Sign up here to receive the daily news briefing in your inbox every morning with exclusive insight from the BrexitCentral team ‘Don’t put politics above prosperity’, Davis urges EU in Berlin speech… David Davis has warned against “putting politics above prosperity” in Britain’s post-Brexit relationship with the EU. In a speech in Berlin, the UK’s Brexit Secretary outlined his hopes for a deal that “allows for the freest possible trade in goods and services”. He also said he thought it “incredibly unlikely” there would be no deal. The EU says negotiations cannot move on to trade until questions about the UK “divorce bill”, citizens’ rights and Northern Ireland are resolved. BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said Mr Davis’s speech was delivered politely but implied “pretty significant frustrations on the UK side with the EU’s attitude”. – BBC David Davis fails to convince German business leaders over Brexit free trade deal – Telegraph (£) …as German business leaders demand the EU keeps Britain in the bloc A group of German business leaders are due to issue a demand to the EU and Angela Merkel’s Government that they ask Britain to stay as members but allow it to opt out of free movement and have complete control over its borders. Last night Brexit supporters insisted that the plan must be resisted and that offering immigration control is not good enough when Britain needs its full independence to take control of its own destiny to strike out on a new path free of Brussels rules. The move comes as businesses in Germany and across the continent are understood to be panicking about the prospect of the EU failing to get a trade deal with Britain amid growing anger over Michel Barnier drawn out negotiation tactics. It is understood that the “New Deal for Britain” unveiled in Berlin on Monday will blame EU chiefs for allowing Brexit to happen by being inflexible and attack Mr Barnier for putting a trade deal in jeopardy. – Express Theresa May to talk Brexit with Donald Tusk and Irish PM today… Theresa May is to hold Brexit discussions with the president of the EU Council as the UK seeks to move talks on to a new trade deal. The prime minister and Donald Tusk will meet in Gothenburg on Friday, Mr Tusk’s spokesman said on Twitter. The EU has so far refused to discuss the “future relationship”, which includes trade, saying not enough progress has been made on “separation issues” like the UK’s financial bill.- BBC Two different Brexiteer cabinet ministers have told me they would accept as much as £50bn, with one saying “it’s all about keeping our eyes on the prize”. And in the Treasury, the view is certainly that it would be worth it to minimise disruption. Ministers are not yet ready though to say as much publicly or indeed to make those commitments in the talks. And if they don’t? Well, the chances of progress at the crunch summit in December are very slim. One source familiar with the discussions said “the UK political move has to come or we just won’t get there”. – Laura Kuenssberg for the BBC Theresa May to hold showdown talks with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar – Sun No border or no deal, Varadkar to tell May – The Times (£) …as Boris Johnson holds Brexit talks with Irish Foreign Minister Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is in Dublin on Friday for talks with Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney. The talks will focus mainly on the implications of Brexit. The same issue will be discussed by the Prime Minister Theresa May and the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at an EU gathering in Sweden. The UK wants the EU to give the go-ahead at its December summit for talks to begin about the future relationship between the two. European leaders say that can only happen if enough progress has been made on the Irish border, citizens’ rights and Britain’s EU budget contributions. – BBC No risk of Ireland blocking Brexit progress over border row, say EU officials Ireland will not be able to block Britain from opening trade talks with the EU if it cannot resolve an ongoing row over the future status of the Northern Ireland border, EU officials said. The limits of an Irish gambit to hold up Brexit talks until Britain provides more substantial “assurances” over the border emerged a week after the Telegraph revealed how renewed Irish demands on the border question had thrown talks progress into fresh doubt. “There’s a risk of separation talks not making sufficient progress on Ireland, not a risk of Ireland blocking on its own the advancement of Brexit talks,” a senior EU official told reporters in Brussels. – Telegraph (£) Minister hints at government climbdown over controversial date and time amendment to Brexit bill Theresa May could be poised for a climbdown over the inclusion of a controversial amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill in a bid to avert rebellion, one of her ministers has suggested. Justice secretary David Lidington this afternoon told journalists government was “listening to ideas coming from colleagues across the house”. Tory backbenchers have been vocal in their rejection of this last-minute amendment, which will enshrine the exact time and date of Brexit into law. Former attorney general Dominic Grieve told City A.M. it was “mistaken, foolish and counterproductive”, saying categorically he would vote against it. – City A.M. May prepares climbdown on Brexit leaving date – The Times (£) Theresa May bows to ‘mutineers’ on Brexit date – Telegraph (£) EU Withdrawal Bill set to be delayed until after Christmas – Independent EU finance bosses threaten to stop banks doing business in Europe if they don’t move staff out of London Euro finance bosses are threatening to stop big banks operating in Europe after