Dominic Raab warns that we will leave the EU without a deal if Brussels takes a ‘deliberately intransigent’ approach to talks… Dominic Raab has warned that Britain will leave the EU without a deal if Brussels takes a “deliberately intransigent” approach to talks. The European Commission rejected Mr Raab’s criticisms, insisting it was working to reach a deal. Mr Raab told MPs in the Commons: “There certainly is a risk of no deal, especially if the EU engage in a deliberately intransigent approach.” Theresa May claims a deal on the UK’s divorce from the EU is 95% complete, but the Irish border remains a major stumbling block. The Government is reportedly considering chartering vessels to ensure food and medicines can be brought in through alternative routes if there are problems on the Calais-Dover crossing in the event of a no-deal Brexit. – Telegraph (£) Dominic Raab warns ‘intransigent’ EU could result in no Brexit deal – Sky News Raab makes No Deal threat if Barnier ‘deliberately refuses’ to budge – Express > WATCH: Steve Baker & Andrew Bridgen question Dominic Raab at Exiting the European Union Questions …while he warns France could try a ‘go-slow’ punishment at Calais in case of a no-deal Brexit Dominic Raab escalated the Brexit war of words with the French – accusing them of plotting a deliberate punishment “go slow” at Calais in event of No Deal. Taking aim, he said the UK needed “to prepare for the worst-case scenario where the authorities at Calais are deliberately directing a go-slow approach by supporting a diversion of the flow to more amenable ports in other countries.” And he backed claims from angry Tory MPs warned Brussels this would hurt Ireland more than Britain – as so many goods destined for the Republic come through the UK. Brexit-backing Mr Hollobone asked: “Has he made the Republic of Ireland aware that if the French start mucking about with Calais and a go-slow in the event of a no deal, the biggest impact would not be on UK trade, it will be on trade with the Republic of Ireland that passes through this country?” – The Sun Theresa May delays plans to present Brexit compromise to her bitterly divided Cabinet as talks face fresh chaos Theresa May’s hopes of a November Brexit breakthrough were plunged into fresh doubt after No10 shelved plans to present a compromise to her bitterly divided Cabinet. The PM cancelled a meeting of her inner team, with Whitehall insiders now admitting Brussels will have to wait until after next week’s Budget for any attempt to thaw stalled divorce talks. Plans to pitch new solutions to the EU this week on how the UK will make the insurance backstop option acceptable to both Tories, the DUP and the EU have been delayed amid turmoil in Whitehall. The PM had summoned her closest ministers for an “update” on how she planned to break the Brussels deadlock and satisfy her warring ministers. But she abruptly cancelled the private get together late on Wednesday because the plan is not yet ready — and insiders warn the plan will now not reach Brussels until late next week. The row over the so called “backstop” remains the last major hurdle to a deal on the terms of Britain’s £39billion divorce from the EU – ahead of further crunch talks about the our future trading relations. – The Sun Brexit talks on hold with May’s team in disagreement – Bloomberg DUP sceptical of ‘temporary’ Brexit plan Democratic Unionist Party leader Arlene Foster said she’s skeptical about claims the U.K. will be able to escape “temporary” links with the European Union, adding another hurdle to Prime Minister Theresa May’s efforts to break the Brexit impasse. While May has dropped a demand for a time limit on any backstop designed to avoid a border in Ireland after Britain leaves the EU, the U.K. government still insists the backstop would be temporary and Britain could still exit the arrangement by as some yet-to-defined mechanism. Under May’s plan, the whole U.K. would stay tied to EU customs rules as a so-called backstop. There would also be some new checks on goods between Northern Ireland and mainland Britain, until a better solution is found to avoid the return of infrastructure on the frontier. “I am skeptical of claims about any agreements or arrangements being temporary,” Foster wrote in the Impartial Reporter, her local Northern Irish newspaper. “I am not in the camp that ‘no deal’ is the best way forward. However, no unionist can sign up to a deal which cuts Northern Ireland off from the rest of the U.K.” – Bloomberg Britain faces trade talks with 20 nations over WTO proposals Britain is preparing for trade negotiations with almost two dozen nations after they objected to the terms it proposed for its World Trade Organisation membership after Brexit. Liam Fox confirmed yesterday that countries have “expressed reservations” over the draft text put forward by the UK before its departure from the European Union. The trade secretary said that Britain “intends to enter negotiations with relevant partners” over its future rights and obligations at the WTO. About 20 members are understood to have