Sign up here to receive the daily news briefing in your inbox every morning with exclusive insight from the BrexitCentral team David Cameron says a decisive election victory would prevent an ‘extreme Brexit’… A strong election victory would allow Theresa May to “stand up to people who want an extreme Brexit either here or in Brussels”, David Cameron says. The former PM, who quit after the UK voted to leave the EU last year, was on the campaign trail in Cheshire. He said the Conservatives must “win and win well” to strengthen his successor’s hand in the Brexit negotiations… Mr Cameron, who as prime minister called the referendum but campaigned for a Remain vote, was making a rare public appearance in Nantwich, ahead of the 8 June general election. He said Jeremy Corbyn would make a “terrible” prime minister and that it was important that Theresa May won “the biggest possible majority” so she could deliver the “best possible Brexit deal”. “It’s so important… that the Conservatives win and win well, so Theresa can negotiate that Brexit deal, so she can stand up to people who want an extreme Brexit either here or in Brussels.” – BBC …but Theresa May dismisses David Cameron’s election motive claim Theresa May on Thursday shot down suggestions from her predecessor David Cameron that she called a snap election so she could face down right-wingers in her party. In his first major intervention in the Brexit debate since he left parliament last year, the ex-prime minister said Thursday it was important May won a big majority “so she can stand up to people that want an extreme Brexit either here or in Brussels.” Asked during an interview on LBC radio whether Cameron’s comments, made while campaigning in Cheshire, explained her decision to call the election, May said: “No, the reason I called the election is that I think we need the security, the stability for five years of greater certainty to take us through Brexit and beyond.” – Politico PM dismisses David Cameron’s ‘extreme Brexit’ warning – Independent Is May’s team bringing in ‘soft Brexit’ Tories? Sky News has been researching the backgrounds and talking to those candidates in seats currently held by other parties which the Tories think are most winnable. We have detected that time and time again those new Tory MPs – if they get elected – would be supportive of a softer Brexit. All but two of the 26 parliamentary candidates standing in seats deemed winnable said they wanted a free trade deal with the EU as opposed to simply leaving. They said they trusted Mrs May to deliver that deal. And 18 of them said they had no problem, if the conditions were right, to paying money to the EU as a divorce settlement – in contrast to some eurosceptic MPs opposed to paying any exit fee at all. – SkyNews EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier admits Brexit will come at a cost to remaining European member states “Brexit will come at a cost. Also to us, the 27,” Barnier said. “I am fully aware that some member states will be more affected than others and so as chief negotiator my objective is to reach a fair deal. A deal that defends the interests of the entire EU, but also those of individual member states.” Barnier will visit a food production business close to the Irish border tomorrow, and the Brussels diplomat stressed the EU’s awareness of concerns around the return of tensions with Northern Ireland. “European integration helped remove borders that once existed on maps and in minds,” he said “Now Brexit changes the external borders of the EU, but I will work with you to avoid a hard border.” – City A.M. Michel Barnier, the European Commission’s Brexit negotiator, struck a reassuring, even paternalistic tone Thursday in his address to Irish lawmakers. He reassured them he would do his best to avoid a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland post-Brexit and aim for a deal that respects the Good Friday Agreement in “all of its dimensions.” “Ireland’s interests will be the union’s interest,” Barnier told Irish lawmakers at a joint sitting of the upper and lower houses of parliament. “We are united and a united Europe will be here for you,” he said. But besides the warm words, there was little detail about how he planned to achieve those aims. – Politico EU’s Barnier to visit Irish border region – BBC EU’s chief Brexit negotiator shares Irish border concern – Daily Mail Barnier tells Ireland he’ll work to avoid hard border post-Brexit – Sky News Michel Barnier gives most detailed Brexit plans yet – Express Ireland woos Michel Barnier as Brexit talks loom – FT (£) Could Brexit lead way to a united Ireland? – BBC > WATCH on BrexitCentral: Barnier Admits Brexit will cost the EU27 David Davis: ‘Jean-Claude Juncker is trying to get me the sack’ Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission, is trying to get David Davis the sack by allowing negative briefings about him, the Brexit secretary has claimed. Mr Davis also signalled that he hoped to be able to get an agreement on the status after Brexit of European Union nationals, and Britons living on mainland Europe, as early as September if the Conservatives win the election. Speaking to The Telegraph on a visit to Thurrock, Essex, Mr Davis pointed to a highly critical briefing to a German newspaper after a dinner in 10 Downing