BORIS Johnson refused to say if he would resign as Prime Minister if he failed to deliver Brexit by the end of October.

In a testy exchange during the first head-to-head TV debate in the Tory leadership contest, the former foreign secretary was pressed by his rival Jeremy Hunt on whether he would step down as PM if the UK was still in the EU in November.

Johnson had previously pledged to deliver Brexit “do or die” by October 31, but turning to this promise Hunt asked him: “If you don’t get us out by 31 October will you resign?”

Johnson replied: “We are going to come out on October 31 and anyone who goes into these negotiations proposing yet again to kick the can down the road will run the risk of forfeiting trust in the electorate.”

He was pressed by ITV presenter Julie Etchingham, but he failed to say whether he would or would not resign. Hunt interjected: “I think that’s a no.”

And he went on: “I think it’s do or die for the country but not a Prime Minister who would put his own neck on the line.”

Despite declarations made just last week by both contenders that the Union was their biggest priority – and came ahead of Brexit – Scotland or the Union was not mentioned once during the hour-long programme, which was filmed live in front of a 200-strong audience in Salford.

The two contenders were asked about how they would set about trying to get a new deal with the EU despite the EU saying it will not re-open the agreement and what their alternatives to the backstop to keep the border in Ireland open.

Hunt said he had a 102 page plan which involved mobile checks, a truster trader scheme and technology, while Johnson said “there were an abundant range of solutions on maximum facilitation”. Etchingham said “the EU had looked the world over to find a solution on this and found nothing”.

The two hopefuls were also asked about suspending Parliament in order to push through a no deal – to which the Commons is opposed. Hunt said he would not do so, while Johnson refused to rule it out.

He told the audience: “I’m not going to take anything off the table”.

The issue of whether Kim Darroch, the UK ambassador to the US, who described the US President Donald Trump’s regime as “inept” in leaked emails, would remain in his job also came up.

Hunt said if he became PM Darroch would remain in his post until he was due to resign at the end of the year.

Johnson replied: “I have a very good relationship with the White House ... and it is very important we have a close friendship, a close relationship with the United States.”

Johnson was challenged on his comments about Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe during his time as foreign secretary. The Tory leadership hopeful had wrongly stated the British-Iranian prisoner was training journalists, something that was seized on by the Iranian regime.

Johnson said: “I have the utmost sympathy for her, for her family and the other cases that are similar.”

He added: “It’s very, very important that when you consider those cases that we all point the blame where it belongs, which is with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard who are detaining not just Nazanin but several others in a way that is inhumane, illegal and unfair.

“They are responsible and we should not inadvertently exculpate them in any way.”

Hunt was challenged about the junior doctors’ strike while he was health secretary.

He said he had been acting to tackle a problem of excess deaths at weekends.

“I would not be a prime minister who courted popularity, I would be a prime minister who did the right thing,” he said.

Hunt added: “Boris campaigned for £350 million a week extra for the NHS. I actually delivered it, I’ll deliver Brexit as well.”

Both men gave opening statements with Johnson promising to “give the UK its mojo back” and Hunt arguing he would be able to reach beyond Tory voters and secure the support of the wider country.

Johnson said: “This country faces a momentous choice – we can either continue with the same old, failed, can-kicking approach, destroying trust in politics, sapping business confidence. Or else we can change, get back our mojo, restore this country’s reputation around the world and put ourselves on the path to long-term success.”

He vowed to get Brexit done by October 31, pledged more money for schools and police.

Johnson said he would be able to take on the “semi-Marxist, wealth and job-destroying lunacy of Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party”.

Hunt promised to “deliver Brexit but so much more” if he won. Highlighting his experience as an entrepreneur, the former health secretary and current Foreign Secretary said: “In poll after poll I am the public’s preferred choice for prime minister because I appeal not just to those who already vote Conservative but those we need to win.”

The next PM will be chosen by Tory members, with the result announced on July 23.