Sign up here to receive the daily news briefing in your inbox every morning with exclusive insight from the BrexitCentral team Donald Trump says US trade deal is off as he accuses May of “wrecking” Brexit in explosive interview… Donald Trump today accuses the PM of wrecking Brexit — and warns she may have killed off any chance of a vital US trade deal. The US President delivers his incendiary verdict on her negotiating strategy in a world exclusive interview with The Sun. In an extraordinary intervention timed to coincide with his UK visit, Mr Trump said Theresa May ignored his advice by opting for a soft Brexit strategy… Instead he believes Mrs May has gone “the opposite way”, and he thinks the results have been “very unfortunate”. His fiercest criticism came over the centrepiece of the PM’s new Brexit plan — which was unveiled in full yesterday. It would stick to a common rulebook with Brussels on goods and agricultural produce in a bid to keep customs borders open with the EU. But Mr Trump told The Sun: “If they do a deal like that, we would be dealing with the European Union instead of dealing with the UK, so it will probably kill the deal. If they do that, then their trade deal with the US will probably not be made.” – The Sun Trump: Brexit plan ‘will probably kill’ US trade deal – BBC News Donald Trump: Theresa May’s Brexit plan will ‘kill’ US trade deal – Sky News Donald Trump warns Theresa May a soft Brexit will ‘kill’ any trade deal with the US – Telegraph Theresa May’s Brexit will kill US trade deal, says Trump – The Times (£) Trump says Brexit blueprint will kill any UK-US trade deal – FT (£) Trump blasts Prime Minister Theresa May in interview published during his first official visit to Britain – Washington Post Trump blows up Theresa May’s party in his honor – Politico Donald Trump gives May’s Brexit plan both barrels – Laura Kuenssberg for BBC News British MPs outraged at ‘repulsive’ Trump broadside against May – Guardian What Trump really thinks about Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Sadiq Khan… and the Queen – Sky News Donald Trump says Boris Johnson would be a ‘great Prime Minister’ – The Sun Donald Trump says Britain is ‘losing its culture’ because of immigration – The Sun Donald Trump says London Mayor Sadiq Khan ‘has done a terrible job on terror’ – The Sun Donald Trump all smiles as he poses with England football shirt – The Sun As the U.S. President hits Britain, Theresa May needs a touch of the Trumps – Steve Hilton for The Sun What might Boris Johnson or David Davis have said to Trump? – Shanker Singham for Reaction If Theresa May wants a strong Brexit, perhaps she should read Trump’s book ‘The Art of the Deal’ – Telegraph editorial (£) Theresa May must be more like Trump to stop Tory poll numbers heading south – The Sun says …after Theresa May urges Trump to cut a trade deal with Britain in speech at Blenheim Palace dinner Theresa May last night made a plea to Donald Trump to strike a post-Brexit trade deal – for the good of both countries. Speaking at a dinner in honour of the President, the Prime Minister reminded him of the close economic ties which bind the US and the UK. And she suggested the two countries could get even closer if we cut a deal on trade once Britain is out of the EU. The PM made her pitch during dinner at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire on the first night of Mr Trump’s historic tour of Britain. The meeting happened just hours before The Sun published a world exclusive interview with the President where he warned Mrs May might have killed of a trade deal with the USA over her plans for Brexit. – The Sun Red carpet rolled out for Donald Trump and Melania as Theresa May welcomes them for gala dinner on the first night of historic UK tour – The Sun Theresa May unveils soft Brexit plan as White Paper finally published… The U.K. will formally ask the EU for a post-Brexit “association agreement” including a “free-trade area” for goods, a looser arrangement for financial services, alongside a security partnership and continued membership of many EU agencies, according to a long-awaited white paper. Confirming plans agreed by Theresa May’s Cabinet at a summit on Friday, which led to the resignation of Brexit Secretary David Davis and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, the white paper proposes that the U.K. abide by the EU’s common rule book for regulation and product standards for goods, to protect “just-in-time” supply chains… On customs, the white paper