St with Mrs May and Mr Juncker two weeks ago. It claimed Mrs May was “not amused” by Mr Davis highlighting a legal challenge against the Government when he was a backbench MP over the UK’s surveillance powers in the European courts. The report said: “The visitors wondered whether Davis would still be in charge of the negotiations after the election.” – The Telegraph ‘Britons are the victims of Brexit’ – Verhofstadt calls for special deal on residency rights… Guy Verhofstadt this afternoon described the British as “victims” of Brexit as he called for an extraordinary and wide-ranging deal on citizens’ rights which would allow people from the UK to continue living and working on the continent indefinitely. The EU parliament’s Brexit negotiator laid out his highly ambitious plan for a programme of special “privileges” which would continue to be available to Britons long after the country leaves the bloc in Spring 2019. They would include the right for British people to continue to travel and work in the rest of the EU even after Brexit and continued participate in the bloc’s democratic processes including voting in its parliamentary elections. – Express …as he suggests MEPs ‘will veto’ a Brexit deal that fails to uphold EU citizen rights MEPs will veto any Brexit deal that fails to uphold the rights of EU citizens, the European parliament’s Brexit coordinator has said, in a warning shot to Theresa May’s government. Guy Verhofstadt said the parliament would block any Brexit deal that failed to offer adequate protections for 3.5 million EU nationals in the UK and 1.2 million Britons in Europe. Citizens’ rights would be a crucial factor in determining whether parliament gave its consent, he said. “We will never give consent if the issues of citizens’ rights, on both sides, has not been dealt with in a satisfactory way.” – Guardian ‘Smooth’ Brexit should ensure solid UK growth, says Bank of England Governor Britain should enjoy solid growth if Brexit goes smoothly, but in the short run households are likely to be hit by inflation prompted by the decision to leave the European Union, the Bank of England said on Thursday. Governor Mark Carney, speaking a month before a national election, said the economy was still growing and employing a record number of people, playing down recent signs of weakness.Britain’s economy was one of the best performing major advanced economies last year, wrongfooting the BoE and most other forecasters who predicted that voting to leave the EU would send the economy into a tailspin. – Daily Mail The asymmetric risks of betting on a ‘smooth’ Brexit: James Saft – Daily Mail Ukip demand Government take back control of fishing waters Fish caught by foreign vessels in British waters should be landed, processed and sold in the UK to help rebuild its fishing industry, Ukip has said… Changes to UK law are needed to ensure all fish caught within the EEZ are then brought back and sold within the country, the party said. Ukip leader Paul Nuttall claimed Conservative ministers have refused to give a clear commitment that Britain will “take back full control” of its exclusive maritime zone. MEP Mike Hookem, Ukip’s fisheries spokesman, bemoaned the lack of “balls” from successive governments to stand up for the country’s fishing industry. Speaking in Westminster as the policy was launched, Mr Hookem said Theresa May is “poised to betray” the UK’s fishing industry. – Press Association Ukip will not stand against pro-Brexit Tories in key marginal seats – Guardian Who is Paul Nuttall? – The Sun Green Party would ‘retain environmental laws post-Brexit’ The U.K. Green Party said it wants to ensure that existing environmental laws are retained no matter what future relationship the country will negotiate with the European Union post Brexit. The party’s co-leader Caroline Lucas said Brexit will have a significant impact on the environment since many of the current laws protecting the environment come from EU law. The U.K. government has said this will all be transferred into British law after the country leaves the Union. In its election manifesto published Wednesday, weeks ahead of the June 8 general election, the party said it plans to launch an Environmental Protection Act, aimed at guaranteeing environmental protection. A new environmental regulator and court should “effectively monitor and enforce environmental law.” This would allow parliament to scrutinize more effectively the state of nature and biodiversity, they argue. – Politico Battle for Vauxhall: Meet the pro-EU Lib Dem planning to take on Labour Brexiteer Kate Hoey It’s an unmitigated disaster,” Liberal Democrat George Turner says of Brexit. “People might not agree with some of the EU’s decisions but it seems to me that to tear down the whole structure is very foolish indeed.” It’s precisely this position that Turner hopes will help him in the daunting task of overturning a 12,700 Labour majority in Vauxhall, one of the party’s London strongholds. As challenging as that sounds, he will doubtless be aided by the area’s paradoxical political make-up. Though incumbent MP Kate Hoey campaigned enthusiastically alongside Nigel Farage and other Leave advocates before the EU referendum, 78 per cent of her constituents rejected Brexit, marking Lambeth out as London’s most pro-European