LONDON, June 5 -- Boris Johnson, the front-runner to replace Theresa May as British prime minister, warned Conservative Party colleagues that they face "extinction" if they didn't deliver Brexit by the current deadline of Oct 31. "We are facing an existential crisis and will not be forgiven if we do not deliver," Johnson told a private meeting of Tory members of Parliament, according to his office. "There is a very real choice between getting Brexit done and the potential extinction of this great party." He was speaking after the Conservatives set out an an accelerated procedure for selecting a new leader that will see a prime minister in place by July 26. The party has raised the bar for MPs who wish to run for the job, and two dropped out Tuesday, narrowing the field slightly to 11. The first hustings of the election was held behind closed doors in Parliament on Tuesday (June 4) evening, as four of the candidates - Sajid Javid, Rory Stewart, Boris Johnson and Andrea Leadsom - addressed the "One Nation" caucus of Conservatives, who want the party to focus on unifying issues of social policy, rather then Brexit. MORE SUBDUED Johnson, who has kept a low profile in recent weeks, has yet to set out how he would achieve his goal, but according to Nicky Morgan, one of the MPs who organised the event, he said the existing deal negotiated by May didn't work. He also said that while he didn't want a no-deal Brexit, the country should prepare for one. He ruled out a second referendum or a general election. "Sajid was very responsible, Rory was a direct pitch to colleagues, Boris was more subdued, and Andrea was more optimistic," Morgan said. Morgan said Johnson had told the room that if the UK delayed its departure from the European Union past Oct 31, the current deadline, "the relevance of the referendum starts to wane." That is a comment that could come back to haunt him if Britain does end up seeking a further delay. His office didn't deny he'd made it.
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