confirms the U.K.’s plan for a “facilitated customs arrangement,” (FCA) collecting EU tariffs at its border for goods destined for the EU market, while applying U.K. tariffs to goods destined for the U.K. market. The system will be subject to a “phased” implementation, with both the U.K. and EU having to make preparations, but the white paper gives no timeframe for the FCA to be up and running. – Politico Theresa May unveils plans for softer Brexit – FT (£) PM says White Paper delivers ‘the Brexit people voted for’ – BBC News May reveals Ukraine-style Brexit white paper – FT (£) Our Brexit plan takes back control of money, laws and borders – and here’s how. May and Raab’s letter to Conservative MPs. – ConservativeHome Brexit white paper’s 98 pages and even more questions – FT (£) Why Britain is headed for a ‘soft’ Brexit – Bloomberg Brexit white paper: Here’s what you need to know – Ed Conway for Sky News What the Brexit white paper says, and how it’ll go down – Oliver Wright for The Times (£) Brexit plan: What white paper means for sovereignty, immigration and money – Beth Rigby for Sky News We’ve all had enough of Theresa May’s dithering – but it’s Brussels’ intransigence that’s really dangerous – Catherine Neilan for City A.M. Brexit white paper: it is time for the EU to decide if it really wants a deal – Peter Foster for the Telegraph (£) Despite big omissions, the government’s white paper on relations with the EU offers a means of limiting economic damage while respecting the referendum result – Times leader (£) ‘No deal’ is looking increasingly likely – and that’s just fine – Liam Halligan for the Telegraph (£) > Hugh Bennett on BrexitCentral: The Brexit White Paper: An exercise in giving away control …as Jacob Rees-Mogg says Theresa May’s Brexit white paper will leave UK ‘a vassal state of EU’ and accuses her of breaking promises… Theresa May has been accused of breaking her promises after unveiling a Brexit white paper which will leave Britain subject to the rulings of European courts and give EU workers the right to visa-free travel for “temporary” employment… The document also states that disputes over trade should be “referred to the European Court of Justice for interpretation” in certain circumstances – a move that is likely to anger Brexiteers. It also specifies that Mrs May’s customs solution, known as a facilitated customs arrangement (FCA) will have a “phased” implementation, which Whitehall sources have said will not be complete until mid-2022, two years after the end of transition. Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of a 60-strong group of Eurosceptic Tory MPs, said: “The overall consequence is that we will be a rule taker, de facto subject to the European Court of Justice and it’s hard to believe that there is even a tinge of pink left in Mrs May’s red line on this. It is hard to see that any of this meets the promises Mrs May made in her earlier speeches. We have not known such vassalage to the continent since King John paid homage to the King of France [in 1200].” – Telegraph New blow for Theresa May as Tory MPs – and Donald Trump – trash plans – Sky News Eurosceptics lash out at UK government’s Brexit white paper – FT (£) May’s white paper a ‘bad deal for Britain’, claim Tory Brexiters – Guardian Leave voters turning against May – Guido Fawkes Labour lead as public rejects Chequers deal – Guido Fawkes Theresa May’s EU white paper – what does it say and why has it angered Brexiteers? – The Sun Brexiteers warn White Paper commits to binding ECJ jurisdiction – Guido Fawkes Theresa May’s White Paper could split the Tory party irrevocably – Fraser Nelson for the Telegraph (£) Following the rules without a say is anathema to Brexiteers – Henry Zeffman for The Times (£) The critical role of Michael Gove – James Blitz for the FT (£) I cannot vote for the Chequers deal when WTO terms offer a better Brexit – Owen Paterson MP for the Telegraph (£) Could Barnier still be Brexit’s saviour – Frederick Forsyth for the Express The danger is that Europe might accept our Brexit White Paper – Ambrose Evans-Pritchard for the Telegraph (£) Brexit is a case of lions led by donkeys – John Longworth for CapX > Andrea Jenkyns MP on BrexitCentral: The Chequers plan is a bad deal – we need to start planning seriously for no deal > David TC Davies MP on BrexitCentral: Theresa May’s plan is a half-loaf Brexit and a disappointment – but we need to swallow our pride and back it …with furious Brexiteers ready to block Trade Bill amid anger over concessions in Theresa May’s ‘yellow paper’… Theresa May could suffer the defeat of a crucial Brexit bill as early as Monday after Eurosceptics reacted angrily to the white paper she published yesterday. Relations between Conservative MPs who support a hard Brexit and No 10 worsened after the publication of the 98-page document, which spelt out a series of detailed compromises. In what Brexiteers argue is a breach of red lines, the white paper said that disputes over trade should be “referred to the European Court of Justice for interpretation” in certain circumstances, and that businesses that provide services would be able to “move their talented people” across the Channel. Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader, told the Commons: “I voted to leave, not to half-leave.” Steve Baker, who quit as a Brexit minister on Monday, was offering on Twitter to sign copies of the white paper “over which I resigned”. Conservative MPs who support a hard Brexit told the government that they would vote against the third reading of the bill on Monday, presenting a huge problem for the prime minister. Jacob Rees-Mogg and the European Research Group of hard Brexiteers had indicated that they would launch only a symbolic rebellion against Mrs May on Monday. Yesterday it emerged that they plan to go further. – The Times (£) Conservative MPs asked to withdraw letters demanding a vote of confidence in Theresa May – Telegraph Whips ask MPs to withdraw letters as No. 10 fear they’re approaching 48 – Guido Fawkes How Jacob Rees-Mogg plans to push Theresa May around – Asa Bennett for the Telegraph (£) Brexiteers poised to derail May’s masterplan – Charlie Cooper for Politico Theresa May heads into uncharted waters – James Forsyth for the Spectator > WATCH: Highlights of Commons debate on the White Paper …as May’s post-Brexit plans for visa-free travel for ‘talented’ EU workers spark uproar Theresa sparked uproar yesterday after her bombshell post-Brexit plans promised visa-free travel for “talented” EU workers. The PM insisted Brussels hated free movement rules would come to an end. But details buried in the document revealed the UK would allow tourists, students and business staff to come visa-free on a “temporary” basis. Sources admitted this could range from six months to as long as three years. Tory MPs claimed the document also paved the way for migrants to continue to claim generous in-work benefits… Tory Eurosceptic Iain Duncan Smith demanded to know why the Government had dropped any mention of work permits – let alone visas. He told the Sun: “My fear is that the detail on immigration is being held back so we can negotiate controls away in a sop to the European Union. That would be an unmitigated disaster.” – The Sun EU business executives will not require UK visa after Brexit – FT (£) Sajid Javid puts Theresa May’s ‘hostile environment’ immigration policy on hold following the Windrush scandal – The Sun New Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab slams fellow Brexiteers criticising Theresa May’s post-Brexit proposals… Dominic Raab today blasted his fellow Brexiteers for “carping” from the sidelines about Theresa May’s exit vision – as Ministers said the Government’s White Paper “sold out the Northern voters to protect the City.” As Labour surged ahead in opinion polls amid days of public Tory sniping, the new Brexit Secretary told critics “they need to come back with credible alternatives.” … One senior Minister said the Prime Minister’s Brexit plan had left the North a “sacrificial lamb” because goods would be tied to EU rules unlike the City of London. And in an astonishing blast they accused the PM of protecting her “rich mates” in the South because services like banking and law will be free to trade with the rest of the world. They went on: “If regulatory alignment is so good, then why not bind services to it? No10 don’t seem to realise that the services industry in the north is reliant on manufacturing.” And Tory MP Simon Clarke added: “This is the wrong offer for Britain and one which will shackle our manufacturing industry into EU rules without a vote or a voice to alter them. It also harms our ability to secure the global trade deals we want and need to see.” – The Sun Dominic Raab tells Eurosceptics to stop ‘carping’ unless they can come up with a better Brexit plan – Telegraph To suggest ‘carping’ Brexiteers have no ‘credible’ plan is wrong. Here are two – Andrew Lilico for the Telegraph (£) May’s new Brexit plan. There is an alternative – from within the Government itself – Paul Goodman for ConservativeHome DexEU’s Alternative Brexit White Paper – Canada Plus Plus Plus: 1) Mutual recognition, not ongoing harmonisation. – ConservativeHome 2) Agricultural, food, and fish products. Outcome equivalence. – ConservativeHome 3) Governance and political oversight of the future relationship – ConservativeHome 4) Mobility framework – ConservativeHome 5) Services and investment – ConservativeHome 6) Financial services – ConservativeHome …as he admits any of PM’s ‘red lines’ could be traded away in Brussels In comments that will further anger Brexiteers unhappy with the Chequers plan, the Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab insisted free movement would end – but refused to rule out preferential treatment for EU citizens in the future… Despite the Conservative party being torn in two again over Brexit, Mr Raab said the PM’s plan signed off at the Cabinet away day is “credible”, adding that: “It’s bold, it’s ambitious but it’s also pragmatic.” … But he refused to say if the white paper was an opening offer to the EU or the UK’s red lines, saying: “I don’t really want to get into all of that but we need to crack on.” He added: “We are going to take back control of our immigration policy. Some of that will be subject to negotiation, of course.” – The Sun Dominic Raab uses wife to make point on visas – The Times (£) UK Brexit secretary: I will ‘deputise’ for Theresa May in Brexit negotiations – Politico > LISTEN: Dominic Raab defends White Paper ahead of publication Footage of Jean-Claude Juncker staggering around NATO summit sparks claims EU boss ‘was drunk on the job’ The famously thirsty Eurocrat was seen being propped up and helped down steps by world leaders while mingling with Donald Trump and Theresa May before a big dinner in Brussels. The excruciating video shows him being aided by Ukraine’s president Petro Poroshenko, and at one point Mrs May walked past, looking on in apparent concern. Photos also emerged of Mr Juncker appearing to mock the US President by sitting in the American chief’s seat and posing for the cameras. He was later seen leaving the security alliance meeting in a wheelchair – with allies insisting that he was suffering from a painful back condition. The 63 year old has previously claimed he suffered from sciatica – which can affect movement. EU officials insisted the incident was a reoccurrence of the Brussels chief’s longstanding illness and pointed out he was back on duty at NATO first thing on Thursday… However it is far from the first time that the former Luxembourg premier’s alleged fondness for refreshment has got him into trouble. – The Sun World leaders forced to hold stumbling and swaying Juncker ahead of NATO dinner – Express Is this Juncker getting drunker? European Commission President’s stumbling appearance leaves onlookers wondering if he was ‘trolleyed or ill’… but was it caused by sciatica? – Mail Is Jean-Claude Juncker an alcoholic? EU President who has repeatedly denied allegations of drinking problem – The Sun Owen Paterson: I cannot vote for the Chequers deal when WTO terms offer a better Brexit Following the publication of the Government’s Brexit white paper, it is now clear the Chequers agreement cannot deliver the clear Conservative manifesto pledge to leave the single market, the customs union and the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice in anything but name. The return of control, as David Davis said, “is more illusory than real.” The agreement would oblige the UK and the EU to adopt a “common rulebook” for trade in goods. All trade deals require some kind of agreement on standards, but this is different. The so-called “common” rules are, in fact, the EU’s rules and cover all the laws concerning goods in the single market… Clearly, the Chequers proposal falls a long way short of a clean, free-trading Brexit with which the UK takes back control of our money, laws and borders as promised in the Conservative manifesto. – Owen Paterson MP for the Telegraph (£) Paul Goodman: “Nothing has changed”? Come off it. The Prime Minister is treating voters and MPs like fools Downing Street is doubling down. Its way of presenting the Brexit White Paper, published yesterday and which fills out the Chequers statement, is to carry on as though “nothing has changed”. The essence of Theresa May’s article in the Sun yesterday was to this end: our plan will empower Britain to take back control of its borders, laws and money… There is fierce