London | The British government has downplayed hopes of striking a Brexit deal with the European Union, seeming to accept that a delay to Prime Minister Boris Johnson's October 31 deadline is inevitable - and preparing for an election in which European leaders and opposition parties get the blame.

After Mr Johnson spoke to Chancellor Angela Merkel on the phone on Tuesday evening (AEDT), one of his aides anonymously briefed journalists that the German chancellor had insisted there must be customs alignment between the EU and Northern Ireland, to avoid a border on the island of Ireland.