Sign up here to receive this daily news briefing in your inbox every morning with additional insight from the BrexitCentral team Labour plan to frustrate Brexit by scrapping Great Repeal Bill Labour will today unveil plans to frustrate Brexit by scrapping the Tories’ Great Repeal Bill, raising the prospect of a second European Union referendum. Sir Keir Starmer, the shadow Exiting the EU secretary, will commit Labour to a new EU Rights and Protections Bill to ensure there is no change to workers’ rights, consumer rights or environmental protections. Sir Keir will also say that – unlike Theresa May, the Tory leader – Labour will not walk away from the European Union without any agreement, saying it “will not accept ‘no deal’ as a viable option”. A Labour Government will also scrap the Tories’ Brexit White Paper, which set out the Government’s plans for Brexit, and “replace it with fresh negotiating priorities that have a strong emphasis on retaining the benefits of the Single Market and the Customs Union”. – The Daily Telegraph Labour government would scrap Tories’ Brexit white paper – The Independent Labour vows to rip up and rethink Brexit white paper – The Guardian Labour to rip up Tory Brexit plan – BBC Labour’s plan to thwart Brexit – Daily Mail Labour’s Brexit vision: A promise to unilaterally guarantee the rights of EU nationals living in Britain A Labour government will guarantee the rights of all EU nationals living in the UK, the shadow Brexit minister will outline in a speech. Speaking at One Great George Street, Keir Starmer will detail how a Labour government would approach to Brexit. He will say: “EU nationals do not just contribute to our society: they are our society. And they should not be used as bargaining chips. – City A.M. Conservatives face demands to quit pro-EU group after it produced a list of 20 Brexit-backing MPs to unseat Tories face demands to quit a pro-EU campaign group after it produced a ‘hit list’ of 20 Brexit-backing MPs it wants to unseat. Open Britain vowed to support candidates trying defeat ‘Leavers’ in Remain constituencies in the upcoming Election with cash and activists.The 20 seats being targeted include Labour’s Kate Hoey in Vauxhall, South London but also Tories such as David Burrowes in Enfield, North London and Maria Caulfield in Lewes. The incendiary move comes just 24 hours after Tony Blair called on voters to support whichever candidate would challenge Theresa May’s “Hard Brexit”. Mr Blair told the BBC that with the Election result beyond any doubt “this is something that is bigger than party allegiance” Open Britain – backed by former Tory Ministers such as Anna Soubry and Nicky Morgan – has also vowed to ‘defend’ 20 MPs who are in favour of a soft Brexit such as Conservative Neil Carmichael.. – The Sun Remain campaigners urge voters to unseat Brexit-backing MPs – The Guardian Gina Miller raises £250,000 to stop pro-Brexit candidates in the general election as tactical voting websites to ‘stop the Tories’ go viral Arch remoaner Gina Miller’s campaign to unseat pro-Brexit Tory MPs has raised £250,000 amid fears she will target dozens of seats in the general election. The businesswoman who took the government to the Supreme Court over the triggering of Article 50 will use the raised money to support anti-Brexit candidates in the June 8 poll. She has launched a campaign called ‘Do what’s best for Britain’ which aims to stop Brexit through tactical voting. With funds that have poured in from remoaners to her gofundme page, she will prop up any candidate who wants to overturn the will of the 52 per cent who voted Leave last June. It comes as a tactical voting website to ‘stop the Tories’ is going viral online as remoaners try to find out who they should vote for to stop Theresa May from winning. – Daily Mail Factory orders surge in pre-Brexit ‘sweet spot’ Manufacturers have reported the strongest increase in orders in 22 years, helped by the fall in sterling, strong demand in the UK and the global economic recovery. The Confederation of British Industry’s quarterly report on the state of the UK’s manufacturing sector shows that the balance of businesses reporting a rise in total orders over the first three months of the year was the highest since April 1995. The sharp pick-up was driven predominantly by export orders, which rose at the fastest pace in six years. Manufacturers are even more optimistic about exports in the future, with predictions for growth at their strongest level in more than two decades. Companies are also hiring more workers to meet the expected demand. – The Times (£) European Agriculture Commissioner hopes UK stays in customs union The European agriculture commissioner is still hopeful the UK will opt to stay inside the customs union when it leaves the EU. Phil Hogan said “crazier ideas about crashing out without a deal or falling back on World Trade Organisation rules” seemed to be receding. There were still “loony” voices on the Conservative Party’s right who would generate abrasive headlines, he added. But the impact of such a scenario was finally being understood more widely. “Now that the worst of the Brexit triumphalism appears to have abated – at least for now – everyone with a stake in the future of the EU-UK relationship should exercise whatever influence they can to maintain this common sense trajectory,” said Mr Hogan at an event in Dublin. – BBC Irish court to consider Brexit reversibility case on 31st May Ireland’s High Court will consider next month whether it can hear a case from a British plaintiff seeking to decide if Britain’s divorce from the European Union can be reversed. Judge Peter Kelly set a hearing for May 31 to decide whether an Irish court can hear a case against Brexit that campaigners hope will ultimately be referred to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) for a definitive ruling. If it accepts the case, an Irish court could refer it to the ECJ in Luxembourg soon afterwards and have the issue handled on a European basis. – Reuters Brexit university ‘brain drain’ warning The education select committee wants urgent steps taken to end uncertainty over the future status of EU academics.The MPs also want overseas students to be taken out of migration figures.Committee chairman Neil Carmichael said Brexit risks damaging universities’ “international competitiveness”. About one in six academic staff in the UK is from EU countries. The cross-party committee of MPs, investigating the potential impact of Brexit on the higher education sector, heard warnings about the negative impact if EU staff, worried about their future status, were poached by universities in other countries. The report from MPs said their right to