Boris Johnson lines up hardline eurosceptic Daniel Moylan as senior Brexit policy adviser: Brexit News for Thursday 18 July

Boris Johnson lines up hardline eurosceptic Daniel Moylan as senior Brexit policy adviser: Brexit News for Thursday 18 July
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Boris Johnson lines up hardline eurosceptic Daniel Moylan as senior Brexit policy adviser…

Boris Johnson has appointed a combative Eurosceptic as a senior adviser to his EU divorce team, the Telegraph can reveal, in a sign that supporters of a clean-break Brexit with infrastructure on the Irish border are now in the ascendancy on his leadership team. Daniel Moylan, a former senior Johnson lieutenant during his days as London Mayor and Kensington and Chelsea councillor, has been an implacable opponent of both Theresa May’s Withdrawal Agreement and the Irish backstop. The 63 year-old’s appointment was met with a mixed reception among moderates who have backed Mrs May’s deal, with one MP from that group observing that “we really are doomed” if Mr Moylan was in charge. However, Brexiteers welcomed Mr Moylan as a breath of fresh air and a clear sign that Mr Johnson was serious about his promise to leave the EU on Oct 31 with or without a deal. – Telegraph (£)

> Read all Daniel Moylan’s articles for BrexitCentral by clicking here

…as Johnson says his first task as PM would be a public information campaign about No Deal…

Boris Johnson has said his first task as prime minister will be to warn people about the risks of leaving the EU without a deal, should he win the Tory leadership contest. The man who is expected to be named PM on Tuesday told ITV News Political Editor Robert Peston that the first job he’ll carry out in his new role will be to highlight to the public “all the possible risks” of no deal Brexit. Speaking on ITV’s Peston programme, he said: “We make sure everybody understands all the possible risks and eventualities. It’s by doing that in a really wholehearted and systematic and confident way, that you of course minimise any disruption that might take place in the unlikely eventuality of actually having to come out on WTO terms.” – ITV News

…and wows Tory members at final hustings as he condemns EU red tape on fish in fiery Brexit pledge

A fired-up Boris Johnson has vowed to deliver Brexit on time and unite the country. Addressing a 4,000-strong rally of jubilant Tory members he declared that Britain must leave by October 31. And the front runner for the party leadership hailed the Daily Express for showing why restrictive Brussels red tape means quitting the bloc is the right thing to do. “We need to get on and get out of the EU on October 31,” he said, adding: “This is a great country, we can do it.” Voters want Parliament to “get on and deliver Brexit,” Boris Johnson said. Shortly before he addressed the final hustings of the leadership contest, the Daily Express handed the former foreign secretary a package of kippers to demonstrate the impact of EU regulations. They were produced by a smokery on the Isle of Man, a Crown dependency, where staff say EU rules have forced them to include a cooling pack in packages sent to customers by post. Industry insiders say the rule has added huge costs to production. Mr Johnson said: “You’ve brought me a classic piece pointless petty fogging interference. Why does a kipper from the Isle of Man need to be told by the EU that he has to provide a pillow of ice with every kipper?” – Express

Michel Barnier says the UK ‘will have to face consequences’ in the event of No Deal…

The UK will have to “face the consequences” if it opts to leave without a deal, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator has said. Michel Barnier told BBC Panorama the thrice-rejected agreement negotiated by Theresa May was the “only way to leave the EU in an orderly manner”. He also insisted Mrs May and her ministers “never” told him during Brexit talks she might opt for no deal. Publicly, Mrs May has always insisted no deal is better than a bad deal. In his first UK broadcast interview – conducted in May before the start of the Conservative leadership contest – Mr Barnier was asked what would happen if the UK “just tore up the membership card” for the EU. “The UK will have to face the consequences,” he replied. – BBC News

…and the Office for Budget Responsibility revives Project Fear with suggestion that a no-deal Brexit ‘would send Britain into recession’

