EU could exclude UK from updates on trade talks to stop it gaining an advantage The EU is toying with excluding the UK out of key briefings on trade policy over fears Britain could become a competitor once it quits the bloc.The European Commission indicated last month it could shut the UK out of sensitive briefings following warnings the UK could be a threat to trade deals post-Brexit. In a briefing with Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, the Commission warned there needs to be a “discussion about the treatment of sensitive information in the context of certain trade negotiations, to which the UK would continue to have access to while it remained a full member of the union.” The crux of the issue lies with the Trade Policy Committee, where representatives from the 28 member states meet weekly to discuss ongoing or planned negotiations. – Daily Express Parliament’s Brexit man has his wings clipped The European Parliament may have found a way to rein in Guy Verhofstadt, its flamboyant, Euro-fanatic Brexit “coordinator.” In what one parliamentary official called a move to “clip Verhofstadt’s wings,” the Parliament’s powerful decision-making Conference of Presidents has decided he’ll have to share what power he has with an informal “steering committee” of other prominent parliamentarians: Veteran German MEP Elmar Brok of the dominant center-right European People’s Party (EPP), his EPP colleague Danuta Hübner who chairs the influential Constitutional Affairs Committee, Roberto Gualtieri of the Socialists, leftist Gabriele Zimmer and the Greens’ Philippe Lamberts. – Politico Don’t punish the City in Brexit talks, Mark Carney warns Mark Carney warned the EU against punishing Britain in looming divorce talks yesterday – saying the City of London ‘channels the lifeblood’ of the continent’s economy. The Bank of England governor urged Brussels against resorting to ‘protectionism’ as he insisted placing restrictions on financial services would be damaging for both sides. He called for a sweeping deal to recognise each other’s banking standards, saying the negotiations would be ‘litmus test’ on how well nations could cooperate. – Daily Mail Bank of England’s Mark Carney to financial services sector: We want your Brexit plans – City A.M. Brexit must not cut City off from rest of Europe, says Mark Carney – The Guardian Bank of England’s Carney calls for UK-EU bank rules pact after Brexit – Daily Mail Mark Carney urges UK to ‘take the high road’ in Brexit talks as he goes in to bat for globalisation – Daily Telegraph Barnier ‘lobbied to stop May withdrawing article 50 in two years’ The EU’s chief negotiator ‘lobbied for the UK to be barred from stopping the article 50 process’ without the rest of the union’s consent Senior Brussels sources say Michel Barnier asked for the line stopping the UK from unilaterally reversing the process to be included in a European parliament resolution that passed on Wednesday. The move came amid fears in Brussels that Theresa May could “abuse” the process to extend talks when the two-year negotiations are over. The European parliament’s resolution subsequently made clear the withdrawal process could only be stopped with the consent of the other 27 member states. There are concerns among some in the EU that May could be tempted to revoke article 50 once it becomes evident that the two years allowed under the Lisbon treaty is insufficient time for the talks, only for her to then trigger the withdrawal clause once again, artificially extending the negotiating period.- The Guardian May’s Brexit nemesis to head new Remain campaign Gina Miller, who won a Supreme Court battle in January to give parliament a say in approving Brexit, has joined forces with luminaries from business, the arts and the charity sector to campaign against Theresa May’s plans for leaving the EU. UK-EU Open Policy Limited, which was incorporated last October, is backed by Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and is due to launch publicly within weeks. Campaigners want to put pressure on Mrs May to negotiate a so-called soft Brexit, with as much access to the single market as possible and few new restrictions on immigration. They also want to offer the impetus and infrastructure for a second referendum campaign should opinion turn against leaving. – The Times (£) Bank of England urges City to ‘plan for all eventualities’ The Bank of England has written to the UK’s biggest financial firms, urging them to plan for “all eventualities” from the UK leaving the European Union. Bank governor Mark Carney said the “vast majority” of City firms already had contingency plans in place. However, he said that some financial firms still needed to prepare in case of a “more extreme” outcome. In a speech, Mr Carney urged