Sign up here to receive the daily news briefing in your inbox every morning with exclusive insight from the BrexitCentral team Labour ‘needs clear anti-Brexit position’, says Deputy Leader Tom Watson Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson is to urge his party to “strongly” make the case for the UK staying in the EU. In a speech later, he will reiterate his push for another referendum to break the Brexit deadlock – saying Labour’s “hearts are Remain”. Leader Jeremy Corbyn has so far resisted calls to fully back another public vote, saying the party would support it in certain circumstances. That position was blamed for Labour’s performance at the European elections. The party came third behind the Brexit Party and the Liberal Democrats, with its share of the vote falling to 14%, and several senior figures criticised a lack of clarity on Brexit. Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry said those results boosted the case for another referendum – an outcome that Mr Corbyn has said is “some way off”. Labour MPs remain split, with those representing Leave areas warning against backing a public vote. In a speech to the Centre for European Reform, Mr Watson – who has repeatedly put pressure on Mr Corbyn to back a further referendum – will say there is still time to reverse the Brexit vote. “Pro-European is who we are and who we have always been. Our members are Remain. Our values are Remain. Our hearts are Remain,” he will say. “The only way to break the political deadlock is to bring the public back into this decision and we must argue strongly to remain. Our future doesn’t need to be Brexit. We can change our future. We can put Britain back at the heart of Europe again. We can be proud of leading the fight for a fairer and stronger future, together. But we can only achieve this future if Labour fights for it and champions it. It’s time we do that.” – BBC News Tom Watson turns up heat on Jeremy Corbyn with second referendum call – Sky News Conservative donors open secret talks with Nigel Farage on general election pact to save Brexit… Conservative Party donors have opened secret talks with Nigel Farage about an electoral pact which would see the party not stand candidates against the Brexit Party in dozens of seats at a snap general election. Speculation is growing that the next Tory leader will have to call a snap election to bring in new MPs who will agree to take the UK out of the European Union by the end of October. A new poll in the Sunday Times put Mr Farage’s Brexit Party in first place on 24 per cent, three points ahead of the Tories and Labour on 21 per cent. The news emerged as Johnny Leavesley, the head of the party’s biggest donor group the Midlands Industrial Council, wrote in The Telegraph that the next Prime Minister “needs to be willing to work with Farage”. Rory Stewart, the third favourite to be crowned Tory leader, also personally reached out to Mr Farage, telling him on his LBC radio phone-in that the Tories had “to find a way, as a party, of reaching out to you”. – Telegraph (£) …in which the Tories would not stand against the Brexit Party in certain seats Conservatives could reportedly be set to do a deal with Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party which would see Tories pull out of fighting certain seats at the next general election. Farage confirmed he had been approached by Tory party donors but added his party is currently planning to contest every seat. The Telegraph reports a deal could see the Tories stand aside in Brexit-voting Labour heartland seats in which the Brexit Party has a chance of beating Jeremy Corbyn’s party. A snap election could be on the cards, if Tory leader frontrunner Boris Johnson becomes Prime Minister next month. The Brexit Party is leading the polls with 24 per cent according to a recent poll. The Tories and Labour are three points behind in joint second place. But with Boris still clearly leading the leadership race, hardline Brexiteers issued a strong warning, pressing him to deliver on Brexit. And if he fails, some even suggested they would defect to Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party. Last night, Mr Farage told the newspaper he had been approached by “people”. – The Sun Geoffrey Cox’s legal advice could thwart Boris Johnson’s plan to withhold Brexit bill payments Boris Johnson will have to over-rule existing government legal advice if he wants to make good on his promise to withhold the £39bn Brexit bill in order to win a better deal from the EU, The Telegraph can reveal. Mr Johnson, who is now hot favourite to win the Tory leadership contest, has threatened to “retain” the