London, July 30 (TIWN) Prime Minister Boris Johnson started a whistle-stop tour of Britain in Scotland on Monday as part of a drive to promote the four regions of Britain he has referred to as the "awesome foursome".

Johnson launched a new package of Growth Deal funding worth 300 million pounds (367 million U.S. dollars)as he kicked off his tour of Britain with a visit to the Royal Navy's base at Faslane on the Cylde, home of Britain's nuclear deterrent submarines, according to Downing Street.  He told journalists there that he plans for Britain to leave the European Union on Oct. 31, saying the Irish border backstop issue is now dead, and calling for a new deal with Brussels. 

Although Johnson insists Britain will leave the EU without a deal on that date if necessary, he said he hoped "common sense will prevail" and a new deal worked out between London and Brussels.  Ahead of his visit to Glasgow, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon issued a strong message Monday to Johnson.  Sturgeon said: "The people of Scotland did not vote for this Conservative Government, they didn't vote for this new prime minister, they didn't vote for Brexit and they certainly didn't vote for a catastrophic no-deal Brexit which Boris Johnson is now planning for."