Sign up here to receive the daily news briefing in your inbox every morning with exclusive insight from the BrexitCentral team Britain is approaching a ‘moment of truth’, says Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay as Brexit talks resume… There is still time for the UK to strike a deal with the EU despite pessimism in Brussels, the Brexit Secretary has said. Asked whether a deal could still be struck at the October EU summit, Stephen Barclay said the UK was approaching the “moment of truth” when a deal would happen. Mr Barclay met with Michel Barnier, the EU’s top Brexit negotiator, this afternoon. “A deal can be done, but there needs to be political will on both sides and we’re now approaching the moment of truth in these negotiations,” he said. “We are committed to securing a deal, the Prime Minister has made clear he wants a deal, but there has to be political will on both sides and that’s what we’re exploring.” The Brexit Secretary added that Jean-Claude Juncker has said he is not committed to the Northern Ireland backstop, and “for the country to move on, for us to be able to then to go through bringing people back together, we need Brexit to happen in order to do that”. – Telegraph (£) …while Chancellor Sajid Javid warns that failing to deliver on the referendum result would ‘tear the fabric of our society’ Failure to deliver Brexit could irreparably ‘tear the fabric’ of society, Sajid Javid claimed on Friday night. The Chancellor said even the disruption of No Deal would not be as bad as not leaving at all. He also insisted that, despite the efforts of Remain MPs, No Deal was still ‘very much on the table’. In an interview with the Daily Mail on the eve of the Conservative Party conference, Mr Javid said: “The best way to bring the country back together again and heal things is to deliver on that referendum. We can’t have this debate going on. We’ve had the referendum, it was the biggest democratic exercise in the history of our country. And we have to honour it.” – Daily Mail Juncker warns No Deal would be the UK’s fault as Brussels rules out further Brexit negotiations at next month’s EU summit Jean-Claude Juncker warned that Britain would be “solely” to blame for a no-deal Brexit, as Brussels dashed Boris Johnson’s hopes of wresting late-night, last-minute concessions from EU27 leaders at the October 17 European summit. The outgoing president of the European Commission likened Brexit to the threat of climate change in an interview with Germany’s Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper, which was published today. He said that even if a Brexit deal was struck, UK-EU trade negotiations could take “many years”. “We are working hard on a deal. For an exit of the British from the EU without agreement would be a disaster for the United Kingdom and for the European continent,” Mr Juncker, who leaves office on Halloween, said. “Michel Barnier and I are doing everything we can to reach an agreement,” he added, “If this fails in the end, the responsibility lies solely with the British side.” – Telegraph (£) Boris Johnson to keep Irish backstop plan a secret until after next week’s Tory conference ‘to avoid a row with hardline Brexiteers’ Boris Johnson will keep his plan to replace the Irish backstop a secret until after next week’s Tory conference. By doing so the PM hopes to avoid a row with hardline Brexiteers in the party. Senior UK and EU sources said Mr Johnson is expected to come up with a fresh draft legal text by the end of next week. Officials on both sides suggest that the delay is an attempt to avoid the blueprint being leaked before conference, which starts in Manchester. Brussels diplomats think Mr Johnson is “playing for time” in the belief both sides will “jump together” at the last minute. A senior UK source said: “We know detailed texts need to be tabled and that will happen shortly.” And a top EU official told The Sun: “They don’t yet want to put things on paper that could infuriate the ERG or DUP.” – The Sun Dublin suggests says the UK could have to stay part of the EU for four years after a Brexit deal is agreed Ireland’s deputy prime minister has said that even if a Brexit deal is agreed, Britain will have to remain part of the EU’s single market and customs union for up to four years to allow time to negotiate a free trade agreement. Simon Coveney said there had been no “serious proposal” from Britain to break the Brexit deadlock over the Irish backstop and that “significant gaps” remained between the two sides after meeting with Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, in Brussels. Mr Coveney said that if there was a deal, a transition period of two to four years would be needed to negotiate a free trade agreement between the UK and the EU. That could mean Britain does not truly leave the EU until 2023. The transition period deep-freezes Britain’s EU membership, potentially keeping it effectively in the bloc, but without voting rights, until 2023. – Telegraph (£) Boris Johnson says getting Brexit done will ‘reduce the heat’ on MPs Boris Johnson said “getting Brexit done” will help “reduce the heat” on MPs, after several politicians called for the prime minister’s language to be dialled down. Labour MPs urged Mr Johnson to apologise for remarks where he described a parliamentary bill which forces the government to ask for an extension to Brexit talks as the “Surrender Act”. A number of MPs – including both Leave and Remain, Labour and Conservative – revealed they have received death threats, with some highlighting language used by the prime minister. Mr Johnson said while he deplored threats made to MPs, he added it was important not to “impoverish political debate” by refusing to use certain phrases. – ITV News Dominic Cummings says MPs who block Brexit are ‘out of touch’ with the public’s fury – and that Brexit will be a ‘walk in the park’ Dominic Cummings