Arch federalist Verhofstadt appointed as Brexit negotiator European Parliament leaders on Thursday chose outspoken Belgian MEP Guy Verhofstadt to be the assembly’s chief negotiator on Brexit, a move that seemed designed by Brussels to provoke the Brits (again) before the talks even get underway. Verhofstadt also has spoken out frequently on issues that are sure to be contentious during the negotiations, insisting in July that Britain should not be allowed to restrict immigration and retain access to the other aspects of the single market. – Politico Nigel Farage and Syed Kamall anger as European Parliament appoints Guy Verhofstadt to lead negotiations – The Sun Guy Verhofstadt is the European Parliament’s top Brexit negotiator – what does it mean? – Open Europe Tusk tells May: the ball’s in your court European Council president Donald Tusk told Theresa May “the ball is now in your court” as the pair discussed the Brexit process at Downing Street. In a sign that Brussels was waiting for Mrs May to clarify when she will trigger Article 50, Mr Tusk said it was a “crucial time” for the UK and for the EU and he wanted the process to start “as soon as possible”. – BBC News Johnson tells Theresa May to reject single market deal and withdraw British funding to EU A leaked letter revealed the Eurosceptic Foreign Secretary has indicated four “non-negotiable” areas in negotiations to withdraw from the European Union. These include a rejection of payments into the massive EU budget, controls on immigration from the bloc, a halt to Brussels legislation applying to Britain and a removal of the authority of the European Court of Justice. – The Express India and UK launch talks on a post-Brexit trade deal India has agreed to launch a taskforce with the UK to begin dismantling trade barriers between the nations in preparation for a post-Brexit deal, the International Trade Secretary has said. Liam Fox stressed that while the UK can not begin concluding the terms for a new trade deal, it can begin paving the way for the one. – The Express Australian trade minister cosies up to Brussels Australia’s trade minister has described his country’s historical tie with the UK as “a relationship of yesteryear”, as he assured the European Parliament that discussions on a free trade agreement (FTA) with the EU were “much more advanced” than those with Britain. Ciobo, who met for talks with trade secretary Liam Fox earlier this week, said any negotiations with the UK could only begin once Brexit had been completed. – Politics.co.uk Boris Johnson seeks trade deal with ‘true friend’ Australia – Belfast Telegraph TTIP trade deal might never happen, Trade Secretary Liam Fox says Liam Fox, a staunch Brexiteer, reiterated his support for the US-EU trade treaty and said the Government would continue to push it forward even though it was leaving the EU. But he said recent comments by French and German ministers showed that it may never happen, despite Britain’s support. – The Independent Brexit legal bill is £33,000 every week Theresa May’s new Brexit department has spent tens of thousands of pounds on legal advice in the eight weeks since its creation, according to official figures. The Department for Exiting the European Union said its legal bill has so far reached an estimated £268,711 – an average of around £33,500 a week. – The Times (£) Senior civil servants warn over Brexit resources funding – BBC News Swiss offer EU solution for Britain The former Swiss president has said the UK should work with her country to find a way to balance freedom of movement with single market access. She said the EU had to have a more “diverse” approach to non-EU countries as it would not want to see a large European economy like the UK “go towards” Asia or America. – BBC News European bankers will be exempt from migration curbs after Brexit European bankers and “highly-skilled” businessmen and women will be exempted from migration curbs after Britain leaves the European Union, the Chancellor has said. It raises the prospect that other highly skilled workers in other sectors, such as doctors, could also be protected from migration curbs after Brexit. – The Telegraph EU President Jean-Claude Juncker facing court for illegally blocking Brexit talks Jean-Claude Juncker faces a humiliating court challenge for trying to unlawfully hinder Britain’s best breakaway deal from the EU. Days after the UK’s historic referendum the EU President used a big televised speech to claimed he was using a “Presidential Order” to stop his officials starting to negotiate Britain’s exit… But now The Sun can reveal the Commission boss faces a courtroom battle over the boast – after his team admitted they have no power to issue “Presidential Orders” under any EU Treaty. – The Sun Why all the signs point to work permit system and ‘hard Brexit’ as Theresa May negotiates the UK-EU divorce Theresa May was forced to publicly dress down her Brexit minister at Prime Minister’s Questions…. [yet] Mr Davis was merely stating the obvious given the declared position of the remaining 27 EU member states: namely that Britain cannot remain in the single market if we don’t accept the free movement of EU workers. That was the position when Mr Cameron negotiated his failed deal in February, and it