opposed the country’s initial proposal, dashing hopes of an unchallenged arrival at the Geneva-based body that governs global trade. The WTO has 164 members and was set up in 1995 as a regulator and somewhere for countries to negotiate deals and settle disputes. The UK, which is currently a member through the EU, will require its own independent terms of membership after leaving the bloc. – The Times (£) Vince Cable tells Michel Barnier to prepare for another UK referendum… The leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Vince Cable, urged Michel Barnier to stop talking up a no-deal Brexit and instead make contingency plans for a second referendum after the EU’s chief negotiator admitted that a parliamentary impasse in the UK was standing in the way of a deal. Cable said the government and Brussels had up until now been emphasising the danger of the UK crashing out in order to sell a “bad deal” to parliament. But the former business secretary told Barnier during a meeting in Brussels that the so-called people’s vote was gathering support across the political spectrum, and the European commission needed to ready itself for the eventuality. Emerging from an hour-long meeting, Cable said it was clear that the former French minister had a keen grip on the political situation in Westminster. Barnier was said to have told Cable that he recognised that the major hurdle standing in the way of a deal was the impossible parliamentary arithmetic facing the prime minister. “The UK needs to come up with something that meets their requirements,” Cable said of his conversation with Barnier. “It’s very clear really: it is a British problem rather than one on the European side.” – Guardian Vince Cable urges Michel Barnier to prepare for a second referendum – ITV News …as he is accused of ‘Project Fear with tassels’ after warning that Brexit poses a risk to Strictly Come Dancing Sir Vince Cable has been accused of indulging in “Project Fear with tassels” by Eurosceptic MPs after the Liberal Democrat leader warned that Brexit could ruin Strictly Come Dancing. Post-Brexit immigration rules could rob the show of many of its foreign professional dancers, Sir Vince, an accomplished ballroom dancer who competed in the 2010 Strictly Christmas special, told the Telegraph in Brussels on Thursday. Afterwards at a meeting at the European Commission, he urged Michel Barnier, the European Union’s chief negotiator, to make emergency plans to give Britain time to hold a second referendum before the Brexit deadline of March 29 2019. “As British society falls apart it could pose a risk to Strictly,” he said, “If we have a cack handed immigration policy like what we have for non-EU citizens all kinds of perverse decisions could be made.” – Telegraph (£) Sir Vince Cable mocked for saying Brexit ‘poses a risk to Strictly Come Dancing’ – The Sun Britain should walk away from Brexit talks for a No Deal and ditch £39bn divorce bill, blasts ex-Aussie PM Tony Abbott Britain should go for a No Deal Brexit and ditch the £39billion divorce bill, the ex-Australian PM has blasted. Tony Abbott, who left office in 2015, said Britain looks “desperate” to do a deal and doesn’t mind “staying under the rule of Brussels”. The Liberal politician, who lost a no confidence vote and was booted out of office, wrote in The Spectator: “The country that did the most to bring democracy into the modern world might yet throw away the chance to take charge of its own destiny.” The PM from 2013 to 2015 said it would be “surrender” to not threaten to walk away from the talks, and Theresa May was keen for “whatever deal she can get”. The only option on the table now is to walk away with No Deal and “let Britain set its own rules” under the World Trade Organisation system. In comments that will boost Brexiteers, he added: “It works pretty well for Australia. So why on earth would it not work just as well for the world’s fifth-largest economy?” – The Sun Unelected Lords demand second Brexit vote – with even children given a say… A string of unelected parliamentarians pleaded for another national poll on the UK’s links with the European bloc during a House of Lords debate on the issue yesterday. One even called for leading Leave campaigners Boris Johnson and Michael Gove to be “imprisoned” for alleged “lies” during the run up to the 2016 in-or-out vote on the country’s membership of the EU. But a Government frontbencher warned that the demands for a so-called “People’s Vote” on a Brexit deal between the UK and the bloc risked wrecking the negotiations. Brexit minister Lord Callanan said: “There is a very real risk that the continuing campaign to overturn the referendum decision to leave is seriously undermining our negotiating position if those on the other side believe that we may change our minds. It risks profound constitutional, legal and policy difficulties which would be a distraction from the Government’s efforts to secure the best deal for the UK.” – Express Lord Sugar calls for second Brexit referendum claiming ‘Leave campaign lies’ mean the first vote didn’t count – The