borough. – Evening Standard Brexit will be so damaging that UK will try to rejoin EU, claims Scottish minister The United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union will be so damaging that it will try to rejoin in 20 years, Scotland’s Brexit minister said on Thursday. Michael Russell told a Scottish parliamentary committee there was a high chance that Brexit talks would fail soon and that the bill for Brexit was the biggest stumbling block. is about to enter negotiations with the EU over the terms of its exit, due in March 2019, though relations with Brussels have been overshadowed in recent weeks by a public display of brinkmanship. “I actually think in 20 years time, if the UK does come out, in 20 years time the UK will be in the process of trying to be back in and it will have lost 20 years of influence and progress,” said Michael Russell, whose formal title is Minister for UK Negotiations on Scotland’s Place in Europe. – Reuters SNP says Tories poisoning Brexit talks – BBC Peter Roberts: Great Britain needs a defence strategy for the post-Brexit age On Wednesday a distinguished group of former military leaders and academics presented an open letter to the British Prime Minister, advocating increased funding for the armed forces to meet the current policy and commitments for defence and security. But the world has changed since the assumptions made in 2015 on which that policy was based. Specifically regarding Britain’s relationship with the EU. Today, the global security environment continues to evolve with more frequent – but perhaps less obviously existential – threats emerging to other parts of the nation state. And in different ways. Now cyber attacks on the banking and power systems, and lone-actor suicide attacks on political targets must be balanced with renewed conventional threats from states such as Russia, North Korea and Iran. After 2019, Britain will not be working on these issues from within the EU and a new vision for defence and security is required. – Peter Roberts for the Telegraph (£) Gary Dexter: Japan thinks English is the future – whatever Jean-Claude Juncker says That Japan and Britain are similar in many ways is no real news to anyone. Both are island nations living off the coast of a very big and powerful continental entity. Both are jealous of their independence. Both like tea. Both have an exaggerated system of polite interactions — if you doubt this is still the case in Britain, count how many times the words ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ are uttered when you buy a stamp. Both are relatively peaceful societies where guns are very difficult to get hold of. Both are self-consciously literary societies with traditions that stretch back at least 1,000 years. And it is in this last respect that the Japanese love of Britain comes into its own. Keita Tanaka is a teacher of physics at an exclusive boys’ school in Tokyo, where I met him for lunch. The school is modelled on Eton, and it plays regular host to visitors from English public schools, who compete with the Japanese pupils at football and kendo. – Gary Dexter for the Spectator Peter Foster: Here is the deal Theresa May should offer the EU to win the Brexit war There is now less than a month remaining of the Brexit phoney war; a month in which Theresa May will ask the British people to arm her with a thumping Westminster majority with which to do battle with our European ‘partners’ (as we used to call them, and hope to still). Even now, the preening and posturing on both sides is oddly disconnected from the mortal combat that lies ahead. But the time for talk will soon be over, and almost exactly a year after Britain voted for Brexit we are going to discover what ‘Brexit means Brexit’ actually does mean. It is clear that Mrs May had hoped to conduct negotiations in secret, to hide the compromises on both sides that will be necessary to reach a deal, but the European side now looks set to formally reject any attempt at confidentiality. – Peter Foster for the Telegraph (£) Brexit comment in brief Macron may be able to save the Eurozone – if he can bend Merkel to his will – Juliet Samuel for the Telegraph (£) How will civil servants implement Brexit? Not by being barked at – Jane Dudman for the Guardian Listen and learn from our Greek tragedy – Yanis Varoufakis for the Evening Standard Europe has remained strong against the threat of the far-right – this makes Brexit even riskier – Vince Cable for the Independent The security of Europe depends on Macron – Edward Lucas for The Times (£) It’s downright shameful that Theresa May has promised a free vote on fox hunting but not on a Brexit deal – Gina Miller for the Independent Defend Defence – The Times editorial Brexit news in brief Duchess of Cambridge visits Luxembourg on solo trip as ‘Brexit Ambassador’ – Telegraph End of Uber? EU court branded out of touch as it’s set to deliver killer blow for taxi app – Express US regulator threatens Europe with financial trade war – Daily Mail British student told by EU careers service a Brussels job is ‘out of the question’ after Brexit – Independent Sir James Dyson wins vacuum cleaners appeal at European Court – BBC SoftBank leads $500m investment in British startup Improbable – Telegraph Brexit has put foreign workers off UK tech jobs – City A.M.