Boris Johnson has said he "will not accept" attempts to delay leaving the EU.
The Prime Minister said he intends to continue negotiating with the EU, but reaffirmed his determination for the UK to leave on October the 31st.
Boris Johnson pleaded with Tory MPs not to support measures to block a no-deal Brexit amid speculation he could call an election if he loses the Commons showdown.
The Prime Minister insisted "I don't want an election, you don't want an election" but he said he would not seek an extension to the Brexit deadline - which is what the cross-party alliance are demanding if there is not a deal.
READ MORE: Talk of snap election increases as Boris Johnson calls emergency Cabinet
In a statement in Downing Street following an unscheduled Cabinet meeting, Mr Johnson urged his MPs not to join Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in backing a "pointless" delay.
Mr Johnson had to contend with the noise of protesters at the gates of Downing Street as he delivered his statement.
In an attempt to face down the so-called Rebel Alliance building between Labour and Tory rebels, Mr Johnson called for the Conservative party to unite and vote down any delaying tactic proposed at Westminster by Labour, the SNP and the Lib Dems.
Opposition parties, aided by some 20 Tory rebels, are seeking to take control of the Commons agenda to pass a bill to block Brexit from happening on October 31.
But in an address from in front of No 10 Downing Street, Mr Johnson said there were "no circumstances" he would ask diplomats in Brussels for a further delay on the Brexit progress.
READ MORE: Lord Advocate asks to intervene in Brexit court battles
He said: "As we approach that Brexit deadline, I am encouraged by the progress we are making. In the last few weeks the chances of a deal have been rising.
"They can see that we want a deal. They can see we have a clear vision for out future relationship with the EU, and they can see we are utterly determined to strengthen our position by getting ready to come out.
"But if there's one thing that can hold us back in these talks, it is the sense in Brussels that MPs may find some way to cancel the referendum, or that tomorrow, MPs will vote wth Jeremy Corbyn for yet another pointless delay."
He added: "I don't think they will. I hope that they won't. But if they do they will plainly chop the legs out from under the UK position and make any further negotiation absolutely impossible.
"And so I say - to show our friends in Brussels that we are united in our purpose, MPs should vote with the government against Corbyn's pointless delay."
READ MORE: Boris Johnson ups ante and threatens Tory rebels with sack
Talk of a new election has been mounting all day - earlier, bookies suspended betting on a general election after a wave of bets was made.
Mr Johnson ruled this out, saying: "Let’s let our negotiators get on with their work without an election.
"I don't want an election - you don't want an election."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel