Sign up here to receive the daily news briefing in your inbox every morning with exclusive insight from the BrexitCentral team Brexit campaigner (and former BrexitCentral Deputy Editor) Darren Grimes wins appeal against £20,000 fine… The founder of the youth-focused pro-Brexit campaign group BeLeave has won his appeal against a £20,000 fine imposed by the elections regulator. Darren Grimes was punished by the Electoral Commission last year, after being accused of breaching spending rules during the 2016 EU Referendum… The court heard that the commission had misinterpreted the law and set a key legal test “too high” on whether BeLeave had been correctly registered on official forms. Mr Grimes had said he had intended to register the organisation and not himself as an individual on the forms and his lawyers said the complex and difficult-to-understand forms were completed to the best of his ability. Judge Marc Dight said that even if BeLeave did not have a formal constitution by January 2016, it was clear it was made up of like-minded people who had an agreement to campaign on Brexit in a certain way. He said Mr Grimes had tried to meet his obligations to the commission in filling out the forms, and that his actions were not dishonest or lacking transparency. – BBC News …and blasts the Electoral Commission as ‘not fit for purpose’ A judge ruled in favour of Mr Grimes’ appeal, which cost the Electoral Commission an estimated £436,000 to fight… Mr Grimes told The Telegraph: “I feel completely elated, and I just feel a deep sense of gratitude to everyone who allowed me to get this far. The judge acknowledged himself that I’m on a very limited financial means, which I think translates in legal speak as having nothing at all. I couldn’t have done this without the donations of about 3,000 people… I think on a deeper level, this goes to the heart of the fact that we have a quango that is judge, jury and executioner, with very little oversight on the decisions that it makes. You’ve got to look into this and think, is the Electoral Commission fit for purpose? And my conclusion is, it absolutely isn’t.” – Telegraph (£) Why I’m delighted for Darren Grimes – Stephen Daisley for The Spectator > Jonathan Isaby on BrexitCentral in March 2018: What you need to know about Darren Grimes Boris Johnson mulls eurosceptic candidates for roles at the Treasury and Bank of England… Jacob Rees-Mogg is being considered for a ministerial role in the Treasury amid criticism that the department has become “the architect of Project Fear”. The leading Tory Eurosceptic MP is being tipped to succeed Liz Truss as chief secretary to the Treasury amid Boris Johnson’s desire to accelerate preparations for a no-deal Brexit. Mr Rees-Mogg is facing competition for the role from Rishi Sunak, a junior local government minister, whose endorsement as a prominent Tory MP of the 2015 intake was seen as a key moment in Mr Johnson’s leadership campaign. Gerard Lyons, a former chief economics adviser to Mr Johnson and prominent Brexiteer, has been interviewed by officials for the role of Bank of England governor. Dr Lyons has argued that no-deal may be the “only viable option” for leaving the EU. – The Times (£) > Previously on BrexitCentral: The next Prime Minister needs a Chancellor who will defy the Treasury’s factory of Remain …while ex-Brexit Secretary David Davis is being considered for a Cabinet comeback David Davis is in talks with Boris Johnson over a Cabinet comeback, The Daily Telegraph can reveal. Mr Davis, 70, who was the first leaver to quit the government last summer in protest at Theresa May’s Chequers deal, has emerged as a late contender for one of the top jobs in the new administration being assembled this weekend in the hope Mr Johnson will be announced as the next Prime Minister on Tuesday. The former Brexit secretary is understood to be in line for either Chancellor or Foreign Secretary after telling Mr Johnson he would not settle for a lesser Cabinet role. The Telegraph understands the pair have been in contact in recent days. – Telegraph (£) Boris approaches The Great Decide on which way Brexit negotiations will turn – James Forsyth for The Sun Donald Trump says Boris Johnson will ‘straighten out’ Brexit… US President Donald Trump has said Boris Johnson would do “a great job” as UK prime minister and they would have “a very good relationship”. “He’s a different kind of a guy but they say I’m a different kind of a guy too,” Mr Trump told reporters. Outgoing prime minister Theresa May “has done a very bad job with Brexit”, he added. Mr Johnson is the frontrunner in the contest to become the next Tory leader and UK prime minister. He and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt are the final two candidates, with the winner announced on 23 July and taking office the next day. President Trump said he had spoken to Mr Johnson on Thursday, adding: “We get along well.” “I like Boris Johnson, I always have,” he told reporters in the Oval Office in Washington DC. – BBC News Trump says Theresa May “has done a very bad job with Brexit” – Reuters …as Brussels plans to offer the new Prime Minister a Brexit extension… Brussels is preparing to offer Boris Johnson a no-deal Brexit extension beyond 31 October in an attempt to help him keep the Conservative party together and provide one more chance to strike an agreement deal. The extra period of EU membership would be used for renegotiation but could be billed to Conservative Brexiters as an opportunity to prepare further for leaving without a deal. “It will be described as a technical delay to save Boris from political embarrassment but then we will have time to find an agreement,” said