Fishermen fear Theresa May could waive rights to 95 per cent of British waters after Brexit…. Fishermen fear Theresa May could waive the rights to almost 95 per cent of British waters after failing to make any solid promises over sovereignty of the seas in the Tory manifesto. A desire to take back control of Britain’s waters was a constant theme for Leave campaigners ahead of last year’s EU referendum. They believe Britain has legal rights to all fish within 200 miles of the coast, but the manifesto leaves open the possibility that only 12 miles of water will be protected after Brexit. A report published last October found that more than half the fish caught in British waters are currently landed by trawlers from the rest of the EU. – Telegraph …but Fisheries Minister George Eustice commits to 200-mile control of UK waters… George Eustice hit back last night to set the record straight, telling BrexitCentral: “Fishing for Leave are shadowboxing and they are wrong. When we leave the EU we automatically regain control of the management of our Exclusive Economic Zone under international law. “This means we will have full control over access arrangements and fisheries management out to 200 nautical miles or the median line. “The U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) becomes the new legal base line and we will become an independent coastal State.” – BrexitCentral exclusive …as May vows to Scotland: I’m committed to not surrendering British fishing waters Theresa May today promised to “build a better future” for fishermen outside the EU. The Prime Minister insisted Brexit means leaving the hated Commons Fisheries Policy (CFP). Nicola Sturgeon and other senior SNP figures have claimed the UK Government is planning a “fisheries sell out” in divorce talks with Brussels. In 2007 the SNP stood on a platform to withdraw completely from the rules but this was later watered down in 2016 with calls for “decentralisation”. Mrs May said: “A vote for the SNP is a vote for the Commons Fisheries Policy.” She also said the Tories’ new Shared Prosperity Fund to replace EU economic aid would be distributed across the four home nations to tackle inequalities. – Express Formal Brexit negotiations to begin on 19th June The EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, has pencilled in 19 June for the first formal day of talks with Britain about its withdrawal from the European Union, in what are being billed as the most important negotiations in the country’s history… EU officials are yet to discuss any logistics with the UK, however, due to an ongoing row with Theresa May’s government over its blocking of a mid-term review of the union’s budget. Brussels cancelled plans for behind-the-scenes “pre-talk talks” to discuss how the negotiations could be handled in anger last month when Britain vetoed the shuffling of the EU budget to priority areas, such as the migration crisis. – The Guardian Brussels bigwigs have date set for when exit talks will finally begin – Express Theresa May promises spending spree in Scotland with £9bn clawed back from Brussels after Brexit… Theresa May yesterday unveiled plans for a post-Brexit spending blitz in Scotland as part of a new £9 billion fund to rebuild Britain using money that currently goes to the EU. Vowing to keep our “precious” union together, the PM said Scotland would share in the proceeds of a new Prosperity Fund alongside forgotten communities in Wales and North as the campaign entered its final three weeks. – The Sun Theresa May: Tories will invest heavily in Scotland after Brexit – The Guardian Theresa May moves to postpone second independence referendum indefinitely – Telegraph …while promising Yorkshire a Brexit dividend Theresa May promised Yorkshire will enjoy a Brexit dividend as she made an audacious bid for traditional Labour territory with her Conservative manifesto launched in Halifax. The highly personal document promised a Conservative election victory will trigger the creation of a new fund using money saved by leaving the European Union to tackle the North-South divide. ‘Forward Together’ also pledged action to tackle the gap in performance between schools in Yorkshire and other parts of the country, an issue repeatedly highlighted by former chief inspector of schools Sir Michael Wilshaw. – Yorkshire Post Tories and Labour clash over Yorkshire’s EU cash – Yorkshire Post Brussels wants Britain ‘to pay for its £55 billion pensions pot’ after Brexit The European Union wants Britain to contribute to its staggering £55 billion pensions pot for decades after Brexit. The gold-plated fund banks the average EU official £59,000 – and allows the most senior Brussels bigqigs to draw a maximum of £166,000 in yearly payments in retirement. And according to analysts, Brussels could demand Britain pays between £4.4billion and £5.7billion during Brexit negotiations. A senior Brussels source told MailOnline: “Commitments have been made and this is not theoretical. “These are commitments which exist and we need to make sure that the UK lives up to its part of these commitments.” The average Brussels pension payout of £59,000 is more than twice the average salary of British citizens. – Express Conservatives suggest migration target is just an ‘aim’ The Conservatives have defended their pledge to cut net migration to “tens