dispute this morning about whether the Government’s plan really would remove Britain from the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice. But whatever one’s view on whether the Prime Minister is wide of the letter of her red lines, it is indisputable that she has breached the spirit of them… Most devastatingly of all, the backstop will remain in the text of the Withdrawal Agreement. In effect, this gives the EU a veto over any future prospect of divergence. For if and when a future Government attempts to break free of “the common rule book”, the Irish Government, the Commission, and other members of the 26 will argue that it is going wide of agreement to stick to them, and that the backstop provision should thus kick in. The Prime Minister’s plan would leave us bound, when it comes to manufactures, by a common rule book we will have no part in writing – and at a time when new technologies mean that fundamental change to the way it works cannot be postponed forever. – Paul Goodman for ConservativeHome Katya Adler: Why Brussels is keeping quiet on May’s White Paper In private, EU diplomats make no secret at all of their rejection of large chunks of the White Paper. Brussels has said since the beginning of Brexit negotiations that the UK can’t pick and choose the “best parts” of EU membership and walk away from the rest when it leaves. Yet that’s exactly how the White Paper is interpreted in EU circles. There is no way Michel Barnier will accept it as is. For Theresa May to get that “deep and special” access to the EU in trade terms, Brussels will certainly expect more concessions. But EU leaders are biding their time. Trying to calculate not if, but when, and how to get their criticisms across… So if the EU is so keen for a soft Brexit – (of course we know, deep down, it would prefer no Brexit at all) – what concessions is Brussels prepared to make now to help shore up the prime minister’s position in the political maelstrom at home? Worryingly few, is the answer if you’re a fan of Theresa May or her White Paper. – Katya Adler for BBC News May’s precarious position makes Europe wary of rejecting Brexit plan outright – Bloomberg FT: A plausible vision for the City of London’s future In terms of European political realities, the Treasury’s preferred model of “mutual recognition” — essentially seeking to replicate the current single market passporting arrangements by another name — was always a non-starter for Brussels. The fallback model outlined in Thursday’s white paper relies in essence on the EU’s existing model of recognising “equivalent”, but non-identical, rules and regulations in deals with “third countries”. Britain’s idea is to enhance this model to create a stable future basis for its financial services. Some parts of the industry will have criticisms. TheCityUK, the lobby group, called it “regrettable and frustrating” that the mutual recognition blueprint — whose creation it oversaw — had been dropped prematurely. But a deal with Brussels that replicates the benefits and sheds the costs of EU membership is not an available option. In these circumstances, Theresa May’s government has devised a plausible proposal for financial services. – FT editorial (£) Britain to fight EU over power to raid London financial firms, despite Brexit White Paper concessions – Telegraph City and CBI call for urgent work on Theresa May’s Brexit plan – FT (£) Brexit white paper: City figures scathing over “blow” to financial services – City A.M. Brexit white paper deals ‘real blow’ to City bosses as patience wears thin – Telegraph Philip Hammond defends Brexit plan for financial services – FT (£) A new approach for UK financial services after Brexit – Philip Hammond for the FT (£) Comment in brief Brexit, the UK-Ireland border, farming and the DUP. An answer to the “mad riddle”? – Paul Goodman for ConservativeHome Remainers beware: the prospect of a soft Brexit is already stirring a long written-off Ukip back to life – Tom Harris for the Telegraph (£) How I broke the news to Davis that Johnson had resigned – Iain Dale for ConservativeHome The economy isn’t as bad as we like to believe – Ed Conway for The Times (£) News in brief Barnier too busy to meet Soros and Best for Britain – Guido Fawkes England fans outraged as senior EU official appears to mock Gareth Southgate’s team following 2-1 defeat to Croatia – Telegraph ‘You wazzocks make it so hard to be pro-EU’ Even Farron furious at Brussels chief’s tweet – Express Selmayr’s classless response – Guido Fawkes