promised financial settlement until the European Union has provided “greater clarity” about the future EU-UK trading relationship. However several Whitehall sources have confirmed that on-record internal legal advice from Geoffrey Cox, the attorney-general, has warned that linking Brexit bill payments to the progress of any trade talks would be illegal. The advice sets up a potential clash between Mr Johnson and Mr Cox who last week backed the former foreign secretary for the Tory leadership. It also raises the prospect of Parliament demanding the publication of the advice if Mr Johnson seeks to overturn it as Prime Minister and withhold the cash. The Telegraph also understands that in a ‘no deal’ scenario, the government legal advice is also clear that the UK would have an obligation to pay up to Europe – although the precise extent of those obligations could be disputed, but it would run into “billions”. – Telegraph (£) Most Tory leadership contenders spar over Brexit in TV debate… Contenders to replace Theresa May as Conservative leader have clashed over delivering Brexit during a TV debate. The MPs argued over whether a new deal could be renegotiated with the EU, and the prospect of a no-deal Brexit. Leadership hopefuls appeared before a studio audience at a debate hosted by Channel 4 News in east London. Boris Johnson did not take part, arguing that debates with several candidates “can be slightly cacophonous”. Four of the five candidates argued against closing down Parliament in order to push through a no-deal Brexit by 31 October. The UK had been due to leave the EU on 29 March, but EU leaders agreed to delay the date to October after MPs repeatedly rejected Theresa May’s Brexit deal. International Development Secretary Rory Stewart said it was a “deeply disturbing” option and Home Secretary Sajid Javid warned “you don’t deliver democracy by trashing out democracy.” However ex-Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab refused to rule it out, saying “every time one of these candidates take an option away… we weaken our chances of getting the best deal.” – BBC News Johnson’s rivals vie to offer their visions for post-Brexit Britain – Guardian …but Jeremy Hunt taunts the absent Boris Johnson… Jeremy Hunt has thrown down the gauntlet to Tory leadership rival Boris Johnson over Brexit during tonight’s Channel 4 debate. Boris Johnson had earlier revealed he would not be taking part in tonight’s Tory leadership debate and Jeremy Hunt was quick to point out his absence as the candidates clashed over Brexit. Dominic Raab and Sajid Javid argued a no deal Brexit should not be taken off the table, while Rory Stewart dismissed leaving the EU without an agreement as “complete nonsense”. During the debate, Mr Hunt highlighted how the candidates had spent the first “25 minutes” debating Brexit before questioning: ”Where is Boris?” The Foreign Secretary added: “If Boris’s team won’t let him out to debate five pretty friendly colleagues, how will he get on with 27 EU countries.” Mr Hunt then said: “If when it comes to October 31 the only way to deliver Brexit is to leave without a deal then I’m out, because we must deliver on our democratic promise.” He added that would not let the UK leave without a deal if an agreement with the EU was “almost there”. – Express …as Dominic Raab and Michael Gove clash over No Deal… Dominic Raab and Michael Gove have clashed over a no deal Brexit, as tempers frayed in the live television Tory leadership debate. Five of the leadership candidates appeared before a studio audience and began answering questions on how they would defeat Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage. Boris Johnson is a notable absentee. But Dominic Raab, who quit as Brexit Secretary last year in opposition to Theresa May’s Brexit deal – clashed with Environment Secretary Michael Gove over Britain possibly leaving the EU on October 31 without an agreement. The Environment Secretary said he believed he can deliver a Brexit which strengthens British democracy. Addressing the former Brexit Secretary, he said: “We cannot leave unless Parliament votes for it.” Mr Gove added a no deal Brexit would not be pushed through “against the will of Parliament”. Mr Raab insisted Britain “can manage those risks” that comes with a no deal Brexit and World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules. He said: “I don’t want no deal, I want to give ourselves the best shot of getting a deal.” – Express …although Channel 4 is accused of ‘sidelining’ Brexiteer Raab in ‘biased’ debate Viewers and Tory MPs have accused Channel 4 of trying to “sideline” Dominic Raab – the one ‘hard’ Brexiteer – in the TV leadership debate. The broadcaster was criticised for showing anti-Brexit “bias” by giving Mr Raab the least airtime in the “sneering” clash. Conservative MPs also claimed the debate had been “geared up” to encourage the candidates to “knock chunks out of each other”. Analysis by The Daily Telegraph found that Mr Raab had the least time allotted to him – spending 10 minutes and two seconds answering questions. Sajid Javid had 11 minutes 23 seconds, Rory Stewart had 12 minutes nine seconds and Jeremy Hunt spoke for 12 minutes 13 seconds. Michael Gove topped the charts speaking for 14 minutes and 30 seconds during the programme. One Brexiteer Tory MP told the Daily Telegraph: “Watching Channel 4 and the ganging up on Raab one could be forgiven for thinking there had never been a referendum. “As the only one there wanted an actual exit date he was sneered at. Not surprising from ‘Channel4Remain’.” Junior Brexit minister James Cleverly added: “This Channel 4 debate is geared up to encourage Conservative leadership candidates to knock chunks out of each other. – The Sun Tories will be ‘toast’ if there’s no Brexit by the October deadline, warns Raab Conservative leadership hopeful Dominic Raab has warned the party will be “toast” unless it delivers Brexit by the 31 October deadline. Speaking on Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme, the former Brexit secretary also defended his refusal to rule out suspending parliament in order to ensure the UK’s withdrawal, arguing that the EU needed to know that Britain was “serious”. However, in an interview with Ridge, Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd branded the suggestion of shutting down the Commons as “absolutely outrageous”, while Labour chairman of the Brexit select committee Hilary Benn said such a move would be “scandalous”. As the second week of the campaign got under way, Mr Raab told Ridge: “The Tory Party will be toast unless we are out by the end of October. The Conservatives cannot win an election unless we have delivered Brexit.” Although it was very unlikely that parliament would be suspended over Brexit, he refused to rule it out. Mr Raab said: “What is really scandalous here is the way that people are trying to sabotage the will of the people and break their promises left, right and centre to get us out of the EU. “The big mistake we made in these negotiations was taking no-deal off the table. When we start ruling things out we only weaken our chances of getting a deal. “All those candidates that are going weak at the knees and saying ‘I’m not sure about this and that’, they are sending a message to the EU that they can take us for a ride. We have had three years of that. It is time to get this done. “We gave people a decision. Now parliament is trying to steal it back away from them. When people voted, they voted to leave.” – Sky News Tories will be ‘toast’ if they do not deliver on Brexit, says Raab – ITV News > WATCH: Tory leadership candidate Dominic Raab on Sophy Ridge on Sunday EU will renegotiate May’s Brexit package, insists Hunt… The EU “would be willing to renegotiate” a Brexit deal, says Tory leadership hopeful Jeremy Hunt, adding “they want to solve the problem”. The EU has previously said the withdrawal agreement reached with the UK cannot be reopened. Unlike the race frontrunner, Boris Johnson, Mr Hunt did not commit to leaving the EU on 31 October. Meanwhile, fellow leadership contender Rory Stewart insisted “there is no new negotiation with Europe”. He said the EU had made it clear they would not revisit the withdrawal agreement. Instead he proposed setting up a citizens’ jury to break the Brexit impasse. Under his plan, a group of 50,000 people would be selected randomly from the electoral register. Those people would get a phone call in late July to check they were available to participate. A polling company would then whittle the number down, making sure the final group was representative of the country. That group would be given three weeks to make recommendations which Parliament would then be able to approve or reject. – BBC News …but he will not commit to an October Brexit deadline ‘at any cost’… Jeremy Hunt has signalled he is willing to delay Brexit as he refused to commit to leaving the EU “at any cost” by the end of October if wins the contest to succeed Theresa May. The foreign secretary also made the claim he could negotiate a new deal with the bloc that would do away with the need for the Irish backstop – despite such a route already being repeatedly dismissed by the EU. Mr Hunt came second in the first round of voting among Tory MPs in the party’s leadership