the UK and EU to recognise each other’s bank rules after Brexit. Prime Minister Theresa May triggered Article 50 last week, starting two years of formal talks on the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. Goldman Sachs, HSBC and UBS are among the banks that have said they will move some jobs out of London as a result of Brexit. – BBC New figures show trade deficit has shrunk since leave vote Britain’s Brexit boom continues to confound Remoaner doom-mongers after new figures reveal that the trade deficit has massively shrunk since last year’s historic vote to leave the EU. According to the Office of National Statistics (ONS) the UK deficit on trade in goods and services narrowed to £8.5 billion in the latest quarter, the three months to February 2017. In another positive sign the FTSE 100 shot up by more than 46 points today as traders expressed confidence in the British economy. The figures came despite continued Project Fear claims by supporters of Remaining under Brussels rule that leaving the EU will severely damage the economy. And it comes against a backdrop of major companies such as Google, Facebook, Nissan and others announcing huge investments in the UK following the referendum result. – Daily Express Imports from the EU rise ahead of Brexit talks – Daily Mail Best EU brains are still coming here despite Brexit, says UCL university chief The head of University College London today hailed the recruitment of “high-profile Europeans” to fill some of its key posts as a sign that the Brexit vote is not deterring top EU academics from moving here. Professor Michael Arthur, provost of UCL, said the new appointees would fill “big jobs” and had been attracted by the capital’s outstanding reputation for science. He added that the appointments showed “people have not been put off by Brexit” and the “very best” talents were still keen to take posts in London. He also disclosed that there had been no exodus of European staff since last June’s vote and that the university was optimistic it could retain significant numbers of EU students after Britain’s departure. – Evening Standard Greens warn of Brexit ‘environment threat’ Brexit poses an “unprecedented” threat to laws protecting the environment, the Green Party is to warn at the launch of its local election campaign. Co-leader Jonathan Bartley said: “These laws protect our air, water and climate and they affect everyone in the UK who values our natural world.” He wants a new Environmental Protection Act to replace EU legislation. The government says EU environmental protection rules will be copied across into UK law to ensure continuity. But environmental campaigners fear the government will start scrapping them after Britain’s exit from the EU to cut red tape. Mr Bartley, who co-leads the Green Party of England and Wales with MP Caroline Lucas, said: “Brexit is an unprecedented threat to the environment and puts 40 years of legislation at risk.” – BBC Macer Hall: Clues point to a watered-down Brexit outcome The Prime Minister is so calculatingly economical in her public statements that the richest clues are more often found in what she does not reveal than in what she does. To discover whether she intends to wield the political dagger a Westminster sleuth must first cross the revolver, the lead piping and the candlestick off the list. Nowhere is this approach more necessary than in trying to discern her intentions in the negotiations about Britain’s departure from the EU. Only by analysing what the Prime Minister has declined to rule out from any potential deal is it possible to see what she is ruling in. Gradually a profile of the likely deal is beginning to be pieced together. Mrs May frequently looks forward to Britain enjoying “frictionless” trade with EU nations after Brexit. Her refusal to use the phrase “tariff free” suggests she is ready to accept terms that will allow some levies on British exports to the continent. When questioned about a possible EU divorce settlement, the Prime Minister will only say that Britain will no longer make huge payments to Brussels “year after year” – Macer Hall for the Daily Express John Curtice: On Brexit, Theresa May is giving the public what they want Much of the debate about the kind of Brexit that the UK should be seeking in its negotiations with the EU has focused on one question: soft or hard? The former implies prioritising continued access to the Single Market. The latter is taken to mean focusing above all on immigration control.The reason this is seen as the choice is obvious. The EU believes that free movement of labour is a necessary concomitant of free trade in goods and services. So if the UK wishes to curtail freedom of movement it is likely to be granted less in the way of free trade. Indeed, the British