Britain will slip into recession next year and the economy will be 3 per cent smaller if there is a no-deal Brexit, the UK’s official economic forecaster is expected to say today. The Office for Budget Responsibility is due to give its first assessment of the economic impact of a no-deal Brexit, including how it may affect household incomes, wages, employment and house prices. The five-year forecast predicts that the economy will contract in 2020 as the UK officially enters into a recession, The Times understands. The economy is forecast to recover the following year, but GDP is still likely to be at least 3 per cent lower under a no-deal than if the UK leaves the EU with a deal. – The Times (£)

House of Lords passes amendment aimed at helping to prevent a no-deal Brexit…

A no-deal showdown is expected in the House of Commons on Thursday after peers passed stronger protections against the prospect of a Boris Johnson administration attempting to prorogue parliament to force an exit from the EU in October. The House of Lords passed an amendment by a majority of 103 on Wednesday that would ensure parliament would sit in the weeks leading up to the 31 October deadline. Fears have been growing that Johnson could prorogue or dissolve parliament in order to allow the deadline to pass without MPs interfering. Thirteen Tory peers rebelled against the government to vote for the amendment from the crossbench peer David Anderson, a former independent reviewer of terror legislation, with support from Labour and the Lib Dems. – Guardian

…with speculation that ministers could quit to back a new Dominic Grieve amendment today…

Dominic Grieve could succeed in his attempt to block Parliamentarians from proroguing Parliament with ministers prepared to resign to support. According to BBC Newsnight’s political editor, Nicholas Watt, despite Mr Grieve failing in his amendment last week, the House of Lords backing a Lord Anderson amendment made the chances of Parliament going on the amendment a lot more likely. Parliament could be suspended in order to prevent MPs from blocking a no deal. Mr Watt explained: “Tonight I’ve learnt there are big discussions amongst big ministers about whether they should resign tomorrow. It is to support a possible vote in Parliament which would effectively block the next Prime Minister from suspending Parliament.” – Express

…while rumours swirl that Philip Hammond is planning to jump before he is pushed if Boris Johnson becomes Prime Minister…

Philip Hammond is poised to quit before Boris Johnson becomes prime minister next week, Tory sources said last night. The Chancellor is said to have told friends he accepts he is on his way out of the government and is determined to deny Mr Johnson the satisfaction of sacking him. One insider last night said removal vans could arrive at Number 11 Downing Street as early as today. A Treasury source insisted Mr Hammond, currently in Paris ahead of a G7 summit, had not yet decided what to do when Theresa May steps down on Wednesday. But a senior Tory source said the Chancellor had made it clear to allies that he would offer his resignation to Mrs May rather than wait for Mr Johnson to sack him. – Daily Mail

…as it is reported the Chancellor is ‘terrified’ by Jacob Rees-Mogg’s claim of a no-deal Brexit boost

Philip Hammond, the chancellor, has said it is “terrifying” that one of Boris Johnson’s close allies, Jacob Rees-Mogg, believes a no-deal Brexit will boost the economy. The chancellor, who is expected to exit the government next week, expressed his horror after Rees-Mogg used a Daily Telegraph opinion piece to dismiss the “pure silliness” of Treasury forecasts suggesting a £90bn hit to the economy. Rees-Mogg claimed there were economic models that showed “the total positive impact of no deal could be in the region of about £80bn”. Hammond hit back at the argument, saying on Twitter: “Happy to debate scale of negative impact of no deal on the economy – but terrifying that someone this close to a potential future government can think we’d actually be better off by adding barriers to access to our largest market.” – Guardian

Brexit secretary claims EU would start trade talks very quickly after No Deal because of UK’s ‘size and importance’…