contest, achieving 43 backers, but still considerably behind Boris Johnson, who received 114 votes. In an attempt to pitch himself as the alternative to the his predecessor at the Foreign Office, Mr Hunt said he was not willing to pledge a “hard stop, any cost” exit from the EU on 31 October – the current deadline for Brexit. – Independent …and says Johnson’s plan means No Deal or an election Jeremy Hunt has said the Brexit deadline of 31 October should not be a “hard stop” and that Boris Johnson is posing a “stark choice”, between leaving the EU without a deal and a general election. Hunt warned it would be wrong to commit now to leave the EU by Halloween, come what may. He told BBC One’s The Andrew Marr Show: “I want to make an argument that what Boris is offering – a hard stop at any cost, on 31 October – means that he is effectively committing the country to no deal … or an election, if parliament chooses to stop that. And my argument is, are those really the best that we as Conservatives can offer the country?” Hunt said he wanted to negotiate a new package with the EU27. “It’s not impossible to do this by 31 October, but it will be difficult,” he said. “I’m not committing to a 31 October hard stop at any cost, because I don’t think you can make that guarantee.” Hunt said recent discussions with EU leaders, in his post as foreign secretary, had convinced him there could be a negotiated way through the Brexit impasse. – Guardian Jeremy Hunt says he will not commit to October Brexit deadline ‘at any cost’ – Independent > WATCH: Tory leadership candidate Jeremy Hunt on The Andrew Marr Show Amber Rudd warns that Remainer MPs could bring down the Government if it pursues a no-deal Brexit in October One of Jeremy Hunt’s most senior allies warned yesterday that MPs would block No Deal in October – and could even bring down the Government. Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd said the number of Tories prepared to vote against a No Deal prime minister in a confidence vote was ‘easily there’. Mr Hunt insisted yesterday that if he became prime minister he would leave without a deal if it was a choice between that and No Brexit. But Miss Rudd said Tory Remainers would bring down the government to stop No Deal, although she would not join such a rebellion, calling it a ‘step too far’. But she added: ‘There are a number of colleagues who have gone public saying they would consider doing that, and there are a number I know of privately who say that.’ – Daily Mail > WATCH: Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd on Sophy Ridge on Sunday Former Tory leadership rival Matt Hancock backs Johnson to ‘bring the country together’… Boris Johnson has won the much sought-after endorsement of former Tory leadership candidate Matt Hancock, despite being attacked by his rivals for snubbing the first TV debate.Shortly after the debate ended, the health secretary – who dropped out of the race on Friday – announced he would be backing Mr Johnson in the next round of voting by MPs this week. “It’s time to unite,” Mr Hancock tweeted. “I’m backing Boris to be the next PM on a pro-enterprise One Nation ticket.” And writing in The Times, he added: “Having considered all the options, I’m backing Boris Johnson as the best candidate to unite the Conservative Party, so we can deliver Brexit and then unite the country behind an open, ambitious, forward-looking agenda, delivered with the energy that gets stuff done.” Mr Hancock also wrote: “Boris is emphatic in public and in private that he wants to be a one nation prime minister and bring the country together around an optimistic vision for the future. I will hold him to that.” – Sky News Matt Hancock backs Boris Johnson for No10 in a huge blow for Tory leadership rivals – The Sun …as Rory Stewart wins the backing of two anti-No Deal ministers Two anti-No Deal Ministers backed Rory Stewart as he scooped up MPs in the leadership contest. Rivals admitted he was close to getting through Tuesday’s second round after bagging the support of Tobias Ellwood and Margot James among others. Both were backers of Matt Hancock. Ms James, Digital Minister, revealed her endorsement after the Channel 4 debate. She said he was “energetic, determined and embracing the centre ground”. Defence Minister Mr Ellwood said he would “electrify” the contest. Rival camps claimed the Aid Secretary was now almost certain of reaching the 33 MP cut off to get through Tuesday’s second round – as long as he doesn’t come last. Justice Secretary and Rory campaign ally David Gauke said Tory MPs wanted to see Mr Stewart survive until Tuesday night’s live BBC TV debate – which Boris