has said that MPs are “out of touch” with the huge public anger building as they continue to block Brexit – and Brexit is going to be a “walk in the park”. In his first public appearance since starting his new role at No10, the ex-Vote Leave strategist said he found it “odd” that MPs who caused the impasse were shocked at the furious response of voters. Mr Cummings said that he wasn’t worried about the current battles going on in Parliament, adding: “We are going to win, don’t worry”. “To put your mind absolutely at rest on that, we are not under pressure at all,” he said. – The Sun No. 10 dismisses Sir John Major’s fears it could circumvent the Benn Act Boris Johnson’s spokesman has insisted the government does not recognise a plan that Sir John Major warned could be used to circumvent the Benn Act, which is aimed at forcing the prime minister to seek a Brexit extension. Asked why the development secretary, Alok Sharma, had not explicitly ruled out the possibility in earlier media interviews, the spokesman said: “I am sure that the fact that these comments were going to be made was a surprise to everyone, because it’s simply not something we recognise.” Privately, government sources said Major’s perceived plan, which the former prime minister mentioned in a fiercely critical speech on Thursday night, was “complete nonsense”. – Guardian Northern Ireland court dismisses latest no-deal Brexit challenge The Court of Appeal in Belfast rejected an appeal by a Northern Irish rights campaigner against British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Brexit strategy. Lawyers for Raymond McCord had said that a no-deal Brexit on October 31 would breach the Good Friday peace agreement that ended three decades of violence on the island of Ireland. However, Declan Morgan, chief justice of Northern Ireland, dismissed the case today, saying “it is not appropriate for this court to examine the possible outcome of the [Brexit] negotiation on the basis of political rhetoric.” – Politico Jeremy Corbyn could be installed as PM to wreck Brexit as soon as next week in ‘new SNP plot’ Jeremy Corbyn could be installed as a caretaker PM to wreck Brexit as early as next week under SNP plans. The Scottish National Party are prepared to let the lefie Labour boss walk into No10 so he could extend Article 50 – because the party is worried Boris Johnson will find a way to push Britain out of the EU without a deal. The PM has vowed to deliver Brexit on October 31 no matter what – despite a law which was passed saying he would have to seek a delay if he couldn’t get a deal. SNP boss Nicola Sturgeon said this morning: “VONC (Vote of No Confidence), opposition unites around someone for sole purpose of securing an extension, and then immediate general election. Nothing is risk free but leaving Johnson in post to force through no deal – or even a bad deal – seems like a terrible idea for me.” – The Sun Nicola Sturgeon urges opposition to oust Boris Johnson – The Times (£) Doctor who clashed with Rees-Mogg to run as Lib Dem in Javid’s seat The doctor who clashed with Jacob Rees-Mogg over medical supplies in the event of a no-deal Brexit will take on the Conservatives in the next general election as a candidate for the Liberal Democrats. But Dr David Nicholl has decided not to stand against Rees-Mogg, but the chancellor, Sajid Javid, in Bromsgrove in the West Midlands in an effort to expose what he believes is Brexit dishonesty. He expected to be unveiled as the Lib Dem candidate at a meeting of local campaigners on Friday night. The consultant neurologist said he has decided to get directly involved because of the “appalling behaviour” of the last week. “I think the issues have got a whole lot bigger than the no-deal Brexit side of things, it is fundamentally about whether we are prepared to have any honesty in politics now.” – Guardian Asa Bennett: Remainers’ plot to foist Jeremy Corbyn on the nation shows how unprincipled and shameless they are becoming There is no greater sign of the mounting desperation among Remainers to delay – and ideally derail – Brexit than their reluctant embrace of Jeremy Corbyn. At first, the Labour leader was kept at arm’s length by his opposition party counterparts. His offer to table a motion of no confidence in the government was given the cold shoulder because he insisted as a condition for doing so that they agree to support him as an alternative prime minister. They were happy to work with him to see Hilary Benn’s Brexit-delaying legislation into law, prompting Boris Johnson to fulminate to this day about the “Corbyn surrender bill”. Despite the Prime Minister’s fury, he is not admitting defeat. Mr Johnson continues to insist that Brexit will be delivered nonetheless by October 31, without breaking the law, which has clearly sent jitters down Remainer spines as they now fear his team have a dastardly ruse to avoid being humiliated by the legislation. – Asa Bennett for the Telegraph (£) James Forsyth: Boris Johnson must give the country hope by showing voters what life can be like once Brexit is finally done Boris Johnson has a simple task at the Tory conference in Manchester this week: To show voters what life can be like once the political deadlock is broken and Britain has left the EU. He is now the only Westminster leader who can talk about this. Jeremy Corbyn wants another negotiation with the EU followed by another referendum. This would condemn the country to, at the very least, six more months in Brexit purgatory. The Liberal Democrats are offering an end to the whole Brexit process. They would simply cancel it. But their plan to just pretend the last three years never happened is as convincing as Bobby Ewing walking out of the shower in Dallas. So what Boris Johnson must do is give the country some hope and some optimism. He must paint a picture of what life can be like when MPs aren’t just shouting at each other