Sign up here to receive the daily news briefing in your inbox every morning with exclusive insight from the BrexitCentral team EU mistakes partly to blame for Brexit, Juncker admits (as he makes a jibe about the diminishing importance of English) The European Union’s fear of admitting the truth about its own weaknesses and mistakes contributed to the Brexit vote, Jean-Claude Juncker confessed during a speech this morning. The European Commission president began a “state of the Union” speech in Florence with a joke about how Britain’s exit from the EU would diminish the English language as Europe’s lingua franca. “I will express myself in French because slowly but surely English is losing importance in Europe,” he said as the assembled politicians laughed. In a rare admission that the EU and the European continent faced a future of global economic decline, Mr Juncker admitted that the world of officialdom in Brussels had been reluctant to face inconvenient truths. “Europe does have some weaknesses that can partly explain the outcome of the referendum in the UK. There are some weaknesses that sometimes we perhaps overlook. We are maybe scared of the truth sometimes,” he said. – The Times (£) Brexit: English language ‘losing importance’ – EU’s Juncker . – BBC Watch Diplomats applaud Juncker’s switch to speak in French over English – Guardian EU chief Jean-Claude Juncker ‘very visibly drunk’ at major UN summit – The Sun Juncker’s jibes continue after Tusk calls for calm – Mark Stone for Sky News The happy slapper: Meet Jean-Claude Juncker, the joker in charge of the EU – Telegraph Michel Barnier says EU citizens with no proof they live in Britain should be handed permanent residency… EU citizens living in Britain should automatically be given permanent residency after Brexit even if they have no proof they have been living there, the lead negotiator for Brussels demanded yesterday. Michel Barnier called for “red tape” to be cut, handing an effective amnesty to the 3.2 million Europeans in Britain. It follows concern over a number of cases where people found it difficult to satisfy Home Office requirements of proof of residency. The same would apply for the 1.2 million Britons living in EU countries. “Individuals legally residing in the UK today must remain residents after withdrawal, including in those cases when people have no documents to prove residency,” Mr Barnier told a State of the Union conference in Florence. “The same goes for UK nationals in the 27. No one should be confronted with a mountain of red tape.” His suggestion was immediately criticised by Iain Duncan Smith, the former Conservative cabinet minister, who said it would allow a “free for all” where “anyone” could claim they had been living in the UK without proof. – The Times (£) …as he admits people across Europe are fed up with free movement Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier yesterday admitted people across Europe are frustrated with EU free movement but insisted following Britain’s example and quitting the bloc is not the answer to concerns about immigration.In a keynote speech in Florence the French official embarked on an impassioned defence of the project’s cornerstone policy and laid out his detailed demands on citizens rights which the UK will have to agree to before trade talks can start. Speaking at a summit on the future of the Brussels club Mr Barnier suggested that Theresa May’s plan to reduce net migration through border controls will not deliver the results UK voters were hoping for when they backed Brexit. – Express Tories are reaping rewards of tough Brexit position in local elections The overnight results further support the notion of Ukip as a “gateway drug” through which former Labour voters progressed to the Conservative hard stuff. Figures from Matthew Goodwin, a senior fellow at Chatham House, have suggested that of those who supported the party led by Nigel Farage in 2015, only 49% would back it again, while 33% could switch to the Tories and only would 3% turn to Labour. All of which explains why the prime minister wanted a photograph of herself standing at a lectern outside Downing Street, accusing the EU of meddling in British affairs, to be on the front page of every newspaper on Thursday morning. That was the image that Tory strategists wanted people to have in their minds as they headed for the polling stations. – Guardian Defeated Labour candidate for West Midlands Mayor Sion Simon says ‘unclear Brexit message’ was the reason for his loss – Express May accuses EU bureaucrats of questioning UK’s Brexit resolve – Guardian Ukip claims party is a ‘victim of its own success’ on Brexit after dismal election results – Independent No Lib Dem resurgence at local elections but share of votes increases – Guardian No point campaigning for UKIP, says party’s ex-MP – Politico My party’s triumphant and yet I feel fearful – Matthew Parris for The Times (£) Ukip may be over but the Brexit party goes on and on – Marina Hyde for The Guardian Ukip’s time could be over but it did what it set out to – Stephen Pollard for the Express > WATCH: Jonathan Isaby discusses the local election results on BBC News Belgian PM: Push Brexit button and May must pay British expectations in its divorce proceedings from the European Union are “not realistic,” Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said Friday, sending a clear warning that Britain will not escape having to foot a hefty bill for its momentous decision that has shaken the bloc to its core. Michel said in an interview with The Associated Press Friday that “those who think in Britain they can push the Brexit button and not have a bill to pay are seriously mistaken.” Over a few testy days this week, both sides sparred about the negotiations, which are to start after the British June 8 elections, with some questioning what, if anything, Britain should pay for. – Associated Press Merkel vows fair, constructive Brexit talks German Chancellor Angela Merkel is renewing a pledge to conduct Brexit talks “fairly and constructively,” while also stressing the importance of European Union unity and the need to protect the interests of EU citizens in Britain. Merkel says that Germany will push to “create clarity and planning security as quickly as possible” for EU residents in Britain, including about 100,000 Germans. She added that the EU also must “limit the damage that Britain’s withdrawal could bring for the European Union as a whole if the withdrawal and transition did not succeed.” Merkel said during a speech in Hamburg that it’s important that the remaining EU 27 members remain as united in the negotiations as they have been since the Brexit referendum in June. – Associated Press European Commission: We’re done with the Juncker-May dinner Before heading into the weekend, the Commission was eager to say the Brexit drama was over. Commission deputy spokesman Alexander Winterstein several times declined to make any substantive comment on Donald Tusk’s calls to tone down the rhetoric on Brexit after a week of back and forth between Brussels and London on how the dinner between Theresa May and Jean-Claude Juncker really went. “I think we discussed everything about the dinner,” said Winterstein, reflecting the EU’s softer line of recent days, with Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier backing evidence-based Brexit talks and Jean-Claude Juncker saying he respected May. – Politico May needs more time for Brexit, says Varoufakis Scathing about his own experience of negotiating with the EU, when Greece began to flounder in the eurozone in 2015, the left-wing academic said of the bloc: “It’s the worst combination of authoritarianism, contempt for democracy and technical incompetence. I’ve never met such bad economists as I have in Brussels. If a first-year university student of mine had presented me with their economic models I would have failed him but they don’t care because it’s all about power.” Turning to domestic British politics, Mr Varoufakis said that Jeremy Corbyn’s analysis of widespread discontent among Britons was “fundamentally correct”, but said the Labour leader was “too old-fashioned for the electoral system”. – The Times (£) ‘May’s tactics are precisely wrong … Brussels will want to crush Britain’ says Varoufakis – The Times interview (£) Is Spain Softening over Gibraltar? Spain’s government seems to be softening its position on Gibraltar, according to a blueprint for Brexit negotiations. Instead of seeking Madrid’s immediate assumption of sovereignty over the Rock, the new plan focuses on abolishing Gibraltar’s low tax regime while preserving the rights of Spanish workers in the territory. The blueprint is contained in a Brexit briefing sent to lawmakers in Congress. – Politico Spanish military aircraft ‘intrudes in Gibraltar’s air space’ Gibraltar’s government has accused Spain of “completely unacceptable” interference after a Spanish military aircraft strayed inside its air space. A passenger jet using the territory’s airport was delayed after the Spanish military P3 Orion flew to within two miles of Gibraltar’s coastline, a statement said. Fabian Picardo, Chief Minister, said the incursion on Friday was the latest in a deliberate campaign of harassment.The incident delayed a British Airways flight bound for Heathrow as air traffic controllers tracked