work and stay should be given unilaterally before the end of this year if there is no reciprocal deal with other EU countries. – BBC Sterling falls against the euro as European markets surge after Emmanuel Macron’s first-round victory in the French Presidential election Sterling remained at its lowest level for a fortnight against the euro as investors around the world breathed a sigh of relief after Emmanuel Macron reached the final round of voting in the French Presidential election. The pound fell by more than 1.5 per cent against the euro. At one point it reached lows of €1.1687, before recovering to around €1.175 in afternoon trading. European markets surged today as they took heart from Macron’s victory, with the prospect of a Marine Le Pen presidency seen as unlikely by most pollsters. – City A.M. How will the general election affect sterling? – Tim Wallace for the Daily Telegraph Tim Stanley: Brexit is not nationalism. It is not extremism. It is our defence against both those things Last Sunday, England celebrated its national saint’s day with face paints and bell ringing. Meanwhile, France went to the polls and gave nearly half its vote to a fascist and a communist. The contrast between the politics of our two countries is stark, and it’s one of the reasons why Britain voted for Brexit last year – to inoculate ourselves against European extremism. The Remainers are wrong when they say that Brexit is part of the European turn to the far-Right. The opposite is true: we are seeing a re-assertion of historical differences between Britain and the continent. Take the debate over national identity. France has struggled to integrate its Islamic migrants, partly because it has such a rigid idea of Frenchness. In the summer of 2016, photographs emerged of the French police apparently asking a woman to remove a burkini on a beach. – Tim Stanley for the Daily Telegraph James Ashton: The new alliance soothing City Brexit fears The realignment taking place in British politics has reached the business world. Why else would Sir Paul Marshall, hedge fund tycoon and Vote Leave donor, have teamed up with former European Commissioner Lord Hill to put on a conference this week aimed at generating ideas for how Brexit can work for the City, trade and the knowledge economy? Prosperity UK was conceived when Sir Paul found that too many of the lobby groups and think-tanks he might have convened something with were stuck with legacy positions or narrow agendas. He set up an organisation with a boring, apolitical brand and support from the Legatum Institute and Open Europe. Jes Staley of Barclays, John Lewis’s Sir Charlie Mayfield, Helena Morrissey and Professor Louise Richardson, the vice-chancellor of Oxford University, are among those who will share the stage on Wednesday, and then who knows?- James Ashton for the Evening Standard Tony Blair: The way to fight the Tories in June’s election is to turn Brexit against them There is a unique element to this election as a result of Brexit. The Tories believe this is to their advantage. But it could be turned against them. First off – for the avoidance of doubt – I have not urged tactical voting. It is up to each voter to make up their mind on how they will vote. I only want people to make an informed choice. Of course, I hope people will vote Labour, as I will. The purpose of the various interventions in the election by European campaigns, which I fully support, is rather to make sure that voters know where candidates stand on the Brexit issue before they cast their vote, whether Tory, Lib Dem or Labour. This campaign against “Brexit at any cost” is cross-party, as it should be, and, indeed, some people may, on the back of this, support tactical voting. But that is not my objective. For this article I want to approach the election strictly from a Labour point of view, as someone who led the party for 13 years and through three elections. – Tony Blair for The Guardian Brendan O’Neill: Tony Blair is the messianic Remainer here to save us from ourselves Here they come, Tony Blair and his tragic chattering-class army. The former PM, whose rictus grin and glottal stops still haunt the nation’s dreams (well, mine anyway), is on the march with his pleb-allergic mates in business and the media. Blair and the Twitterati, linking arms, united in their horror at the incalculable stupidity of northerners and Welsh people and Essex men and women and other Brexiteers, their aim as clear as it is foul. They’re here to save us from ourselves. ‘Tony Blair is trying to save Britain from itself’, as one report put it. Excuse me while I pop an anti-nausea pill. – Brendan O’Neill for the Spectator Katy Balls: Ukip’s focus on the burqa shows the party has little left to offer on Brexit What is most striking about the new agenda is that it shows Ukip no longer feel able to get by focussing on Brexit. Nuttall previously said Ukip must become ‘the guard dog on Brexit’ — and focus on making sure that Theresa May does not backslide on Britain’s exit from the EU. Ukip say the event was in the diary long before May called for an early election, but the fact that the party’s first big event since the election was announced focussed on the burqa suggests that the party is running out of things to say on Brexit. – Katy Balls for The Spectator >Today on BrexitCentral: Can UKIP remain credible if their leader doesn’t fight the election? Brexit comment in brief What does French result mean for Brexit? – Simon Jack for the BBC Delivering Brexit isn’t enough: The Tories need a pro-growth vision for Britain – Ryan Bourne for City A.M Eastbourne – the referendum result suggests the Tories will hold on. But it’s not nearly that simple. – Andrew Gimson for ConservativeHome Brexit news in brief Paul Nuttall could become only second major party leader to sit out a general election – Daily Telegraph Zac Goldsmith in bid to win back Richmond Park seat from Sarah Olney – Sky News Britain’s best option for Brexit would be a Swiss-style deal says pro-EU Centre for European Reform – The Sun ‘Don’t you want to take this one?’ EU chief’s dig at Russia over its ‘support’ for Le Pen – Daily Express Theresa May’s campaign targets majority in Wales – SkyNews And Finally… Map shows funniest names to use when anyone leaves EU The map, created by Reddit Bezzleford, depicts all the possible names for various countries should they leave the EU. They include Noland, Quitaly, Extonia, Withdrawsaw and Czech-out. In recent months, countries have experienced a surge in Euroscepticism emboldened by Brexit. A poll last year suggested that 36 per cent of Swedes would be in favour of ‘Swexit’ if Britain were to leave. – Daily Mail Image Credit: Chatham House