of thousands” after Labour said it would never be met. Treasury Chief Secretary David Gauke told BBC Radio 4’s Any Questions it was an “aim – it doesn’t have a timetable”. But he said it would “drive policy” in terms of improving the skills of British workers. It comes after ex-Chancellor George Osborne said the Tories “haven’t a clue” how they will meet the target. The pledge to reduce net annual migration – the difference in the number of people coming to the UK for a year or more and those leaving – to the tens of thousands was in the 2010 and 2015 Tory manifestos. Neither Theresa May nor David Cameron has come close to meeting it as prime minister. The most recent figure was 273,000. The last year it was below 100,000 was 1997. – BBC How Sports Direct and migrant labour changed Shirebrook – John Humphrys for the BBC Immigration policy could force smaller curry houses out of business – Independent Tories accused of having ‘no plan’ to slash net migration – Express Theresa May’s immigration pledge already watered down – Daily Mirror Infighting hits Remain campaigns Anti-Brexit campaign groups led by Gina Miller and Lord Mandelson have descended into infighting after splits over strategy. Open Britain, which was set up by former Remain campaigners, and Best for Britain, which is led by Ms Miller and backed by Sir Richard Branson, are being urged to work together more closely or merge because it is feared that the fight against a hard Brexit is fragmenting. Open Britain is dominated by experienced Westminster operators whereas Best for Britain is led by figures from business and the charity sector. With Theresa May likely to increase her majority in the election, some pro-Europeans are gloomy about their chances of influencing public opinion while stepping on each other’s toes. “It’s not going well,” one said. “We are all fishing in the same pool. There is a need for a realignment after the election.” – The Times (£) Brexit stance backfires for Lib Dems Tim Farron’s anti-Brexit strategy appears to be faltering, with activists’ hopes of a breakthrough being replaced by the “real possibility” that the party will lose seats. Mr Farron’s first campaign as Liberal Democrat leader has been hindered by a series of distracting rows over his views on gay sex and abortion. The party’s anti-Brexit stance has also suffered from a fall in the number of so-called hard Remainers, with surveys suggesting that only around half of the 48 per cent of people who voted against Brexit still want to overturn the decision. The setbacks have led activists and party insiders to dramatically reduce their expectations for the poll on June 8. After the local elections on May 4, Mr Farron expressed hopes of doubling the nine seats the Lib Dems hold but party sources believe that they now face a battle to make even small gains.- The Times (£) Factories hit 3-year high thanks to sterling fall The manufacturing sector hit a three-year high thanks to the fall in the pound boosting exports and a revival in world trade. The Confederation of British Industry’s industrial trends report said that output for the three months to May was at its highest since December 2013, underpinned by strong demand in the mechanical engineering and chemicals sectors. Manufacturers expect another rise in production in the next quarter. Total order books were at their highest since February 2015, with export orders remaining particularly strong and matching the three-year high recorded in March. Rain Newton-Smith, chief economist at the CBI, said: “The summer sun has come out early for Britain’s manufacturers. Robust demand at home and abroad is reflected in strong order books, and output is picking up.” – Times (£) Germany eyes softer sacking rules to tempt Brexit banks to Frankfurt Germany could make it easier to hire and fire senior bankers in what would be a rare exception to its strict labour rules, an ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel said, as Frankfurt seeks to attract finance groups from London after Brexit. The move, which would apply to those earning more than around 250,000 euros ($278,000), is intended as a sweetener for global banks who want to move staff to the continent after Brexit but are worried about laws making it hard to sack them. “We do not need the German protection against redundancy for top earners in banking,” Volker Bouffier, vice chairman of Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) told Reuters in an interview. “I see a political prospect of changing this law by the middle of next year or in the Autumn (of 2018), once the new government is in place.” – Reuters Merkel says Britain to be treated fairly, but will pay Brexit price – Reuters Merkel: Brexit like negotiating a trade accord backward – Associated Press Euronext expects London to lose euro clearing after Brexit The European Union is expected to propose that clearing of euro denominated securities should be moved from London to the continent after Brexit, Euronext chief executive Stephane Boujnah said on Friday. The European Commission is due next month to propose a draft law on regulating foreign clearing houses, which stand between the two sides of a trade to ensure its orderly completion. “If the decision is taken to relocate clearing of euro denominated within the European Union, then clearly we will make sure it has the best impact for the Euronext market and Euronext players,” Boujnah said during an earnings conference call. “I believe this option is likely to prevail.”