BORIS Johnson was snubbed when he tried to speak directly with Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron as a No-Deal Brexit looms in less than three weeks.

The Prime Minister requested a three-way phone call with the French president and German chancellor in an effort to unblock the stalled talks.

But their officials said all Brexit negotiations must go through the European Commission.

A senior EU official said it had been rejected as the commission should not be bypassed to discuss matters with individual leaders. The UK is not denying the claim.

It comes after both the UK and EU starkly warned that a No-Deal Brexit is becoming increasingly likely with a final deadline on reaching a trade deal set for tomorrow.

Johnson yesterday described a No-Deal Brexit as “very, very likely”, while European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said such an outcome was now more likely than not.

EU leaders were not impressed with Johnson’s effort to bypass the commission to speak to the French and German leaders.

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Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, reacted to Johnson’s suggestion he could travel to Paris and Berlin to secure a deal, saying: “I would like to invite him to stay in London and work hard. Capitals don’t negotiate, Barnier does, and he has our full support.”

Asked whether the Prime Minister had been snubbed by the French and German leaders, a Downing Street spokesman said: “I would refer you back to my previous answer. The PM has a clear willingness to talk to other leaders.”

During a visit to Blyth, in Northumberland, Johnson said it is “very, very likely” that trade and fishing negotiations with the EU will fail and end without an agreement.

Johnson blamed the stalemate on European demands on fishing and “level playing field” rules that would require Britain to maintain equivalent regulations to the EU.

“There are two key things where we just can’t seem to make progress. That’s this kind of ratchet clause they’ve got in to keep the UK locked into whatever they want to do in terms of legislation, which obviously doesn’t work,” he said.

“And then there is the whole issue of fish where we’ve got to be able to take back control of our waters.”

He added that “from where I stand now, it is looking very, very likely” that the UK would end up trading on World Trade Organisation terms and tariffs.

France has threatened to veto any agreement that does not preserve its fishing rights in UK waters. “I’m not asking to have my cake and eat it, no. All I want is a cake that’s worth its weight. Because I won’t give up my share of it either,” Macron said.

Negotiations will continue today, and Johnson and von der Leyen are expected to speak tomorrow.