British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's proposed Brexit deal is teetering on the verge of collapse after a dramatic Tuesday, while five Cabinet ministers are reportedly on a resignation "watch list." 

Quit list warning

Johnson faces a new rebellion from his Cabinet, The Times reported on Wednesday, with fears a group of five ministers are considering their positions amid concerns over a no-deal exit from the European Union. 

Culture Secretary Nicky Morgan, Northern Ireland Secretary Julian Smith, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland, Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Attorney-General Geoffrey Cox are reportedly on the list.

An unnamed minister told the newspaper a "very large number" of Conservative members of parliament would quit if a no-deal departure from the EU was the central plank of the party's campaign in a pre-Brexit election.

Blame game

The warnings of a rebellion came after a fraught day of interactions between Johnson and other European leaders, beginning with an apparent row with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Merkel reportedly rejected Johnson's appeal for help in selling his plan for an alternative to the Irish border backstop to the EU. The British prime minister's plan involves removing Northern Ireland from the EU's customs union, a position Ireland and the wider bloc opposes. 

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A Downing Street source told reporters the German chancellor had suggested a deal was "essentially impossible, not just now but ever." 

The briefing added to a belief in Brussels that the UK government is preparing to lay blame for the failure to strike a deal at the EU's door. That interpretation was articulated by outgoing European Council President Donald Tusk, who accused Johnson of playing a "stupid blame game" in a pointed tweet.

Varadkar-Johnson talks

Johnson also held a 40-minute phone call with Leo Varadkar, and may hold face-to-face talks with the Irish leader as soon as Thursday in a final attempt to win support for his proposals.

A compromise with Varadkar is likely the only key to unlocking EU support, but the prospects of a deal at the European Council summit on October 17 – which Johnson may not even attend – seem remote. 

Varadkar warned on Tuesday that it would be "very difficult" to secure an agreement within a week, and European Parliament President David Sassoli indicated MEPs would not back Johnson's proposals in current form.

"If the ideas are limited to what he handed over to Barnier (the EU's Brexit negotiator)," Sassoli said following a meeting with the British prime minister, "he doesn't want an agreement."

Fresh no-deal battle 

In the absence of a deal, the stage is being set for another monumental battle between the government and parliament over the next fortnight. 

Johnson continues to insist he will push through a no-deal exit on October 31 if an agreement isn't reached with the EU, despite the law mandating him to request a Brexit extension on October 19 if another deal isn't in place. 

The position taken by the ministers on the resignation "watch list" if Johnson attempts to defy the law will be closely watched, amid reports the prime minister is considering allowing one letter requesting a delay to be sent to Brussels and then setting out his opposition in a second letter.  

For Johnson to willingly request an extension would be political suicide after his repeated promises to deliver Brexit "do or die" on October 31, so attempts to cloud the issue or find a workable loophole are expected.