The EU will give in “very quickly” after a no-deal Brexit and start talks on a trade deal because of the UK’s “size and importance”, Stephen Barclay has claimed. The bloc’s unity will crumble under pressure from its voters and businesses once the “impact of no deal” is felt, the Brexit secretary told a committee of MPs. Brussels has repeatedly insisted it will not move on to “phase two” trade talks if the UK crashes out without an agreement – unless and until obligations on the £39bn “divorce bill”, the Irish border and EU citizens are met. – Independent

> WATCH: Peter Bone MP challenges Steven Barclay MP at the ExEU Committee

…as it is suggested that Steve Barclay angered the EU with Brexit ‘backtracking’…

The EU warned Stephen Barclay that he was putting Britain in legal breach of the terms of the Brexit extension until October 31 during bad-tempered talks in Brussels last week. Michel Barnier, the EU’s lead negotiator, expressed outrage that the Brexit secretary had told him five times that the draft withdrawal agreement was dead. Mr Barnier told the cabinet minister that he was “backtracking” and “deviating” from a legal guarantee that government would not undermine the withdrawal agreement during the extension. “Barclay was told he was backtracking and in breach of the terms of the extension that was signed by Theresa May in April,” a diplomat briefed on the meeting said. “The terms of the extension is clear. It is for ratification not renegotiation or to create new problems with its implementation.” – The Times (£)

…but he denies the claim that he told Michel Barnier that the Brexit deal is ‘dead’…

Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay dismissed claims he told EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier the withdrawal deal is “dead” during an angry exchange in Brussels last week. The Times reported the pair had a tense meeting over how the Brexit issue could be resolved by the next prime minister. “He told Barnier that the Withdrawal Agreement was dead — not once but five times,” a senior EU diplomat told the paper. “If this is what is coming then we will be heading for no-deal very quickly.” But appearing before MPs on the Brexit select committee this morning, Barclay said the reports about the spat were “misleading.” – Politico

…and hints that Britain could abandon plans to boot French fishermen out of UK waters under a no-deal Brexit

Brexit Britain could renege on a vow to boot French fishermen out of UK waters in a No Deal to avoid chaos at Calais. Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay told MPs that the UK would take back control of fishing rights “legally” in the event of a cliff edge exit on October 31. But he said: “There is a wider interplay beyond fishing and the fishing arrangements. An interplay between what happens at Calais and how we ensure there aren’t protests and issues with flow of goods.” Mr Barclay – who told the cross-party Brexit committee the risks of a No Deal were being “underpriced” – said fishing was an example of where it made sense to strike an agreement in “the mutual interest” with EU nations. – The Sun

Learn to compromise, Theresa May tells potential successors in final speech as PM

Theresa May has told Boris Johnson to stay out of gutter politics as she sounded the alarm against the rise of populism. Without naming her likely successor, Mrs May urged the next prime minister to compromise in the pursuit of a “sustainable” Brexit outcome around which the nation could reunite. Making her last speech before she stands down on Wednesday she said she was worried that politics was losing its ability to balance competing interests. Technology, meanwhile, allowed people to “express their anger and anxiety without filter or accountability”. “An inability to combine principles with pragmatism and make a compromise when required seems to have driven our whole political discourse down the wrong path,” she said. Compromise had been essential to the establishment of many postwar international institutions, she said, and had been vital to the creation of the NHS. – The Times (£)

  • Theresa May warns Brexit solution will require compromise – Politico

> WATCH: What Theresa May said about Brexit in her final speech as PM

10 Labour MPs ‘ready to back No Deal rather than no Brexit at all’

As many as ten Labour MPs are ready to back no-deal over no Brexit at all, Jeremy Corbyn’s ex-frontbencher Emma Lewell-Buck has said. The South Shields MP told HuffPost UK she would defy the party whip and back crashing out over revoking Article 50 if there was no other choice. The former shadow minister for children and families said she feared a failure to deliver Brexit could block a Labour government and hand Nigel Farage the keys to Number 10. Lewell-Buck also blasted Remainers in her party who have pushed for a second referendum, saying they “need to start listening” and “get realistic”. “I stood on a manifesto that said I would deliver the outcome of the referendum,” she said. “I would obviously prefer to leave with a deal, but if it comes down to no Brexit or no-deal then I would go with no-deal because the consequences mean that Labour will not be in government in the future and we will lose seats. For me that is a far worse scenario than any Brexit outcome would be.” – Huffington Post