one senior EU diplomat. There is growing confidence among key member states that a no-deal Brexit can be avoided after the Commons voted this week to prevent the next prime minister, likely to be Johnson, from proroguing parliament. The details of the approach shared with the Guardian will aggravate hard Brexiters in Westminster who will see it as a serious threat to their expectations that the UK should depart on 31 October at any cost. – Guardian …but a new poll reveals Johnson helped the Tories regain support from the Brexit Party… Boris Johnson is already helping the Tories claw back support from the Brexit Party, a fresh poll has revealed. The Tories are coming back from the brink of extinction as they pick up support back again as the two Tories fight to become the next PM. After sinking to just 17 per cent in the polls after Theresa May quit, the Brexit Party surged in the polls ahead of the European elections. But slowly the Tories have clawed their way back up as the Tory leadership contest has gone on. Boris and Hunt have been battling it out for the top job, and their promises to deliver Brexit appear to have won over sceptical voters. A YouGov poll from the 18 July has the Conservatives topping the poll at 25 per cent, with the Brexit Party down to 19. Mr Farage’s party stormed the EU elections, winning 29 MEPs. The Brexit Party will embark on a tour of the country later this year to rally support and meet voters. – The Sun …and caused the chance of No Deal to climb to 30 per cent Economists are forecasting that Britain’s chances of leaving the EU without a deal is at its most likely since October 2017, according to a Reuters poll. As expectations mount that Boris Johnson is likely to become the next Prime Minister, a median forecast of 30 per cent of financial experts are predicting Britain and the EU will not agree terms by a deadline of 31 October, rising from 25 per cent in June and 15 per cent in May. Peter Dixon, Commerzbank AG’s global financial economist, said: “The likelihood of a Boris Johnson premiership and the rhetoric which has surfaced during the campaign suggests that this outcome is more likely than we previously believed.” – City A.M. Philip Hammond threatens no-confidence vote to stop no-deal Brexit Chancellor Philip Hammond has indicated he may vote to bring down the next PM to stop a no-deal Brexit. Asked whether he would back a motion of no-confidence in the government, he said he could “not exclude anything”. Mr Hammond also said he would do “everything in my power” to stop a future prime minister suspending Parliament to get a no-deal Brexit. He was one of four cabinet ministers who abstained from a vote blocking the possibility of this happening. The Commons vote was brought forward on Thursday by MPs who fear the next Conservative leader and prime minister will make the move – known as “prorogation” – to push through a no-deal Brexit and cut them out of the process. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has discounted the possibility if he becomes prime minister, but his rival in the Conservative Party leadership race, Boris Johnson, has refused to give the same assurance. – BBC News UK chancellor doesn’t rule out future no-confidence vote against Boris Johnson – Süddeutsche Zeitung Remainer rebel Philip Hammond threatens to vote no confidence in Boris to stop No Deal Brexit – The Sun Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern urges Leo Varadkar to make friends with Boris to minimise no-deal chaos Bertie Ahern, the former taoiseach, has said he is a “bit frightened” at the looming Brexit deadline, with just “61 negotiating days” remaining when governments return from the summer break. He said a no-deal would cause chaos and have immediate repercussions for our biggest food exporters. In an interview with The Stand podcast, Mr Ahern said it was crucial that Leo Varadkar, the taoiseach, forges a close relationship with Boris Johnson, who he believes will win the race for Downing Street. He said: “It will be crucial, the relationship taoiseach Leo builds up with prime minister Boris early on. It’s important they work on that. “It is in our national interest long term and short term and medium term to have a close relationship with the United Kingdom, and that’s a reality. A no-deal Brexit with all the turmoil that could create is not in the national interest. – The Times (£) Angela Merkel claims the Brexit backstop will stay unless an Irish border alternative is found… Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel said today that the backstop arrangement in the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement can only be “overwritten” if an alternative solution is found in the declaration on the future relationship. Speaking at her annual summer press conference, she stuck to the EU’s line that removing the language on the backstop, which aims to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland, is dependent on finding “a solution for the management of the border” that means no physical border posts between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (maintaining the Good Friday Agreement), but that also maintains the integrity of the EU’s single market. – Politico Angela Merkel says Brexit backstop could be ‘overwritten’ but EU red lines remain firm – Telegraph (£) …as France urges Britain to sign up to the Withdrawal Agreement Europe minister Amelie de Montchalin visited the Irish border on Friday and said she had seen at first hand the importance of an ordered Brexit to protect the bloc’s internal market and the Irish peace process. Frontrunner for the Conservative Party leadership Boris Johnson has