government has acknowledged this point. Keen above all to end freedom of movement, it has indicated that it will not seek to remain a member of the Single Market. Yet this is not how the British public sees Brexit. Research conducted by NatCen Social Research has found that what most voters in Britain want is both immigration control and free trade. – John Curtice for CapX Boost in trade will bring us post-Brexit prosperity Our exporters are already going from strength to strength and that is even before we have won back the right to scrap burdensome regulations and do our own trade deals. Our economy is soaring and has been since the referendum last June. Yet still there are people out there who refuse to accept the decision made by the voters. These Remoaners cannot bring themselves to acknowledge the fact that Brexit is not going to be the disaster they envisaged. This negative attitude does our nation a great disservice. We are one of the world’s largest economies. Our language is spoken across the globe, our artists and musicians lead the world, and our legal and political systems have provided a template for many countries. – Daily Express editorial Ed Conway: Britain needs to dismantle senseless trading barriers For the past four decades Britain has been grateful to take a back seat in such affairs and leave them to the EU. Trade negotiations are complex, achingly boring and yet capable of stoking up the most distressing responses. In 2003 a South Korean farmer stabbed himself to death at a World Trade Organisation summit following obscure changes to agriculture market access rules. The UK’s modus operandi has been to blame the EU for silly trade barriers such as the common agricultural policy while quietly lobbying for silly trade barriers for its favoured sectors. Those whisky standards are there in the codex for the same reason parmesan and parma ham are there: to protect a member state’s key export. – The Times (£) Syed Kamall: Secretive Verhofstadt, constructive Barnier The mood in Brussels is currently akin to the build-up to a big rugby match. The submission of Article 50 sent the teams out onto the pitch, and now the two sides are taking turns to perform the Haka, that pre-match ritual dance designed to intimidate opponents – while the other stands silently, projecting strength and resoluteness. On the sidelines, pundits are predicting how the game will play out and commenting on tactics. Was Theresa May right to omit Gibraltar when she picked her line up for the Article 50 letter? Has the European Council gone for a too attack-minded formation in demanding that the UK agrees to settle its outstanding bills before wider talks begin? – Syed Kamall for ConservativeHome Mark Stuart: Brexit lessons for Theresa May 25 years after John Major’s shock election win For the previous month, he had been campaigning around the country – even taking to a soapbox in the final week – and had just discovered that he had unexpectedly won the 1992 General Election, confounding the opinion pollsters who had predicted a victory for Neil Kinnock’s Labour Party. Prophetically, however, when Major commented to his wife Norma that his Conservative government had been re-elected, she had fallen fast asleep. Almost immediately, Major’s second government had fallen flat. The political honeymoon was virtually over before it had begun. Two months later, the Danes voted against the Maastricht Treaty, plunging the British ratification process into chaos… The first lesson is that Europe has an unerring capacity to divide the Conservative Party. – Mark Stuart for the Yorkshire Post Brexit comment in brief Accept Brexit, take back control of our railways and fight the Tory failures – readers’ views on article 50 – LabourList reader views on Article 50 – LabourList Brexit will demand a nation of networkers – Julia Hobsbawm for City A.M. How the Brexit vote rocked Gibraltar – Joy Lo Dico for the Evening Standard Churchill’s ‘promise’ to give up the Rock – Ben Macintyre for The Times (£) Not racist to want NHS nurses to speak English – Dr Max for the Daily Mail Brexit news in brief GMB demands Government release ‘secret’ Brexit impact research following leaked document – PoliticsHome Diane Abbott taken to task by furious Brexit voter – The Spectator Sovereignty of Gibraltar not up for debate in Brexit talks, Theresa May warns – Daily Mail Meet the traders looking forward to a bumper summer (and it’s partly thanks to Brexit) – Dorset Echo Britons increasingly wary of switching jobs against Brexit backdrop – City A.M. Cadbury owner threatens to shrink size of chocolate – Independent Ukip chief fumes at Remain politicians on BBC panel show – Daily Express Don’t say divorce, say special relationship: the thorny language of Brexit – The Guardian