about Brexit. – The Sun Joe Armitage: How Henry VIII powers could allow the government to cut through the Surrender Act Last night, Dominic Cummings indicated that there are “loopholes” in the Benn Act when accosted in the street by a journalist. This followed comments from constitutional lawyers and former prime minister John Major about how the government might use prerogative Privy Council orders to amend the law. Such orders, however, could not be used to abolish or amend an act of parliament – their use for such purposes was dispensed with by the British Bill of Rights in 1689. Emergency orders allowed by the Civil Contingencies Act – another potential loophole of the Benn Act that is cited – would not work for the government either, particularly given that the courts would almost certainly quash them immediately. In addition, a minister misusing the Civil Contingencies Act so axiomatically and egregiously in this way would make them vulnerable to prosecution for misusing public office. – Joe Armitage for the Telegraph (£) Matthew Parris: Cummings is right to polarise the nation The prime minister and his chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, have been making seriously inappropriate suggestions that a potentially violent mob is on their side and we’d better not antagonise it. But whatever our outrage, the sensible response from Remainers is to take absolutely no notice of them. It isn’t true that Leavers are about to don gilets jaunes and start smashing windows. Leavers are as law-abiding as Remainers. Boris Johnson demeans himself, if that were possible, by suggesting otherwise. – Matthew Parris for The Times (£) Benedict Spence: Remainers fear a Cummings comeback could smash their ‘watertight’ masterplan As Boris Johnson’s government veers from one crisis to the next, the phrase ‘classic Dom’ has entered the lexicon of the online commentariat, a sarcastic excoriation of the man hailed as a master tactician by Brexiteers and supporters of the Prime Minister. Dominic Cummings, so they say, thinks several steps ahead of his opponents – and so his opponents, both on the Remain side and in the Brexit Party, are delighting in what they see as his inevitable unravelling. But if it is to be his end, no one seems to have told him; if anything, he is positively reveling in the chaos around him. – Benedict Spence for the Telegraph (£) Rachel Cunliffe: Blame the Fixed-term Parliaments Act for this utter chaos in Westminster If you’re curious how a bar fight may have caused Brexit, or what the meat extract product Bovril has to do with keeping Britain out of the euro, it’s worth a listen. There are many directions in which to point the finger of blame for the tragedy of errors currently underway in Westminster, depending on how far back you go: Dominic Cummings’ gamble to prorogue parliament, Theresa May’s stubbornness in trying to force through a widely unpopular deal, opposition MPs refusing to look for a workable Brexit compromise, the folly of the 2017 General Election, or even David Cameron’s decision to call the referendum in the first place. But I would look back further in search of a culprit, to the disastrous move to pass the Fixed-term Parliaments Act (FTPA) in 2011. – Rachel Cunliffe for City A.M. Chris White: Here’s how Boris can get round the restrictions of the Benn Act In three weeks’ time the Prime Minister will be returning from the European Council with either a new deal to put to Parliament, or refusing to accept the backstop and intent on leaving on no-deal terms. Yet with MPs having passed the Benn Act three weeks ago, on Saturday October 19 the PM must by law send a letter to the EU requesting an extension to January 31 2020 if Parliament has not voted on and approved either a deal or a no-deal Brexit. The PM has said he would rather be “dead in a ditch” than seek an extension, but the Benn Act will force him to request an extension he doesn’t want. Downing Street has promised to test the Benn Act to its limits, and over the last two days several theories have been proposed. – Chris White for the Telegraph (£) Express: Surrender row MPs must deliver a people’s Brexit The Prime Minister is right to say “tempers need to come down”. There is no excuse for abuse or intimidation inside the chamber, on the street or on social media. Insults that would never be tolerated in a modern workplace have no place in Westminster. MPs should show that it is possible to disagree on a topic of great importance without treating your opponent like an enemy or a fool. All politicians – including the Speaker, the Prime Minister and every backbencher – should strive to take the venom out of public discourse and return courtesy, respect and kindness to the central stage of our democracy. Some subjects should be approached with special sensitivity. Many MPs are still grieving the loss of Jo Cox, a remarkable woman murdered by a far-Right terrorist. Her name should not be taken in vain, and politicians should not downplay real fears for the safety of MPs and their staff. This is a febrile time and those who have the honour of serving on the green benches should think about the consequences their words could have in a divided Britain. – Express editorial Brexit in Brief Local leaders are up to the Brexit challenge. But we need replacement EU funding to thrive – Kevin Bentley for the Telegraph (£) Was this the week British democracy died? – Michael St George for The Conservative Woman Supreme Court takes over to stop Brexit – Joshua Mackenzie-Lawrie for The Commentator In defence of the people – Roslyn Fuller for Spiked Stoke focus group offers hint that Boris Johnson’s Brexit strategy is working – The Times (£) Outrage as Amazon sells Remainer notepad entitled ‘My Little Book Of All The Brexiteers I Want To Stab’ – Daily Mail Boris Johnson will face two major protests at Tory Party conference in Manchester – iNews