The UK government will abandon its Brexit bill and instead press for a general election, if MPs vote down the three-day timetable for its debate and the EU confirms a delay, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday.

Opening a debate before lawmakers are expected to vote on his deal for the first time, Johnson warned the Parliament: "I will in no way allow months more of this."

"If Parliament refuses to allow Brexit to happen and instead, gets its way and decides to delay everything until January or possibly longer, in those circumstances ... with great regret I must say that the bill will have to be pulled and we will have to go forward ... to a general election."

The prime minister would need to win a vote to trigger an early election because one is not scheduled until 2022.

Parliament is due to vote for the first time on Prime Minister Boris Johnson's new Brexit deal later in the day. 

Britain can begin to heal and unite if lawmakers pass legislation to ratify the government's Brexit deal with the European Union, said Johnson before the vote. 

He also said the European Union will not reopen the Brexit deal it has reached with Britain if lawmakers seek to change it by amending legislation to ratify the agreement, urging lawmakers to work "night and day" to get the legislation through.

The government plans to get the legislation through the House of Commons, parliament's lower chamber, by the end of Thursday but some lawmakers hope to make changes to it.

"Our European friends could not be clearer: the deal on the table is the one contained in this bill and the decision for this House is whether to ratify this deal rather than going round in circles in a futile attempt to construct a new one," Johnson told Parliament.

Corbyn: Labour Party will not support Brexit deal or timetable 

British Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said on the same day his opposition party would not support Johnson's Brexit deal or his timetable to pass the legislation for it through Parliament.

"My own view is that we should vote against this bill this evening," he told Parliament at the start of a debate on approving the legislation to allow Britain to leave the European Union with a deal on October 31.

"My recommendation would be to vote against this bill," he added, saying the party would also oppose the so-called programme motion, which sets the timetable for passage of the legislation through the House of Commons.

EU team to start work on post-Brexit ties with UK on November 16

The European Commission team in charge of negotiating the divorce deal for Britain's withdrawal from the EU will become the "Task Force for Relations with the United Kingdom" and is due to start work on November 16, the Commission said on Tuesday.

The task force will begin its work regardless of developments in the United Kingdom, the Commission said.

The task force, which will continue to be headed by the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, will finalize the divorce talks, be in charge of the Commission's preparations for a "no-deal" and the future relationship with the UK.

"Once the Withdrawal Agreement is ratified by the UK Parliament, and the European Parliament has given its consent, the EU is ready to immediately kick off work leading to negotiations on our future relationship with the UK, in full respect of European Council guidelines," the Commission said in a statement.

(With input from Reuters)