Sign up here to receive the daily news briefing in your inbox every morning with exclusive insight from the BrexitCentral team Britain is in ‘pretty good shape’ for a no-deal Brexit, says Cabinet Secretary – just months after his doomsday warning Britain is in “pretty good shape” for a No Deal Brexit, the country’s top mandarin has declared — just months after he gave a doomsday warning. Sir Mark Sedwill said preparations for the UK crashing out of the EU without an agreement were among the “most impressive pieces of cross-government work” he had seen. His comments — which back PM-in-waiting Boris Johnson’s plan to use No Deal as a threat to the EU — clash with what Sir Mark told the Cabinet in March. A leaked letter back then showed he believed No Deal would trigger a ten per cent spike in food prices, send businesses to the wall, damage the police’s ability to keep people safe and plunge the economy into recession. But on Thursday, speaking to the Institute for Government think tank, he said: “I think we’re in pretty good shape for it. We did one of the most impressive pieces of cross-government work I’ve experienced in my career to make No Deal preparations in the run-up to the [original] March-April deadline.” – The Sun UK state in ‘pretty good shape’ to face no-deal Brexit, says top civil servant – FT (£) Emmanuel Macron urges fellow EU leaders to give Britain a Brexit ultimatum on Theresa May’s deal next week Emmanuel Macron is lobbying fellow EU leaders to present Britain with a take-it-or-leave-it ultimatum over Theresa May’s deal at next week’s summit. The French President wants Brussels chiefs to issue a warning to the next PM that failure to accept the current terms will lead to No Deal on October 31. He is pushing for a statement slamming the lack of any progress made in Westminster since the last delay was granted in April. The warning shot would also be pessimistic over likelihood of a breakthrough in the next few months given the promises made by Tory leadership candidates. EU diplomats said countries previously softer on Britain, including Germany, are now starting to come round to the French President’s way of thinking. One told The Sun: “Macron’s priority is to get the UK out as soon as possible and get No Deal done with. France is pushing for strong language telling the Brits this is the final deal and we’re not going to re-evaluate the deal, so accept it or don’t.” – The Sun Liam Fox warns WTO is ‘in crisis’ as businesses are told to brace for no-deal Brexit The US-China trade war, industrial strife and political deadlock all threaten to overwhelm the World Trade Organization, putting the future of the institution and the system of free trade in mortal danger, Liam Fox has warned. World leaders need to “seize the opportunity” to resolve the crisis, opening up trade rapidly to boost economic growth and spread prosperity, the International Trade Secretary said. He criticised the G20 for failing to address the “scale [and] urgency of the challenges facing the global trading system” and warned “the WTO could be facing an existential crisis”. “The WTO now faces one of the biggest tests since its establishment and, with all its functions under strain, it could become an existential crisis. So, the message from the UK is clear: urgent and drastic action must be taken to protect the global trading system as we know it,” he wrote in a blog post. – Telegraph (£) Boris Johnson’s supporters urge ‘indulgent’ Tory leadership contenders with low support to quit now as their man steams towards No. 10… Boris Johnson has one foot on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street today after convincingly winning the opening round of the Tory leadership – prompting allies to urge rivals to quit now. The former foreign secretary romped home in the ballot of Conservative MPs, winning more votes than the combined totals of Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove and Dominic Raab, who came second, third and fourth. Allies of Mr Johnson urged Mr Raab and lower-placed candidates Sajid Javid, Matt Hancock and Rory Stewart to drop out, telling reporters that fighting on would be ‘indulgence’. A former minister involved in the Boris campaign told MailOnline the stragglers in the contest should think about withdrawing. ‘They would be wise to take a hard look at their numbers,’ they said. ‘The bar rises on Tuesday beyond the reach of all but three candidates.’ But they have all vowed to fight on, with Mr Stewart aiming his own broadside at the front-runner over mooted plans to shut down Parliament to force through a No Deal Brexit. The higher-than-expected score of 114 out of 313 MPs for Mr Johnson – which drew gasps in the Committee Room 14 when it was announced – means he is almost guaranteed to make the final run-off among Tory members. Bookmakers immediately slashed the odds on Mr Johnson being the next PM from 4/9 to 1/5. – Daily Mail …while Johnson ‘threatens to drag the Queen into Brexit by asking her to shut down Commons if MPs stop No Deal’… Boris Johnson has threatened to drag the Queen into Brexit by shutting down Parliament to defy Remainer MPs, it was claimed today. The Tory frontrunner privately assured senior Brexiteers that he will leave the option of suspending the Commons on the table as a way to force through a No Deal. He had told Tory MPs in a hustings yesterday that he was “strongly not attracted” to the move – known as “proroguing” Parliament. But The Times reported last night that Boris Johnson privately told the hard Brexit European Research Group last week he would not rule it out as Prime Minister. The move would end the parliamentary session early and so prevent MPs from forcing through a law to stop a No Deal Brexit on October 31. A source on a rival campaign told The Times: “He’s told the ERG he won’t take prorogation off the table and that he’s signed up to their plan for a ‘managed No Deal’.” – The Sun …as a Johnson supporter suggests he ‘may delay Brexit by a few weeks’ if he becomes PM A senior Boris Johnson backer today admitted he may have to delay Brexit by a few weeks. A day after the frontrunner warned Britain risks Jeremy Corbyn in No10 if Brexit is delayed beyond October 31, the backer said it could slip. But they warned the next PM must “explain to the country” why the Halloween deadline had been missed, blasting Theresa May for failing to in March. Any delay risks shattering a promise Mr Johnson made to supporters at his campaign launch just 48 hours ago. The Tory told The Sun: “If it is a matter of just a few weeks then why not? But it can’t slip beyond November.” The comments risk sparking alarm among Brexiteer-backers of Mr Johnson. Launching his bid for power on Wednesday, Mr Johnson insisted Brexit cannot be delayed again. – The Sun Rory Stewart says he will ‘bring down’ Johnson if he suspends Parliament… Rory Stewart has emerged as the second-favourite candidate among Tory members as he said he will set up an alternative Parliament if Boris Johnson tries to push through no deal. The study of Conservative activists by Conservative Home found 54 per cent believe Mr Johnson should be the next Prime Minister, while Mr Stewart came in second with 11 per cent. It comes as Mr Stewart said if Mr Johnson suspended Parliament to force through a no deal Brexit he and other MPs “will hold our own session of Parliament across the road in Methodist Central Hall and we will bring him down”. Mr Stewart said he was “exhilarated and delighted” to get through to the next round with 19 votes. He called on Mr Johnson to take part in the first TV debate: “Let’s allow the public to come into this debate – not just the Members of Parliament….will Boris join us in the TV debates this Sunday?” – Telegraph (£) Rory Stewart threatens ‘alternative parliament’ to avoid no-deal Brexit – Guardian …while Scottish Secretary David Mundell says he will not back Johnson in any round of the Tory leadership contest David Mundell has declared he would refuse to back Boris Johnson in any round of the Tory leadership contest amid concerns the frontrunner’s Brexit strategy would increase support for independence. The Scottish Secretary said he voted for Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, in yesterday’s first round of voting and would back Mr Johnson’s opponents as the field is whittled down to two. He cited the former Foreign Secretary’s insistence that the UK must leave the EU by October 31, and referred to his previous warnings that a no deal Brexit would damage the Union. However, he refused to rule out continuing in his post in a Johnson Cabinet despite his insistence last December that “I don’t see myself being able to serve in that way.” – Telegraph (£) Sir John Major attacks threats to prorogue Parliament to ensure Brexit is delivered Sir John Major has launched a blistering assault on Tory leadership candidates who have suggested parliament could be prorogued to push through Brexit, saying they were indulging in “gold-plated hypocrisy” and lacked leadership qualities. He also ridiculed the suggestion, put forward by many Tory candidates, that it was possible to leave the EU on 31 October, saying they were hoping for a miracle that was not going to