the aircraft. He said: “It is no secret that Spain has been deliberately causing problems for Gibraltar at our border and through its incursions into British Gibraltar Territorial Waters. – Telegraph Former Finnish PM claims EU made up Brexit rules to punish UK The rules of the EU have been manipulated to give Theresa May an unfair and uphill battle to strike a fair Brexit rule, according to the former Finnish Prime Minister. Alexander Stubb, the former Finnish prime minister, said there are a number of EU bureaucrats who “just want to punish” Britain for standing up to the bloc. This comes after David Davis told the BBC there had been a “deliberately misleading briefing” by the European Commission about the Downing Street dinner last week. Mr Stubb told the BBC Today Programme this was a “silly leak” and warned Juncker and his allies to “learn their lesson” before acting out again. – Express Brussels plans to saddle UK with EU nuclear waste Britain will be on the hook for large volumes of dangerous radioactive waste — some of it imported from the rest of Europe — under proposals by Brussels to transfer ownership of a range of nuclear materials to the UK after it leaves the EU. Almost 130 tonnes of plutonium stored at Sellafield in Cumbria is among the nuclear material that would formally shift to UK control, according to draft documents issued by Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator. All “special fissile material” — forms of uranium and plutonium used in nuclear fuels and some of the resulting waste — within the EU are technically owned by Euratom, the pan-European regulator of civilian nuclear activity. – FT (£) What does Marine Le Pen mean for the EU? The deeply Eurosceptic populist, who wants France to exit the EU, is entering the final hours of her campaign against pro-EU centrist Emmanuel Macron. Marine Le Pen is trailing more than 20 points behind the centrist in the polls with the most recent surveys putting her at 39 per cent versus his 62 per cent. Mr Macron is almost certain to win the French election to the relief of Brussels, according to Aarti Shankar, a policy analyst at Open Europe. “In the event of a Macron victory, there would be big sigh of relief. They have been dreading the possibility of a Le Pen victory,” Ms Shankar said.If Ms Le Pen wins the French election, she would push for France to leave the Schengen Area, eurozone and even the EU itself. – Express After ‘Brexit’ and Trump, Trust Is an Issue With French Polls – New York Times Macron offers the best hope for French reform and for Britain – Andrew Sentance for The Telegraph (£) France going Eurosceptic regardless of election result – Joseph Hackett for The Commentator Emmanuel Macron as French president would be terrible for Britain – but not as bad as Marine Le Pen – Daniel Hannan MEP for The Telegraph (£) Katy Balls: What’s gone wrong for the Liberal Democrats? Tim Farron had hoped to seize the momentum given to his party since the EU referendum result to mount a sizeable comeback. As the only unashamedly pro-EU party, they are vying to win back seats off the Conservatives in Remain areas (as they did in the Richmond Park by-election) and also try and mount a comeback in the West Country (which used to be a Lib Dem heartland — even if it did vote for Brexit). What’s particularly worrying for the party is that it’s the Greens, not Lib Dems, who have received a boost in the West Country — successfully defending a number of seats while making gains across the region. The fact that only the national vote has risen suggests that any surge for the Lib Dems is not coming together in a targeted way that will achieve results in June. – Katy Balls for The Spectator Dominic Raab: Our latest dust-up with the EU makes me more optimistic about our Brexit prospects I know all of us who want to see Britain secure a win-win deal with our EU friends are now supposed to be down in the mouth. But after the first real political dust-up between the UK and the EU commission, I can’t help feeling buoyed. Here’s why. First, yes, the predictable political point that, in a tough negotiation, we need a strong leader – and Theresa May knocks the spots off chaotic Jeremy Corbyn and feeble Tim Farron. Second, the off-record briefings from the EU commission shine a light on the EU’s internal politics – which may just prove useful during Brexit.Start with an obvious point. If some in Brussels truly feel the need to exact a price from Britain, to show it hurts to leave the EU, what does that say about levels of insecurity amongst the EU’s top brass? – Dominic Raab for the Independent Warwick Lightfoot: Here’s how we could see lower food prices after