Boris Johnson, the favorite to become the next British prime minister, refused on Tuesday to rule out suspending parliament to force through a no-deal Brexit. 

Asked if he would prorogue parliament, Johnson said at a television debate with his rival Jeremy Hunt: "I'm not going to take anything off the table. I think it would be absolutely bizarre at this stage in the negotiations for the UK, yet again, to be weakening its own position." 

The often angry debate came as voting continues among 160,000 members of the Conservative Party to choose who they want as their leader to succeed Theresa May. 

Hunt told the studio audience in Salford: "As a tough negotiator, I will deliver Brexit." 

Both men insisted solutions could be found to one of the major stumbling blocks faced by May over how to solve the issue of future border arrangements between Northern Ireland and Ireland. The border between the two will be the only EU frontier within the British Isles. 

The two leadership contenders were asked if a snap general election would be the outcome if the British parliament vetoed a no-deal Brexit. 

Johnson said it was totally defeatist not to the October 31 departure date. 

Hunt said that was why he is not setting October 31 as an absolute deadline, adding his birthday is on November 1 and he wants to celebrate it by bringing Britain out of the EU. 

Hunt also insisted he would not shutdown parliament to get a no-deal through, adding: "The last time this was tried, we had a civil war."

Johnson said it would be mistake to take anything off the negotiating table. 

The focus switched to domestic issues with both men saying if they win they would make tax changes to help low income people, and both said they back the multi-billion pound HS2 high speed rail link between London and the north of England. Both also said they would keep a controversial welfare reform known as universal credit. 

(With input from Reuters, Xinhua)