Tory rebel Dominic Grieve said: "Jeremy Corbyn is unfortunately a deeply divisive figure and in trying to stop a no-deal Brexit it is not my purpose to help him into Downing St."

And Anna Soubry, leader of the Independent Group, confirmed she would also "not support nor facilitate any government led by Jeremy Corbyn".

Sir Vince Cable, the former Lib Dem leader, challenged Mr Corbyn to “do the right thing and confirm if he cannot[win a Commons majority], he will support someone who can”.

Ian Blackford, the SNP leader at Westminster, spoke to the Labour leader on Friday morning to talk tactics about preventing Britain crashing out of the EU without a deal.

But he too downplayed the prospect of a Corbyn caretaker government, suggesting this was a “distraction” and a more effective route to stop a no-deal Brexit would be for MPs to take control of the Commons agenda, as they did in April, to force the Government to seek a further Brexit extension.

“A Standing Order 24 debate would allow us to control the Order Paper and put forward a bill to delay Brexit. We have to move quite quickly but we need to get it right to stop the horror we fear from a no-deal exit,” the Highland MP told The Herald.

Meanwhile, leaked German government papers revealed Berlin now expected Britain to leave on no-deal terms on October 31 because Brussels was determined not to cave in to the UK Government’s demand to scrap the Irish backstop.

The document, published by the German business daily newspaper Handelsblatt, called on the EU27 states to unite against any renegotiation. It stated that EU preparations for a no-deal were now “largely completed”.

Elsewhere, the Labour leader suffered another blow when an opinion poll suggested the public thought he was not up to the job of PM.

On whether he had the “strength of character to handle a crisis well,” 28 per cent agreed but 54 per cent disagreed.

On whether he had “what it takes to get the job done,” 27 per cent agreed but 57 per cent disagreed.

By contrast, the respective figures for Mr Johnson were in positive territory: 48/35 and 46/35.