Sun Lord Sugar: I could have swung EU referendum – BBC News > WATCH: Lord Sugar calls for second Brexit referendum …while one Labour peer hilariously mocks organisers of the second Brexit referendum march Lord Grocott jokingly claimed he had not attended the People’s Vote March for a new Brexit vote because he was busy “watching Stoke play Birmingham” last Saturday. The Labour peer however said he would have challenged organisers to answer what they would have the question of a new referendum on European Union membership be. Speaking to fellow peers in the House of Lords on Thursday, he said: “Question one would be have been what is the question that’s going to be put to the people? So many different answers have been given to that but at the very least, before you ask for a People’s Vote, you should agree on what the question should be and what should be on the ballot paper. It’s not much of a slogan to say ‘what do we want? A People’s Vote. What’s the question? Ask me later.” – Express > WATCH: Lord Grocott at the House of Lords Second Referendum debate Argentina would exploit a no-deal Brexit to ‘enhance’ its claims to Falklands, says its foreign minister Argentina would exploit the fallout from a no-deal Brexit to further its efforts to bring the Falklands under its control, the country’s foreign minister has said. Jorge Faurie told The Telegraph that Argentina would use the situation to “enhance” its own diplomatic push to pull the islands away from the UK and towards Buenos Aires. Once the UK leaves the European Union, all EU treaties will cease to apply and member states will no longer be obliged to support the UK’s claim over the territory. “Our planning for Las Malvinas [the Argentine name for the islands] is to have a negotiation that will enable stronger relations between the people on the islands and the people on the continent [mainland],” Mr Faurie said. – Telegraph (£) Argentina could ‘exploit’ no-deal Brexit to prise Falklands away from Britain – The Sun Air industry chief predicts ‘chaos’ for holiday flights in the event of no-deal Brexit A no-deal Brexit will be a nightmare for passengers, airlines and airports, the head of the organisation that represents the world’s carriers has warned. Alexandre de Juniac, director general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which speaks for 290 airlines, said the air travel industry had little more certainty of what will happen after the UK leaves the EU now than it did in June 2016. “We predict chaos if nothing is done,” the former CEO of Air France said. “It will be difficult for airlines to know if they can take off and land in the UK. “It will be difficult to know if pilot licences are mutually recognised. It will be a nightmare for airports and passengers and airlines.” Mr de Juniac cited Spain, one of the largest markets for British travellers, as particular vulnerable to disruption owing to the vast number of flights a week between the two countries. – Telegraph (£) Edgar Miller: The protectionist car lobby should not be dictating the terms of Brexit to the rest of us Now that negotiations with the EU appear truly to be at an impasse, the President of Toyota, Mr Akio Toyoda, produced yet another Project Fear blast in last Saturday’s Telegraph with lots of conditional ‘ifs’ and ‘maybes’ aimed at scaring us from daring to consider leaving the EU without a trade deal. Of course, the particular trade deal to which he refers is Mrs May’s plan to keep us in a customs union and, through the ‘common rulebook,’ effectively in the Single Market. As evidence mounts that the auto industry secretly has long been promised such a deal by the Government, Mr Toyoda (who also is head of the Japanese auto manufacturers’ trade association) naturally does not like this – he sees the promised prize slipping from his grasp. – Edgar Miller for the Telegraph (£) > Iain Duncan Smith MP last week on BrexitCentral: The car industry’s prophecies of doom must not be allowed to prevent Brexit Fraser Nelson: The Cabinet is waking up to the consequences of May’s plans – she could be gone by Christmas The atmosphere of the 1922 Committee has never been a guide to the mood of Conservative MPs. It’s an odd name given to a regular meeting of backbenchers, held in a large room in Parliament with the press gathered outside the door. Hence the theatrics. The banging of tables and walls, the loud shouts of support for a prime minister: all allow politicians to pretend to their leader (and each other) that they’re good, loyal souls. So the cheers for Theresa May this week were fairly meaningless. Her position remains precarious and she may yet be gone by Christmas. – Fraser Nelson for the Telegraph (£) Paul Goodman: Hammond has one task only in next week’s Budget – to show that the Government is preparing for No Deal That Brexit dominates the political landscape is an unalterable fact. One might wish that it was otherwise. But there is no gain from yearning to be elsewhere. This is why we wrote off this year’s Conservative Party Conference, arguing that it was an exercise in