Sign up here to receive the daily news briefing in your inbox every morning with exclusive insight from the BrexitCentral team Cast off EU ‘shackles’ and you’ll get a bumper trade deal, Donald Trump tells UK on first day of state visit… Donald Trump today called on Britain to throw off the EU “shackles” and agree a US trade deal as he began his state visit. The President said talks are already underway on a post-Brexit trade deal between the UK and America. And he insisted he’d received “great love” from Brits on the first day of his state visit. Mr Trump has been meeting the Queen and other senior royals after jetting in from Washington DC this morning. Tomorrow [Tuesday] he will hold talks with Theresa May in No10, before attending D-day ceremonies on Wednesday. Shortly before tonight’s state banquet, the President tweeted: “London part of trip is going really well. The Queen and the entire Royal family have been fantastic.” – The Sun …as the President calls an independent UK ‘a blessing’… The White House later released a statement saying Mr Trump wanted to strengthen economic ties with the UK through an ambitious new trade agreement. The statement said: “Donald Trump supports Brexit being accomplished in a way that will not affect global economic and financial stability while also securing independence to the United Kingdom.” It quoted him as stating: “A strong and independent United Kingdom, like a strong and independent United States, is truly a blessing on the world.” The statement continued: “The longstanding relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom is essential to our shared security and prosperity. As the United Kingdom continues to work toward a plan to leave the European Union, the United States pledges to maintain a strong relationship with both. The United States will continue to prepare for all outcomes and co-ordinate with governments, financial institutions, and international bodies to protect its interests.” – Express …while Theresa May will today talk up the potential for a UK-US trade deal Theresa May will insist that Britain can strike a positive free-trade deal with the US when she co-hosts a breakfast business meeting with Donald Trump on Tuesday morning. The event at St James’s Palace will involve 10 senior executives from leading international companies along with the Duke of York, chancellor Philip Hammond and trade secretary Liam Fox. The US president unnerved some business leaders when he openly advocated a no-deal Brexit at the weekend, an outcome which could lead to a chaotic rupture with the EU. Meanwhile his ambassador caused a political storm when he suggested that access to the NHS for medical companies ought to be part of discussions on a future deal. – FT (£) > Shanker Singham and Peter Allgeier on BrexitCental today: What do the American negotiating objectives mean for a future US-UK trade deal? Boris Johnson launches leadership campaign as rival Jeremy Hunt says he would allow no deal… Boris Johnson has launched his official leadership campaign as his rivals jostled for Brexiteer support by saying they would keep no deal on the table. Mr Johnson’s campaign video shows him canvassing voters and repeats his pledge to leave the EU on October 31, deal or no deal. This morning Jeremy Hunt has said he would be prepared to take the UK out of the EU without a deal, but said he would do so “with a heavy heart”. Meanwhile Dominic Raab criticised “doom-mongers” who say no deal would leave British business in “ruins”. Mr Hunt told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I have always said that in the end if the only way to leave the EU, to deliver on the result of the referendum, was to leave without a deal then I would do that. But I would do so very much as a last resort, with a heavy heart because of the risks to businesses and the risks to the union.” – Telegraph (£) > LISTEN: Jeremy Hunt on a US trade deal post-Brexit and No Deal on Radio 4’s Today …as Philip Hammond challenges Tory leadership candidates to prove they won’t be ‘Theresa May Mark II’ by dithering over Brexit Philip Hammond last night laid down the gauntlet to Tory leadership hopefuls to prove they can avoid becoming ‘Theresa May Mk II’ on Brexit. The Chancellor said the challenge for all the candidates was to show how they would escape the ‘holding pattern’ Mrs May became stuck in – and urged them to back a negotiated Brexit. He said MPs should ‘stop pontificating, get off their high horses’ and accept the compromises that a deal with the EU entailed. ‘My challenge to all of the candidates is: Explain to me how you will avoid becoming Theresa May mark II, stuck in a holding pattern,’ he said in an interview with BBC Newsnight. ‘An extension of time to try to renegotiate, when the EU have already said they have finished the negotiation and, indeed, have disbanded their negotiating team, strikes me as a not very auspicious policy.’ Mr Hammond said neither no deal nor no Brexit was an ‘acceptable outcome’. ‘No deal would be catastrophic for the country and the economy and no Brexit would be seen as a gross breach of faith with the public, with the electorate, and would undermine our political system.’ – Daily Mail Boris Johnson will appeal against order to appear in court over Brexit claims Boris Johnson has launched an appeal against a summons ordering him to appear in court over claims he lied and misled the public by saying the UK sent the EU £350m a week. Marcus Ball, the businessman who brought the private prosecution against the former foreign secretary, said Mr Johnson had launched a judicial review application in the Administrative Court. Mr Johnson is accused of misconduct in a public office over claims he made during the Brexit referendum campaign about how much money the UK sends to the EU. A court summons was issued against him last week after District Judge Margot Coleman ruled: “The allegations which have been made are unproven accusations and I do not make any findings of fact. Having considered all the relevant factors I am satisfied that this is a proper case to issue the summons as requested for the three offences as drafted. The charges are indictable only.” – Sky News Emmanuel Macron says Britain should leave the EU with or without a deal on October 31st Emmanuel Macron has said Britain should be kicked out of the EU with or without a deal on October 31 – unless it agrees to a radical rethink. The French President said our current exit date should be the “final, final deadline” in a boost to Brexiteer PM hopefuls like Boris Johnson. But he added holding a second referendum or a devising a “totally new scheme” on the future relationship could justify another extension. Speaking in Paris, Mr Macron warned the next British PM that trying to renegotiate the backstop would be a “non-starter”. He said: “I think this is the final, final deadline because I don’t want to have the new Commission deal with this. I think it is a big mistake to procrastinate. I do believe we now have to implement the British people’s decision.” – The Sun UK retains top spot for foreign investors in Europe The UK is still regarded as the best place in Europe for foreign direct investment, despite considerable Brexit headwinds. Britain outstripped Germany and France last year with some 1,045 projects funded by foreign money, compared to 973 and 1,027 respectively for its near neighbours, according to data from EY. In a separate survey of attitudes among investors by EY, just 6pc of respondents said they would be moving assets from the UK to the continent. However, political uncertainty was a factor in decision-making for top investors, with some 15pc saying they had put a project on hold last year due to Brexit – an increase of seven percentage points compared to the year before. – Telegraph (£) Protest vote expected at by-election in Brexit-voting Peterborough on Thursday By elections in marginal constituencies often attract protest votes. Peterborough, where they are voting on Thursday, is certainly marginal – and as a Brexit voting area could be said to have plenty to protest about. Last time, in the general election of 2017, it was a tight race in which Labour narrowly defeated the Conservatives. This time it could be the Brexit party that wins – and produces its first MP. For more than a century the safest bet you could place in Peterborough was on its people sending a Tory or Labour MP to Parliament, but not anymore. The Conservatives lost the Peterborough seat in 2017 to the Labour candidate Fiona Onasanya but after being jailed for lying about a speeding offence – last month Peterborough became the first constituency to successfully petition to sack its MP. ITV News Political Correspondent Daniel Hewitt visited a card club in the centre of the city old traditions are being tested. – ITV News Asa Bennett: Boris Johnson has promised to make Brexit mean Brexit — he can’t wriggle out of it now The blond bombshells came thick and fast this morning, with Donald Trump landing in the United Kingdom just before Boris Johnson’s Tory leadership campaign hit social media in earnest. Alongside a string of fresh endorsements from fellow MPs, the Back Boris campaign released its first video for Mr Johnson’s social media followers. This marks the liveliest level of activity from his camp yet. The most attention Mr Johnson has been getting until now has been due to the attacks from other candidates, such as Rory Stewart. His relative silence, the eminent exception of his Telegraph columns, has been understandable. As the frontrunner, he has a lot to lose by firing back at his junior rivals, as David Cameron found to his cost in 2010 when he agreed to share the same debate stage with Nick Clegg. But Mr Johnson’s video shows that he knows he cannot stay out of the fray any longer, as he has now made his first leadership pitch on camera. – Telegraph (£) James Bartholomew: It’s high time we drained the swamp of our arrogant ‘new elite’ In his election campaign, Donald Trump repeatedly used the phrase “drain the swamp”. He was referring to lobbyists and corrupt practices in Washington. But now the phrase is used increasingly in Britain, about something related but different. It is about an elite which has taken control of public life. This new elite is not intentionally evil at all. On the contrary, its members consider themselves to be among the most civilised, well-meaning and decent among us. As a generalisation, they are well educated and come from relatively prosperous backgrounds. They are left-wing, “progressive” or, if Conservatives, they describe themselves as being of the “One Nation” sort. They think that, since they are supremely civilised, with an open, cooperative mindset, this necessarily means they are in favour of membership of the European Union. They come from a Blairite past or the left of the Tory party. A few are Liberal Democrats. – James Bartholomew for the Telegraph (£) Steve Moore: The Tory party’s impossible choice – no deal or extension Donald Trump’s visit to London will preoccupy the media for most of this week but it’s worth noting how the contest to elect a new Tory Prime Minister is unfolding. After last week’s shadow boxing, the official contest is now being joined and with the contours of the campaign drawn. Over the weekend Michael Gove and Matt Hancock both set out their Brexit positions with Gove conceding that another extension post-October 31st may be required and Hancock setting out in some detail how he proposed to deal with the Irish border issue. Both almost immediately incurred the wrath of ardent Tory Brexiteers who fear that allowing this to run into 2020 will only embolden Farage and the Brexit Party. I expect Gove to emerge from this as the “stop Boris” and “stop no deal” candidate. – Steve Moore for Reaction Brexit in Brief Why we must jump off the Brussels train before it derails – Rolf Norfolk for Conservative Woman Can the Brexit Party break into Westminster? – Spiked EU Commissioner Hints Withdrawal Agreement Could Be Changed – Guido Fawkes