Brexit Earlier this week a House of Lords committee published a report looking at the impact of Brexit on agriculture which set out the challenges that the producer lobbies in British agriculture and food sectors will face when we leave the EU. Nowhere did they recognise that protectionism drives food prices in the EU above world prices. Leaving the EU gives the UK the opportunity to move towards free trade, thereby reducing food prices and benefitting all consumers, especially those on lower incomes. The report briefly quotes evidence from Lord Forsyth and Professor Alan Swinbank (a former professor at the University of Reading) which argues that, after Brexit, there will be opportunities to open agriculture to international competition and to lower British food prices. – Warwick Lightfoot for The Telegraph Mark Littlewood: The Lib Dems’ lacklustre local election results show the limits of their flimsy ‘stop Brexit’ pitch What must be bewildering for the Liberal Democrats is how, in the changed political climate since 2015, they have failed to effortlessly zoom upwards. One might have thought that with Theresa May harvesting Ukip votes and the Labour Party leaping, not merely lurching, to the hard left, that the going would be easy. Even just by sitting back and doing nothing, the Liberal Democrats might well have expected to see their vote share return to the high teens or low twenties as moderate Labour voters and Remain-inclined Tories flocked to their banner. The prevailing media narrative has been that this is happening or surely will happen by polling day. But the actual evidence for such a proposition is vanishingly thin. Some impressive by-election results notwithstanding, LibDem poll ratings remain barely above their disastrous 2015 total of 8 per cent. Mark Littlewood for The Telegraph (£) Katy Balls: The EU started this fight, but Tough Theresa must build bridges anyway Any negative press about May appearing difficult or not playing by the rules only plays into No 10’s strategy for both the election and the EU negotiations. The opposition want to talk about domestic issues, but May wants to make this vote about Brexit and leadership. CCHQ know that making Corbyn seem like a credible threat is a tough sell to the majority of the electorate. In 2015, London property owners were frantically dividing their homes in anticipation of Miliband’s mansion tax. In 2017, talk of Corbyn entering Number 10 is more likely to provoke laughter than fear. A focus on Brexit That’s why the focus is on Brexit. In Brussels, May has a credible threat. She’s said she has called this election to give her a stronger hand in the Brexit negotiations both at home and abroad. “The briefings, comments and warnings from Brussels helps her argument that only Tungsten Theresa is up to standing up for Britain in the face of the EU” – Katy Balls for The i Brexit comment in brief The idea the UK owes up to €100bn is just plain silly – John Redwood’s Diary Ashley Fox: A General Election victory will finally convince Brussels we really are leaving the EU – Ashley Fox MEP for ConservativeHome Theresa May’s Brexit Britain can no longer be considered a serious country – Joris Luyendijk for The Guardian Silliness on police, Brexit shows why Tories must win – John Redwood for The Commentator May could get her mandate and still be plagued by Brexiteer backbenchers – Kate Maltby for The Guardian I’m a lifelong Labour supporter and an arch-Remainer. Here’s why I’m voting Conservative. – Simon Tilbrook for ConservativeHome Brexit news in brief Goldman Sachs warns London will ‘stall’ ahead of Brexit – Daily Mail German leader drops Brexit rhetoric and admits ‘we need Britain’ – Express New Brussels museum tells history from European perspective – Reuters Labour peer Lord Mandelson stomps out of Brexit talk – Daily Mail Portillo rails against eu’s ‘haters of democracy’ for killing chance of UK Brexit deal – Express Paris battles Frankfurt in post-Brexit bid for banking watchdog – Politico And Finally…Brits talk more about avocados than Brexit on social media, study finds Health conscious Brits are more interested in posting about avocados than Brexit on social media. New research has found we are a nation of social media “food porn” fanatics, with more than half of all social media users posting a picture of their food at least once a week and a fifth posting up to three times each week. More than a tenth also admit to buying foods specifically to post about them on social media, the poll of 2,000 Brits found. At the time of writing, there have been 5.7 million uses of the hashtag #avocado on Instagram, compared to 344 thousand for #brexit. – Daily Mirror