Brexit, it emerged today. London-based banks are preparing to set up new branches on the Continent to allow them to continue working seemlessly throughout the EU. But regulators have warned that some firms are proposing “empty shells or letter box banks” rather than genuine independent subsidiaries. In a message published last night, they hinted they will try to stop banks doing business in Europe if they don’t transfer more of their staff and cash outside Britain. – Sun Security warning over Brexit customs plans Border staff might be diverted from “crucial security functions” after Brexit to cope with a sudden increase in customs activity, MPs have warned. The Commons Home Affairs Committee said a planned 4% increase in Border Force staff was “completely unconvincing”, warning: “Security must not be put at risk by government failure to plan.” It also warned of “major border disruption” without urgent action.The Home Office said customs officials would have the resources they needed. The UK is due to withdraw from the EU in March 2019 when it will also leave the customs union. The customs union means EU member states cannot control their trade policy with countries outside the bloc. – BBC Goldman Sachs chief Lloyd Blankfein calls for second referendum The chief executive of Goldman Sachs, Lloyd Blankfein, has suggested holding another referendum on Brexit. Mr Blankfein tweeted: “Here in UK, lots of hand-wringing from CEOs over #Brexit… So much at stake, why not make sure consensus still there?” The firm, which is known to have taken office space in Frankfurt, employs about 6,000 people in London… Mr Blankfein’s tweet went on to say: “Better sense of the tough and risky road ahead. Reluctant to say, but many wish for a confirming vote on a decision so monumental and irreversible. – BBC EU budget wars heat up as Brexit reality starts to hit home Brussels has begun to circulate the first confidential papers on how to plug the gaping hole in EU finances after Brexit, provoking serious alarm in regions and poorer countries across the bloc. British withdrawal will slash EU revenues by 16pc once the current budget framework ends in 2020, forcing the Brussels to confront vocal vested interests. It threatens to ignite bitter divisions. Draft documents from the European Commission map out three scenarios for the regions, including a drastic suspension of all aid to backward areas in the majority of countries. Payments would be confined to ‘cohesion’ funds for countries with per capita income below 90pc of the EU average, essentially Eastern Europe, Greece, and Portugal. – Telegraph (£) Graeme Leach: We’ll need flexibility and agility to reap the rewards of the intangible economy John Gillingham is perhaps America’s pre-eminent historian of the EU. His book (The EU: an Obituary) argues that the EU lacks the vitality and agility in its institutions to compete effectively in the twenty-first century… Haskel and Westlake’s book focuses on the rise of the intangible economy. They are not trying to make any statement on the EU, but in one chapter of their book they plot tangible and intangible investment against an OECD measure of employment strictness. The results are fascinating. In their own words: “countries with more restrictive hiring and firing invest more in tangibles and less in intangibles”. – Graeme Leach for City A.M. Ed Conway: Brexit may be just what British trade needs The assumption has been that … internal trade flows would only lengthen and multiply in the coming years. In such circumstances, Brexit would look economically suicidal. Given Britain is smack bang in the middle of these supply chains, why rupture itself from the frictionless trade zone it inhabits? But some economists now believe we are on the brink of a new shift: that thanks to novel manufacturing techniques, businesses may increasingly reshore production. Adidas’s new “speedfactory” in the Bavarian town of Ansbach is an intriguing example. Where once the company would spend months developing a trainer before churning out tens of thousands in their Asian factories, the speedfactory uses robotics and 3D printing to produce small numbers, customised for local territories. – Ed Conway for the Times (£) Ben Chu: Why is Brussels fighting Trump’s America on Britain’s behalf? The commission is also, technically, not just helping the UK but a major French-headquartered company too. After the US unveiled its 300 per cent tariffs on C-Series jets in September the Canadian plane maker Bombardier announced it was selling a 50 per cent stake in the C-Series to the European aviation manufacturing giant Airbus. Another reason why the EU might be keen to be active in this case is the Northern Irish dimension. Bombardier is a significant private sector employer in Northern Ireland, responsible for 4,200 jobs. A key element in Brexit Article 50 negotiations is the prevention of the return of a hard land border in Ireland as the UK leaves the customs union. – Ben Chu for the Independent Comment in Brief Tech – To stay or to leave, that is now the question – Mark Scott for Politico Dominic Grieve: ‘Mutineer-In-Chief? Not at all – I’m just trying to help’ – Chopper’s Brexit Podcast If you feel like British democracy is falling apart, don’t worry: everything is working as intended – Fraser Nelson for the Telegraph (£) Defence officials risk tying our rope to the EU’s sinking ship – Julian Thompson for ConservativeWoman Did the whips leak the rebels’ names to the Telegraph? – Iain Dale for ConservativeHome News in brief Labour MP made greatest Brexit speech ever – Express Ireland has chance of EU agency – The Times (£) Britain faces security ‘cliff-edge’ because of Brexit, think tank claims – Sun Brexit poses ‘daunting challenge’ for civil servants, MPs warn – Independent