is the position now. No-one knows Mrs May’s mind but a close look at the options on the table reveals that Britain (as Mr Davis said) is almost certainly heading for a hard Brexit. – Daily Telegraph London financial sector jobs rose 4% in August despite Brexit, says report Huge demand was seen for fintech jobs such as data engineers, data analysts and data scientists. Both job vacancies and job-seekers increased 4% month-on-month in August, the Morgan McKinley London Employment Monitor has revealed. This is a monthly study conducted by the recruitment agency which throws light on the key trend data within the London financial services sector. – International Business Times Wetherspoon boss slams everyone who backed Remain in a lengthy essay On announcing his company’s preliminary results this morning, J D Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin took the opportunity to slam David Cameron and George Osborne for their conduct during the referendum campaign. – City A.M. Britain faces being forced to sign up to Europol ‘to save itself from terrorist attacks’ Europol, the EU’s law enforcement agency, allows member states to share information on international criminals, terror suspects and grants access to conduct operations in other countries.There is a strong chance Britain would be granted access to the continent’s crime information body, as the US already had a third party agreement in place. – The Express China, Britain look at strengthening defence ties, deepen bilateral relations – International Business Times Jeremy Warner: Carney’s arrogance has diminished the Bank’s influence just when we need it most Both finance and inward investment will suffer if Britain fails to retain access to the single market on something like current terms – that is with the right to operate hindrance-, tariff- and customs-free across the Continent. The Bank of England and the Treasury would have a lot more credibility in engineering acceptable transitional arrangements if they had recused themselves in the first place and left the debate on the overarching issue of exiting the EU to the politicians. – Jeremy Warner for The Telegraph Business Allister Heath: Why Germany and the UK must become close allies One simulation run by Barclays which assumed zero domestic demand growth in Britain for an extended period would see the trade deficit more than halving after eight quarters, cutting German GDP by 0.7pc. Such numbers are entirely hypothetical and depend on many factors, not least exchange rate fluctuations; but they illustrate the fact that it is self-evidently in Germany’s interests for the UK to do well. – Allister Heath for The Telegraph Fraser Nelson: The Three Brexiteers embrace the idea of free trade. But does Theresa May? Just five months ago, Barack Obama said that Britain would be “at the back of the queue” for any trade deal with the US. The queue now forming is of nations eager to strike a deal with the world’s fifth-largest economy. Ed Fast, until recently trade minister of Canada, has said his country should be “at the front” of this queue. Brazil says it wants a free trade deal with Britain as soon as possible and India wants something signed within two years. So just as the Brexiteers said, there are plenty of countries seeking closer ties with us. They are ready to start a new era of free trade. – Fraser Nelson for The Telegraph Owen Bennett: Labour Is All Over The Place On Brexit, So Why Isn’t It Listening To Its Own Brexiteers? Tonight’s BBC Question Time laid the tensions in the Labour movement bare, with one audience member winning a round of applause for echoing Theresa May’s line that “Brexit means Brexit”. On stage, Owen Smith tried to argue that no one knows what the mean – but he could well be missing the point. Instead of trying to guess what May and the Tories mean by Brexit, he should be trying to deduce what Labour voters think Brexit is. – Owen Bennett for Huffington Post Olivia Creavin: How can British science best cope with Brexit? ‘Brexit means Brexit’ but in a letter to the Royal Society, Prime Minister Theresa May stated that her government would continue its commitment to science and research. That the Prime Minister recognises British expertise in these areas and the importance of this sector for economic growth, and has made this a priority in her new industrial strategy, is encouraging. There are real opportunities to make progress in spite of the negative ramifications of Brexit. – Olivia Creavin for CapX Other News Ken Livingstone reneges on his pledge to flee Brexit Britain – The Spectator Owen Smith would ignore the referendum result – Guido Fawkes Labour backs The Sun’s campaign to bring back blue passports – The Sun Global search launched to recruit Permanent Secretary for Department for International Trade – Gov.UK Hammond says he will use first budget statement as chancellor to support the country in preparation for Brexit – The Guardian Scottish Secretary David Mundell to meet Highland business in preparation for Brexit negotiations – The Press and Journal Food of the future: Chinese food security and the opportunities of Brexit – The Adam Smith Institute First Minister Arlene Foster insists Northern Ireland will be at forefront of talks – Belfast Telegraph