… Industry bodies and policymakers in Britain have warned that a forced relocation of clearing would split pools of trading that currently offer efficiencies – Daily Mail Eurocrat caught exaggerating extent of EU military might without UK Brussels foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini bragged that the bloc will still be the world’s second biggest military spender even minus the UK. But the latest figures show that the EU27 would actually slip into third place behind China in such an eventuality and would trail the US by even further still. The Italian eurocrat made the remarks as she dismissed the effect of Brexit on the bloc’s future military plans as negligible. Ms Mogherini said that because the UK only contributes three to five per cent to Brussels’ current missions it will not be missed by the other states. Britain has the biggest and best equipped military, navy and air force on the continent and is its only country ranked as a ‘global power’ in defence. Ms Mogherini, one of the EU’s top ranked officials, said the remaining 27 member states have “huge potential” if they pool military resources. – Express David Davis: I’ll make Brexit work for Yorkshire I was born in York and have represented a Yorkshire constituency for 30 years, so I understand how important it is for people here that Brexit is a great success. From the upland farmers of the Moors and Dales to business owners in bustling cities like Leeds and Sheffield, everyone in Yorkshire has a stake in Britain’s exit from the European Union. And that is why I will ensure that Yorkshire’s voice is heard as we work towards a Brexit deal that enables every part of the UK to build on what it has achieved and embrace the new opportunities that we know will arise. Theresa May signalled her Government’s commitment to this approach when she visited Yorkshire last month, telling this newspaper that “we need to make sure that we get this right” for farmers across the region. We have set out a clear and detailed plan for Brexit – one which will restore control over our money, laws and borders and mean that policies are set in the UK not in Brussels. – David Davis for the Yorkshire Post Kathy Gyngell: Sarah Sands’s first task is to banish Today’s anti-Brexit bias I can just see the BBC apparatchik rostered to the press office last weekend searching for the relevant pro-forma, adding in this phrase after a quick call to the Head of News’s office, maybe, and just remembering, in time, to change the date before hitting send. In this case to the Daily Express who had sought its reaction to this most recent damning report. Whoever was assigned the task of batting it away could not have had time to read the summary let alone its 123 pages. As for a direct response from the Today Editor’s desk itself – recently taken over by Sarah Sands – I imagine we are still waiting. But should Ms Sands wish to retain her reputation as brilliant journalist (attributed to her by her forbear in the hot seat, Rod Liddle) she needs to rectify this. – Kathy Gyngell for ConservativeWoman Emma Bean: Labour candidates Snell and Smeeth on Campaigning in ‘Brexit Central’ LabourList meets Ruth Smeeth and Gareth Snell, as they seek to defend their Stoke seats in a city which backed Brexit. Snell has only been in the Commons for a couple of months and Smeeth was elected at the 2015 general election. The new Stoke on Trent Central MP saw off Paul Nuttall in February but Smeeth faces a significant challenge in Stoke North and Kidsgrove, where UKIP have pulled out in order to to back the Tories. Both seats are in what we would call Labour’s heartlands – and yet could be at risk if the worst case polling scenarios played out.- Emma Bean for LabourList Chris Murray: Macron is bad news for Britain’s borders French President Emmanuel Macron’s victory in France was greeted across Europe with an audible sigh of relief, and now many across the Continent are watching eagerly to see if he can carry out the reforms he promised on the campaign trail. In the U.K., however, the outlook is at best mixed. On the one hand, there’s the sense of a bullet dodged with the defeat of Macron’s far-right opponent Marine Le Pen. On the other, there’s the fact that one of the young president’s pledges was to renegotiate the Treaty of Le Touquet, a bilateral border control agreement that has kept tens of thousands of migrants headed for Britain on the French side of the Channel. Revisiting this treaty, which was signed in 2003, would be difficult even in times of political calm. In the context of Brexit negotiations, doing so would be explosive. – Chris Murray for Politico Brexit in brief May has chosen to occupy the centre, rather than try to shift it. This bodes badly for Britain, Brexit – and the economy – Ryan Bourne for ConservativeHome Three cheers for Banksy’s Dover mural – Patrick West for Spiked Broadcasters were biased towards Remain, finds academic study – Guido Fawkes Brexit talks are illegal, claims French lawyer – Independent Commonwealth team to monitor UK election – Politico German business leaders urge Tories to rethink plan to leave single market – Guardian