BORIS Johnson has been warned he faces a rebellion by Tory MPs should he try to change the law to extend the Brexit transition period beyond December 31.

It came from political commentator, Brexiteer and radio host Iain Dale as a third round of talks between UK and EU negotiators resumed by video link yesterday.

Dale said the only way the talks could be extended would be by amending or repealing the UK Withdrawal Agreement Bill, which would trigger the Tory rebellion.

“If the transition period extends beyond January 1, we will still have to obey all EU rules even though we will have no say in drawing them up,” he told Sky News.

“Now, it may be that by June 30 there is no prospect of an agreement and both sides are going to have to make some very tough decisions.

“Bear in mind there is a law in this country that says we have to leave on December 31. So if Boris Johnson decides to accede to an extension he would have to repeal that law or at least amend it, which will be politically very embarrassing.

“He would get a huge amount of criticism from the harder Brexiteers side of the argument.

“Personally, I think that that is something that we are going to have to consider even though I really don’t want to.”

A decision on extending the current deadline is due to be decided by both sides by the end of next month, but the UK has said it would not agree to an extension, even if the EU asks for one. The EU has voiced concerns over the lack of progress with Michel Barnier, their chief negotiator, saying after the last round in April that it had been disappointing.

Differences remain on a range of issues, amongst them fisheries, human rights, state aid, police co-operation and competition rules. A close ally of Angela Merkel has fiercely criticised the UK for refusing to extend the transition period, as Germany faces up to an unwelcome hard Brexit.

Heiko Maas, the German foreign minister, said without an agreement on the future relationship between the two sides, it would be “a “journey into the unknown”, and warned that Britain could not depart from the terms agreed last year.

As talks continue for the remainder of this week, they will focus on continued access to UK waters for the EU fishing fleet – which British negotiators are set to reject.

SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford warned last month that the UK Government was gambling with our economic future.

He said: “Michel Barnier has been clear: the UK is refusing to engage seriously on a number of fundamental issues. The government is shamefully gambling our economic future with a no-deal Brexit in the middle of a health emergency.”