Stop Boris Johnson getting the Queen involved in Brexit, says judge

The Queen must be kept out of Brexit controversy by establishing an inner privy council to advise her on proroguing parliament, one of Britain’s most eminent lawyers has proposed. In an article for The Times the retired Supreme Court Judge Lord Sumption said that legal challenges to prevent Boris Johnson from suspending parliament to push through no-deal would prove futile. He warned that, under constitutional convention, the Queen would have little choice but to agree to any suspension asked for by her prime minister. Instead he suggested that a committee of privy counsellors should be established to advise the monarch on the constitutional propriety of requests by a future prime minister. – The Times (£)

People’s Vote campaign ‘at war’ over whether it should back remaining in the EU

The People’s Vote group is at war over whether it should explicitly campaign for the UK to remain in the EU, with “blazing rows” over strategy among senior officials at its headquarters in recent weeks. Leaked emails and WhatsApp messages seen by BuzzFeed News reveal that the tensions among leading People’s Vote campaigners have boiled over into outright animosity. The bitter internal divisions are centred on a fundamental strategic disagreement over whether People’s Vote should overtly campaign to remain in the EU, BuzzFeed News can reveal. The factional warfare comes to a head as a march is due to take place in London this Saturday, which is being “aggressively” opposed by senior People’s Vote strategists behind the scenes because they feel the event is too overtly pro-EU. – Buzzfeed News

Pieter Cleppe: Ursula von der Leyen is gearing up to be the most hardcore EU-federalist Commission President in history

Ursula von der Leyen, one of the least popular members of the German government, last night received the backing of a small majority of MEPs to succeed Jean-Claude Juncker as European Commission President. But what should we expect to see under her tenure? By picking von der Leyen, European leaders discarded the so-called Spitzenkandidaten system, which meant they would have to select someone first nominated by one of the political groups in the European Parliament. “This angered many MEPs, so in response, von der Leyen has been reaching out to Left-wing MEPs through a string of ‘progressive’ and centralising policies, thereby upsetting many in her own centre-right European People’s Party (EPP). – Pieter Cleppe for the Telegraph (£)

Liam Halligan: Varadkar’s backstop gamble could cost Ireland dearly

‘The government has relished wearing the green jersey on Brexit and standing up to the British with the help of the European Union — and been aware of the political benefits of doing so,’ thundered Pat Leahy in the Irish Times last week. ‘But now the pitfalls begin to emerge from the fog.’ Leo Varadkar gambled on the British government either cancelling Brexit or getting roped in by the backstop to accept Brexit in name only. The Taoiseach lost that gamble — and his strategy now lies in tatters. Since mid-2017, when Varadkar took office, teaming up with Brussels to take a maximalist, ultra-legalistic approach to the Irish border, his domestic commentariat has overwhelmingly backed him. The opportunity to exploit Theresa May’s reliance on the DUP, with tiny Ireland making life difficult for the mighty Brits, was just too tempting to miss. – Liam Halligan for The Spectator

Quentin Letts: Our political elite want us fearful about Brexit and not united in joy

That amazing Cricket World Cup final last Sunday was, according to some, a moment everyone in the country could cheer as one. Black, white, gay, straight, Christian, Moonie, carnivore, nut-loaf vegan — the nation was glued together in delight. There were even reports of Glaswegians supporting England, and that’s as uncommon as a goldfish walking into Tesco and asking to buy a jar of tartar sauce. The exciting scenes from Lord’s provided a rare communal feel-good moment. We were united in joy. But you can bet there were a few snooty Brits who wished New Zealand had won and who cursed when England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler whipped off the bails to clinch the lads their — our! — wonderful win. The England triumph has given the country a jolt of electrifying optimism. That is precisely what our political elite will have wanted to stop. – Quentin Letts for The Sun