happen. Britain’s fate after Brexit depended on the standing of its next prime minister, including whether they were respected internationally and wanted to have a global perspective, rather than just represent a faction, he said. Boris Johnson, the leading contender to replace Theresa May, has refused to rule out the idea of proroguing parliament. – Guardian No Deal would be ‘extremely serious’ for Northern Ireland, warns Foreign Affairs Committee Chair The consequences of Britain crashing out of the EU without a deal would be “extremely serious” for Northern Ireland, Tom Tugendhat, the chair of the foreign affairs select committee, has warned. The committee heard concerns from people in Armagh and Belfast about a return to violence, the threat to harmonious relations on the border and anger that the Stormont assembly was still not up and running, 28 months after power sharing collapsed in the region. A charity director who works with primary schools in deprived areas of Belfast said it was “unconscionable” that teachers and the police had to wait months for pay to be signed off because the local assembly institutions were not running. Another local community representative claimed 90% of Westminster politicians were “ignorant” about the region and were not qualified to make decisions about the Irish border. – Guardian It’s all change again as Chuka Umunna joins the Lib Dems… Chuka Umunna is to join the Liberal Democrats, saying that he was wrong to believe there was a need for a new political party in the centre ground of British politics. The MP for Streatham, who briefly stood for the Labour leadership in 2015 and quit to sit as part of an independent group in the Commons in February, will become the Lib Dems’ 12th MP. Sir Vince Cable, the party’s outgoing leader, hailed him as a “formidable, serious political figure” who would be a positive addition. Mr Umunna, who once said he could never forgive the Lib Dems for “enabling Tory austerity”, was braced for the brickbats, however. “I’ve got a pretty thick skin,” he said when asked if he was looking forward to the reaction to news of his latest berth. “You don’t leave all of the political security of what are the two main parties if you’re out for self- advancement. And I’m not sure what more I could do to prove that I’m not, not a careerist.” – The Times (£) Chuka Umunna joins the Lib Dems after quitting Change UK – BBC News …and he won’t be the last MP to switch sides, claims Sir Vince Cable Sir Vince Cable said that he was in discussions with other MPs ready to follow Chuka Umunna into the Liberal Democrats. “There are lots of conversations going on, some more intimate than others,” the outgoing party leader added. “Chuka joining us today is a big event in itself but there may well be others. I’m not going to make commitments on others’ behalf, they will make their own decisions in their own time. We have a very, very good relationship with members of the independent group,” he added in a clear hint that other members of the breakaway outfit are considering joining his party. He said that the approaching threat of a no-deal Brexit would drive as many as 20 MPs out of the Tories. “I think there are probably a dozen to 20 who have mentally crossed the Rubicon that they can’t stay in the Conservative Party in its current form.” Discussions were on pause during the Tory leadership race but would pick up again afterwards. “They’ve got to take their own time but there are good conversations taking place,” he added. – The Times (£) No-deal Brexit threat is an act of self-harm, claims CBI boss Threatening to leave the European Union without a deal isn’t likely to win Britain concessions from the bloc, the country’s biggest business group said in a warning to candidates jostling to succeed Prime Minister Theresa May. “I’ve never felt it was a particularly credible negotiating threat,” Confederation of British Industry Director General Carolyn Fairbairn said in an interview. “Because it was a bit like saying ‘If you don’t do what I want, I’ll shoot my foot off.’ It was something right from the beginning that was so harmful to us.” Fairbairn’s words came before the 10 Conservative Party leadership candidates were whittled down to seven in a vote on Thursday. And while she declined to name specific politicians, it’s a shot across the bows of candidates including the favorite, Boris Johnson, who said this week that the option of a no-deal Brexit is a “vital tool of negotiation.” – Bloomberg Rory Stewart: I am in this leadership race to win – and I’m not going anywhere I started as the 100:1 candidate in this race to choose the next Conservative leader and our country’s Prime Minister and I now find myself coming through, in the latest poll, second to Boris among Conservative Party members. As a Cumbrian MP, it feels a little like Carlisle United making it to Wembley. And it is particularly surprising because while other candidates have concentrated on Westminster I have been out listening to the public. I’ve met nurses and sheep-farmers, designers of robots and third generation market traders, in Londonderry and Derby, Edinburgh and Peterborough, Wigan, Woking and Warrington. And these weeks have been some of the most fulfilling of my life. Each conversation educates me – about knife crime in Barking, about affordable housing in Lewisham and in Enniskillen about the history of the Northern Irish border. And I have discovered just how popular a straightforward conservative message can be. – Rory Stewart MP for the Telegraph (£) John Redwood: Parliament makes a sensible decision at last on Brexit On Wednesday the combined forces of the Opposition parties united to try to hijack the business of the House in the future to delay or prevent our exit and to ban a so called No deal exit. By 309 votes to 298 votes this proposal was defeated. They wanted time to legislate to stop Brexit or to prevent the government counting the clock down to our exit on 31 October without allowing the Parliament yet another say on the Brexit options. It is traditional for governments to control the business of the House. If a majority builds up in the House against what they are doing then the opposition forces have the right to table and vote on a motion of No confidence. If the Opposition wins that motion it ends the government’s tenure. The Opposition is not afforded the right to have Parliamentary time to have its own alternative programme of new legislation or its own alternative foreign policy. As it does not enjoy a majority there would be no point in allowing this. It enjoys plenty of time to question, criticise, debate and comment on the government’s approach which is its role. The Opposition is free to table any amendments it likes to government legislation, and free to try to persuade government MPs to join them in amending or opposing it. – John Redwood MP for Comment Central Philip Collins: Macron has more say over Brexit than we do Amid the fantasies and delusions of a contest that brings shame on the Conservative Party, the key figure may be emerging. While attention is fixed on the committee rooms of Westminster and supporters of Boris Johnson (take a bow, James Cleverly) who write supportive articles with no mention of the words “European”, “Union” or “Brexit”, do not lose sight of the real leader of Europe. The clowns in a minefield of British politics may have less say over our destiny than the president of France, who is starting to tire of our juvenile floor-show. The identity of our next prime minister may not matter as much as the locked nature of Brexit. According to worrying whispers in Paris, President Macron has come to the conclusion that Britain cannot escape from the trap it has put itself in, no matter who makes it to Downing Street. Mr Macron, who is no stranger to the idea that he could be a man of destiny, thinks he may be the man to spring that trap. – Philip Collins for The Times (£) The Sun: Tories could burn another PM in Boris Johnson — by a coronation or over Brexit Boris Johnson now looks all but certain to become Prime Minister. Tory Remainers had better start getting used to it. Because collapsing his new Government over a No Deal Brexit, as some are absurdly threatening, would be an act of staggeringly stupid self-harm. There are two likely results from the snap election they would force on Boris. One is that he wins a majority, as polls indicate he might, and pushes through a Brexit they despise anyway. The other is they hand power to Corbyn’s Marxists, green-light the transformation of our economy into Venezuela’s and destroy their own party forever. Alternatively they could actually support Boris, who plainly shares many of their beliefs and has committed to prioritising a new deal over No Deal. That said, PM Boris is not nailed-on yet. And however much his supporters want a swift coronation he MUST face proper scrutiny first. – The Sun says Brexit in Brief Only Hancock has a plan and the ability to deliver it – David Lidington MP and Damian Green MP for The Times (£) 2 court cases arguing the UK has already left the EU – John Redwood’s Diary Marine Le Pen launches new anti-EU alliance of far right parties in European Parliament – Telegraph (£)