Johnson has agreed to do. He told The Sun: “Rory is the only candidate Boris would fear. He’s the David to Boris’ Goliath.” Mr Stewart secured 19 votes in the first round last Thursday – with unconfirmed allegations that Theresa May could have been among them. Downing Street refused to comment. – The Sun Stewart tells Farage the Tories ‘need to find a way of reaching out to you’… One of the Conservative contenders to be crowned party leader and Prime Minister next month has personally asked Nigel Farage to work with him to deliver Brexit. The news came as a new poll in the Sunday Times put the Brexit Party in first place on 24 per cent, three points ahead of the Tories and Labour on 21 per cent. Mr Stewart also said that he wanted to “use the Brexit Party’s success to put an electric shock through Parliament and get it through”. Mr Stewart is the third favourite to be crowned Tory leader, on 16-1, behind Jeremy Hunt (12-1) and Boris Johnson (1-5). Rory Stewart told Mr Farage on his LBC phone-in programme: “We need to find a way, as a party, of reaching out to you and bring you in to try to work out how we crack this, how do we get this (Brexit) through parliament.” He added: “You represent such an important part of this debate. The results in these [European Parliament] elections, the fact that you led us out in the first place puts you in a very very important position in this.” Mr Stewart said: “We must get Brexit done, as soon as possible, as quickly as possible, as honestly as possible”. He added: “People who think we could rejoin the European Union are not thinking this through. It would be like going through three years of an acrimonious divorce and then saying ‘it turned out to be a bit expensive I am moving back into the bed’. “It would be catastrophic. Nigel knows this better than anyone. Can you imagine how Germany and France would treat us if we suddenly tried to go back in. There is no point in even thinking about it. We must get Brexit done.” – Telegraph (£) …while likening his rivals’ Brexit promises to stuffing too much rubbish in the bin Speaking on Channel 4’s televised leadership debate, the Number 10 hopeful used a metaphor of a trying to crush too much rubbish into a bin to explain his rivals’ attitudes to Brexit. The UK’s upcoming exit from the EU was unsurprisingly the main topic for the evening, as the candidates battle to prove they have what it takes to achieve what Theresa May has been unable to. Fellow hopefuls Dominic Raab and Michael Gove both claimed they could secure changes to the Withdrawal Agreement, which the EU has said it will not accept. But as the pair battled to speak over one another, Stewart said: ‘The fundamental issue here is that there’s a competition of machismo. ‘Everybody’s saying “I’m tougher”. Genuinely, genuinely, every time I have this debate everybody’s like “Trust me, I’m going to do it, I’m the guy, I can defeat the impossible odds”.’ He added: ‘It reminds me…I was trying to cram a whole series of rubbish bins into the…rubbish bin. ‘And my wife said “you’re never going to get these three huge bags of rubbish in”. ‘And I was tempted, like Michael, like Dom to say “believe in the bin! Believe in Britain! Right? It’s nonsense!” – Metro Brexit impasse will ‘suffocate’ business investment across UK, suggests BCC The political impasse over Brexit threatens to “suffocate” business investment across the UK in the months ahead, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has warned. The organisation said firms were putting resources into contingency plans, such as stockpiling, rather than investing in measures aimed at economic growth, which is “simply not sustainable”. Business investment is forecast to contract at a faster rate this year and recover more slowly in 2020 than expected in previous forecasts, the BCC states in its latest report. The leading business body said political uncertainty – including the growing possibility of a no-deal exit – was expected to “suffocate” investment activity in the near term. Adam Marshall, the BCC’s director general, said the next prime minister must find a “pragmatic” way to break the deadlock in Westminster and reach an agreement to prevent further economic slowdown. – Independent Johnny Leavesley: To save our country from Corbyn, the next PM must do a deal with Nigel Farage During the 2016 referendum campaign Nigel Farage famously declared that if Leave won there would be no need for him to remain a political player in British politics. Presumably he assumed that, should the country vote to break from the EU, the natural party of government and patriotism, the Conservatives, would then ‘own’ Brexit