THE SNP has called on Boris Johnson to agree a two-year extension to Brexit talks to allow both the European Union and the Government to deal with the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

Ian Blackford’s demand will almost certainly get short shrift from the Tories, who are determined that Britain will leave Europe by the end of the year.

The deadline for asking for an extension to the transition period is on July 1, just nine weeks away.

Last week the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, said talks had made “limited progress”.

In his letter to the Prime Minister, Blackford said it would be catastrophic if the UK is forced to deal with a hard Brexit in the middle of the “worst health pandemic in a century”.

READ MORE: Ian Blackford calls on PM to 'clamp down' on conflicting messages

He told the Tory leader it was his “duty to show some leadership, pause the EU negotiations and seek an extension to the transition period”.

Blackford added: “All logic, and any degree of sense, points to the foolishness and irresponsibility of attempting to negotiate an entirely new, and distant, relationship with the European Union, in the midst of the worst health pandemic in a century.

“It will also not have escaped your notice that senior EU figures are increasingly acknowledging the inevitability of seeking an extension of the transition.

“It is now time for government to stop the blind Brexit dogma – securing an extension is the only responsible option.

“Crashing out of the EU with a bad deal or no deal this year would be the final blow for many businesses that are already struggling to survive – and it would leave people even poorer and worse off at a time of greatest need.”

The SNP leader said he is not asking Johnson to change his views on Brexit but “to recognise reality”.

On Monday, Michael Gove revealed that the Government had stood down its no-deal planning operation as the chances of striking a deal were now at least 2-1.

He told MPs on the Commons Brexit committee that 50 civil servants who had been working on negotiations with Brussels had now been redeployed to deal with coronavirus.

He also said there was no need for an extension to the transition period as Britain was asking for an “off the peg” trade deal.

Gove said “I’m not very good at predictions”, but he said the odds of reaching a deal “were definitely better than 2-1”.

He added: “We believe it’s still entirely possible to conclude negotiations on the timetable that has been outlined.”

Gove said the EU wanted one agreement covering all areas of the future relationship, including trade, fishing rights and security, while the UK was pushing for a series of separate deals.

He told MPs: “I think the Covid crisis, in some respects, should concentrate the minds of EU negotiators in enforcing the vital importance of coming to a conclusion.”

Gove also revealed that ministers had rejected an EU request for a permanent mission in Northern Ireland.