suspended animation while further developments in the negotiation were awaited. Tory MPs and activists could thus throw caution to the winds. They could disagree with each other about the party’s future direction over, say, economic policy without damaging Party unity further. At the same conference, Philip Hammond said, during his speech to it, that “when the Prime Minister gets a deal agreed…there will be a boost to our economic growth…a “Deal Dividend”…which we will share, in line with our balanced approach…between keeping taxes low; supporting public services; reducing the deficit; and investing in Britain’s future.” But the same truth that applied to the Conservative Conference will apply to his Budget on Monday. – Paul Goodman for ConservativeHome Philip Collins: Why Labour should back May’s Brexit deal When Dante passes through the gates of hell in The Divine Comedy he notices an inscription which warns “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here”. The European imbroglio has been a riot of exaggeration, fantasy and fear. The Leave side has maintained a ludicrous evaluation of the benefits of national sovereignty. The Remain side continues to evoke the prospect of apocalypse, its case hampered by high employment and continued growth. Yet perhaps this divine comedy is coming to an end. Fear may, finally, be the relevant emotion. Most of the prime minister’s bromide explanations of her negotiation have been platitudes. The exception is “no deal is better than a bad deal” which isn’t good enough to be a platitude. Instead it is an absurdity. – Philip Collins for The Times (£) Nick Boles: Norway offers way out of the Brexit maze A bandwagon has started rolling in Westminster and it is picking up speed. In recent days figures as significant as William Hague and Nicky Morgan have given it an almighty shove, and MPs as various as Tory Leaver Andrew Murrison and Labour Leaver Frank Field have joined Tory Remainer George Freeman and Labour Remainer Ivan Lewis on board. The bandwagon is called Norway for Now. It proposes that Britain should start its staged withdrawal from the European Union as a member of the common market binding Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein with the EU — the European Economic Area (EEA) and the European Free Trade Association (Efta). This new transition would replace the prime minister’s never-ending implementation period and see Britain maintaining continuity in its customs arrangements while we finalise the details of our future relationship with Brussels. MPs can support Norway for Now while differing about the long-term destination for Britain outside the EU, because only the first stage of our exit will be set out in the legally-binding withdrawal agreement on which they will have to vote. – Nick Boles MP for The Times (£) Graeme Leach: Calls for a second referendum are unwise, undemocratic, and playing with dynamite “I want to be absolutely clear, this government will never accept a second referendum.” This statement from the Prime Minister in September should have been the end of the matter. Alas, it wasn’t. The so-called “people’s vote” scenario runs something like this. Enough Conservative MPs vote with Labour against any final EU agreement, defeating it in the House of Commons. Labour then tables a vote of no confidence in Theresa May, but that is defeated as Conservative MPs unite in opposition. The end result, according to those advocating a second referendum, is deadlock and a political no man’s land which can only be resolved by asking the people. But even if we end up with a deal that is rejected by parliament, or no deal at all because EU negotiations break down, the end result would in no way justify a second referendum. People voted to leave the EU in 2016 in the full knowledge that negotiating our exit would not be easy – Brussels would want to deter any other EU country from going down the same road. Nonetheless, Leave won by 52 per cent to 48 per cent. Most US presidential elections are much closer than that, but you don’t hear calls for a rerun. The rules of the game are clear, a win is a win. You don’t win the World Cup 1-0 and face calls the next day for a replay. – Graeme Leach for City A.M. Brexit in Brief Did 750,000 people really attend the People’s Vote march? – Charles Moore for The Spectator It’s time to study the map that leads from Norway to Canada – Paul Goodman for ConservativeHome Leavers would be mad to sell out Northern Ireland – Owen Polley for Reaction Brexit deal could be saved by Labour rebels – Leo McKinstry for the Express The only way to save Brexit is to oust Theresa May – John Longworth for Huffington Post Petition to stop People’s Vote gains tens of thousands of supporters in days – Express UK may not like Swiss advice on post-Brexit future – Politico Undeterred by Brexit, hotelier perseveres with UK adventure – Bloomberg Tory Brexiteer shuts down claims investors moving away from UK – Express May to meet business leaders to discuss Brexit – Reuters Labour MP in incredible admission which might save the PM – Express