said he wants to scrap the border backstop which stymied efforts to get Prime Minister Theresa May’s proposed solution through Westminster. Ms de Montchalin said: “To protect the integrity of the internal market and to have the peace process and the Irish concerns being overcome, the best thing we have on the table is the Withdrawal Agreement. “It was very important to see the necessity, more than ever, of this agreement and this ordered Brexit to happen.” She visited the invisible frontier at Ravensdale in Co Louth, where differences in road markings are the only visible sign, as well as a local farm. – Belfast Telegraph New European Commission President claims to no longer believe in a United States of Europe Ursula von der Leyen, the next president of the European Commission, has claimed she no longer supports the creation of a United States of Europe. Mrs von der Leyen was accused of being a fanatical federalist by Brexiteers after her appointment was confirmed on Tuesday. “My goal is the United States of Europe, based on the model of the federal states of Switzerland, Germany or the US,” she said in 2011. But in an interview with a group of European newspapers published today, she said her dream “has become more mature and more realistic.” “In the European Union we have unity in diversity. That is something different to federalism. I think that is the right path,” Mrs von der Leyen said. The former German defence minister repeated the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement would never be renegotiated and warned a no deal Brexit would be a “bad outcome” for both sides. – Telegraph (£) US threatens EU to revive trade talks or face tariffs – Politico Theresa May uses interview to express bitter regret over Brexit failure Theresa May admits that she will leave Downing Street next week bitterly disappointed at not having been able to deliver Brexit for the country she loves. In her final interview before stepping down next week, the outgoing Prime Minister insists she did “everything” possible – including sacrificing her job – to try to get her EU withdrawal deal “over the line”. She pledges she will be “absolutely” loyal to her successor, expected to be her arch-rival Boris Johnson, when she becomes a backbench MP again after 21 years on the political frontline. But she also warns that the feuding Tories must unite to deliver Brexit at last to save the country from the threat of Jeremy Corbyn in Number 10. – Express Camilla Cavendish: Remainers have lost and must now accept defeat MPs who oppose a no-deal exit are running out of procedural devices. On Thursday, the Commons voted by a majority of 41 to prevent the next administration from suspending parliament for more than two weeks. That guarantees slightly more time for the moderates to try to force the prime minister to request an extension. But it would still be a tall order. Any new Conservative leader will boost party morale by being a refreshing change from the robotic Theresa May. In the honeymoon period, Tory rebels will come under extreme pressure not to be “turncoats” who vote with Labour. Few will be willing to trigger the ultimate sanction: bringing down their own government in a no-confidence vote. The best the rebels can hope for is that parliament might pass a version of Mrs May’s withdrawal deal, with EU agreement. A second referendum looks increasingly like fantasy, since neither main party leader wants it. – Baroness Cavendish of Little Venice for the FT (£) Charles Moore: Our new pro-Brexit Government must speak the language of liberty My qualm before the storm is about language. Can our next prime minister and his team find the right words to carry enough of the country through the massive changes and conflicts which will ensue? After more than three years of struggle, the electorate will have prevailed over the elites. The voice of protest will have become the voice of power. What should that voice sound like?… I want to reflect on how the assumptions of the illiberal liberals (hereinafter referred to as the “illiberals”) can be unpicked. It needs a language that is simultaneously moderate and tough. At present, most of our public discourse is neither. – Charles Moore for the Telegraph (£) Ross Clark: Spare me the hypocrisy of the extreme Remoaners who would use the Queen to block no deal Wouldn’t the anti-proroguers be just a tad more convincing if many of them were not simultaneously scouring the statute book for procedural wheezes which might allow them to get their own way? If proroguing Parliament would be an outrage I don’t know what word there is left to describe the scheme dreamed up by Tory MPs to make a humble address to the Queen, requesting that Her Majesty toddle off to the next EU summit, above the heads of her own government, to ask for an extension to Article 50. – Ross Clark for the Telegraph (£) Comment in Brief Why Brexit could save us from technotyranny and our own extinction – Sherelle Jacobs for the Telegraph (£) Mrs May damages the Union – John Redwood’s Diary An autumn election on Brexit risks either resolving nothing or splitting the Conservatives – Henry Hill for ConservativeHome Book Review: Rod Liddle’s True Story of Brexit – Quentin Letts for The Times (£) Our next leader must have a plan for Northern Ireland – Aíne Lagan for ConservativeHome News in Brief MPs call on EU to protect UK citizens in no-deal scenario – BBC News Brits flock to ferries as Brexit delay drives surge in demand – Bloomberg Tory grandees act to prevent Boris Johnson from being kicked out in first year as Prime Minister – The Sun Conservative leadership race: Boris Johnson woos Labour Leave MPs – The Times (£)