Allister Heath: Britain faces only two possible futures – Brexit with Boris or Corbyn as PM

It’s decision time, and the stakes are the highest they have been in 40 years. Theresa May’s grotesque interregnum will be remembered, if at all, for her failed attempt at pausing history, culminating in a debilitating political stasis. Her three miserable, wasted years in office will now be followed by a period of accelerated and possibly extreme activity, starting next Tuesday, as Britain’s pent-up appetite for radical change is finally satiated. The only question will be the scale and magnitude of our country’s frenzied transformation, and whether it is Boris Johnson or Jeremy Corbyn who leads the revolution. The choice Britain faces is unusually binary, at once terrifying and exhilarating in its starkness. There are only two routes, and two camps; all other avenues keep returning to one of those two, as if the country were stuck in an infernal political maze. We can either opt for a radical reset via a meaningful Brexit, possibly without a deal – or hand power to Corbyn, a man committed to blowing up capitalism, society and the international order. – Allister Heath for the Telegraph (£)

Matthew Patten: Fanatical Von der Leyen is the final nail in the coffin for shambolic EU ‘democracy’

Ursula Von der Leyen, the controversial Defence Minister of the Bundeswehr, got the approval of the EU Parliament to become President of the EU Commission by just nine votes. She was the only candidate, selected by the EU Council, and will have a central role in Brexit negotiations with the the British government. Here in the EU Parliament, where most deals are stitched up way before any vote, that’s as close as it gets and certainly not the ringing endorsement that Donald Tusk asked Parliament for two weeks ago. It comes after a days of intense wheeler-dealing, with Mrs Von der Leyen walking the corridors of Strasbourg and Brussels to lobby for the Presidency.  MEPs from all political parties had expressed serious concerns about the abandonment of their precious Spitzenkandidaten process, which in theory ties the choice of President to the results of the European election. – Matthew Patten MEP for the Telegraph (£)

Nick Robinson: 10 things that stopped Brexit happening

Prime Minister Theresa May has been forced to quit. Parliament is deadlocked. Both the Conservative and Labour parties are deeply divided and deeply unpopular. What’s more, with days to go before there is a new occupant of No 10, no-one has identified a clear route to an agreement that will avoid an outcome pretty much everyone says they want to avoid – a costly and disruptive no-deal Brexit. So, how did the UK end up here? – Nick Robinson previews tonight’s Panorama for BBC News

John Redwood: Independence and military co-operation

The main  continental EU countries are out to strengthen their military collaboration. Over the years they have worked away at joint exercises, common weapons procurement, common standards, exchange of personnel, unified commands and shared missions. There are now military interventions undertaken by EU directed troops or naval vessels. The UK has been particularly concerned about being pulled into a European army, owing to the legal constraints that operate on a  member state once it has accepted the competence of the EU in any given area. Some think the UK has already consented to more collaboration than is desirable and is now entrapped. Others accept that as we leave the EU we cannot be forced to co-operate or to participate against our will. – John Redwood’s Diary

Brexit in Brief

  • By picking von der Leyen, the EU has ensured Remainers will lose a second referendum – Garvan Walshe for ConservativeHome
  • Gina Miller is back – and her claims to be standing up for democracy are fooling no one – Tom Harwood for Telegraph (£)
  • Brexit Party voters think they’ll win an election. Lib Dems don’t – Adam McDonnell for The Times (£)
  • Boris Johnson plans early election to hit Corbyn – The Times (£)
  • UK Brexit negotiators were like hapless sitcom characters, says Frans Timmermans – Politico
  • Labour Brexit spokeswoman in the Lords sacked for comparing Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership to ‘last days of Hitler’ – PoliticsHome