and dominate the issue so as to render all opposition to it to the wrong side of history. However, that was before the 2017 election and you know the rest. Since then Tory ownership of Brexit has floundered in a swamp of its own factions. Whether or not Farage becomes seduced by success and sees government as a realistic possibility in an electoral cycle or two remains to be seen. If a Brexit acceptable to him is achieved maybe he will return to a career as a polemic celebrity or fade into statesman-like retirement. I doubt it though. A YouGov voting intention poll published on Sunday puts the Brexit Party in first place on 24 per cent, three points ahead of the Tories. One can see the likelihood of the Brexit Party splitting the Right-wingat the next general election, ruining prospects for the Tories for at least a generation and allowing a genuinely socialist Labour Party to play merry hell with society and the economy. If the Conservatives want to be the senior party to their estranged Brexit cousins then some sort of practical accommodation with them is needed. A healthy democracy requires two centre parties plausibly able to win mandates and govern. We have had Conservatives and Labour both dominated by liberals for many years, but now the centre cannot hold. We now seem to have a Marxist opposition and a single-issue protest platform replacing that consensus. The future may be too volatile to predict. Several large Conservative donors I know have been withholding their money and are itching to give to the Brexit Party. My advice to them has been, and is, to hesitate. Their loyalty is deep but tempered by realism. There comes a point when reality has to be acknowledged and an electoral pact needs to be considered soon. – Johnny Leavesley for the Telegraph (£) Matt Hancock: Boris and I have had our differences but he’s the one to unite us I am incredibly proud of the campaign I ran to be leader of the Conservative and Unionist Party. I was humbled by the support I received, and am grateful for the avalanche of messages when I withdrew from the race on Friday. It gave me the opportunity to articulate the values I am fighting for: that each person has a contribution of value to make, that our goal is to help each person achieve their potential, and that this must be done through a forward-looking pro-enterprise agenda, rising to the great challenges of the age. Central to my outlook is that we need to be optimistic about our country, take an optimistic view of human nature, and get this country moving forward with energy and vim. I said when I withdrew from the contest that I’d consider the best way to advance those values. I’ve now spoken to all the candidates. They are all inspirational people, with many and varied strengths, and I would be proud to serve any of them as my prime minister. I have reflected on what is needed in the national interest, and how the approaches of the candidates fit with my values. Having considered all the options, I’m backing Boris Johnson as the best candidate to unite the Conservative party, so we can deliver Brexit and then unite the country behind an open, ambitious, forward-looking agenda, delivered with the energy that gets stuff done. – Matt Hancock MP for The Times (£) Trevor Kavanagh: All aboard for the Brexit election that only Boris Johnson can win for the Tories Wannabe PM Rory Stewart plans to ask Boris Johnson a killer question in Tuesday’s BBC leadership debate: “How will you get a Halloween Brexit through Parliament?” Faced with diehard Remainer MPs and a Brussels brick wall, he can’t answer. Yet delay, followed by fudge, is a prescription for certain Tory death. Boris’s only option, which he cannot reveal and his closest pals will not discuss, is the biggest second referendum of all . . . a final, conclusive once-and-for-all Brexit general election. A new Prime Minister faced with extinction by Nigel Farage’s irregulars has no option but to stand by the 2016 Referendum verdict and fight. And only Boris can win that fight for the Tories. As this column has frequently pointed out, more than half the country — 17.4million voters — backed Leave in 2016. They have not gone away. They have simply been driven by Theresa May into the arms of Nigel Farage. Most of those who switched to his Brexit Party in last month’s EU elections were angry Tories. Boris can win them back. If the latest poll is to be believed, nearly half of all voters rate him as the candidate who can lead his party to victory. – Trevor Kavanagh for The Sun Brexit in Brief 30 Tory peers threaten to quit if new PM insists on no-deal Brexit – The Times The MEPs in Brexit limbo – Politico