May humiliated at Salzburg as EU rejects Chequers proposal… Theresa May is battling to salvage her Brexit strategy and facing a fresh Tory revolt after being humiliated by European leaders yesterday. In an ambush that blindsided British officials, Donald Tusk, the European Council president, dismissed her Chequers proposals as unworkable after a private meeting of national leaders. President Macron of France warned the prime minister that she must come up with “new propositions” if she wanted to rescue a deal. The rejection at the Salzburg meeting triggered a crisis in government, with some cabinet ministers considering attempting to bounce Mrs May into abandoning Chequers within days. – The Times (£) Discord in Salzburg after May hits all the wrong Brexit notes – The Times (£) …with Donald Tusk insisting May’s plan ‘would not work’… It was death by a thousand cuts, but when Donald Tusk administered the coup de grace on Theresa May’s Chequers plan in Salzburg on Thursday, there was still a sharp intake of breath among those who had – encouraged by delusions in Downing Street – clung to the belief it could survive. “It will not work,” said the president of the European Council in his customary matter-of-fact style, “because it risks undermining the single market.” This cannot have come as news. Michel Barnier has been saying for months now that the EU cannot risk undermining the “four freedoms” of goods, services, capital and movement that undergird the single market. – Telegraph (£) Theresa May’s Brexit plan ‘will not work’ says EU in devastating blow to PM – City A.M. Pouring Salz on the wound – Telegraph (£) …while President Macron launches extraordinary attack on Brexiteers and calls them ‘liars’ Speaking at the end of the EU Salzburg summit this afternoon, he sneered: “Brexit has shown us one thing – and I fully respect British sovereignty in saying this – it has demonstrated that those who said you can easily do without Europe, that it will all go very well, that it is easy and there will be lots of money, are liars. “This is all the more true because they left the next day, so they didn’t have to manage it.” And he added that leaving the EU was the “choice pushed by certain people who predicted easy solutions” – in a swipe clearly aimed at Brexiteers such as Boris Johnson and Michael Gove. – The Sun ‘Brexiteers are liars’ Macron takes huge swipe at those who ‘pushed’ UK into leaving EU – Express Brexiters hit back at Emmanuel Macron for calling them liars – Guardian …but she insists her vision for the future economic partnership remains the only ‘credible’ proposition Theresa May on Wednesday night warned EU leaders that their plan to create a customs border between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland was “not credible”, as European leaders said that a Brexit deal remained “far away”. The British prime minister indicated at an informal EU summit in Salzburg, Austria, that she would reject a revised offer from Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, intended to defuse the row over the Northern Ireland border that has bedevilled Brexit talks. Mr Barnier said on Tuesday he was “ready to improve” his plan for the so-called Irish “backstop”, a guarantee to ensure there is no return to a hard border in Ireland if talks between the EU and the UK on a future trade deal fail to solve the issue.The Irish border is one of the last sticking points in Brexit negotiations on a withdrawal treaty intended to ensure that Britain has a smooth exit from the bloc next March. – FT (£) > Watch on BrexitCentral’s YouTube Channel: Theresa May Press Conference in Salzburg Donald Tusk Press Conference in Salzburg Jacob Rees-Mogg: I doubt even the Downing Street cat is any longer backing the Chequers plan.” Poland breaks ranks from EU Brexit unity… Poland broke ranks with the rest of the EU27 at a crucial ministers meeting on Brexit strategy this week, suggesting that the bloc’s negotiating guidelines may need to be rewritten in October if a Brexit deal is still out of reach. The intervention, at the General Affairs Council meeting of ministers in Brussels Tuesday was the first open threat of a serious crack in EU unity since the start of withdrawal negotiations with Britain. Polish Minister for EU Affairs Konrad Szymański did not receive support from anyone else at the meeting, but even the hint of defection from the EU27’s common position suggests that the bloc’s so-far rock-solid unity will come under increasing strain as the talks enter their final weeks and days. – Politico …while two EU leaders call for a fresh UK referendum to reverse Brexit… Two European leaders have taken the unusual step of speaking out in favour of a fresh Brexit referendum. Andrej Babis, the Eurosceptic Czech prime minister, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that he was “very unhappy that the UK is leaving and maybe it would be better to make another referendum”. He said that the UK was not clear on what the real impact of Brexit would be and that he regretted the decision because he felt that Britain had been “very close” to the Czech Republic within the European Union, for example in remaining outside the eurozone. Joseph Muscat, the Maltese prime minister, said that most of his counterparts would like the “almost impossible” to happen. He said: “Most of us would welcome a situation where there is the possibility of the British people putting things into perspective, seeing what has been negotiated, seeing the options and then deciding once and for all.” – The Times (£) > Listen to Andrej Babis’ here & Joseph Muscat here …as the BBC torpedo Alastair Campbell over claimed support for second referendum BBC fact checkers took Remain fanatic Alastair Campbell to task on BBC Politics Live today. Campbell’s assertion that “there has been a big shift in support for a second referendum” was thoroughly torpedoed by Sir John Curtice’s comprehensive analysis that “there is no consistent evidence of a shift in support for a second referendum.” – Guido Fawkes Alastair Campbell says he would find it ‘very difficult’ to vote Labour if they don’t try to stop Brexit – PoliticsHome David Davis says Philip Hammond’s Treasury talks ‘b*****ks’ Philip Hammond’s Treasury talks “b*****ks” about Brexit and Theresa May is weaker than John Major, David Davis has blasted. In a second day of direct attacks on the PM, the ex-Brexit Secretary warned forcing Chequers on Britain risks costing the Tories the next Election as furious voters flock to parties like UKIP. And following a speech in Germany he let rip at his former Cabinet colleagues, branding the PM’s election campaign last year “crap”. He added: “We ran the worst campaign in modern history.” – The Sun May faces revolt of 40 Brexiteer MPs – ‘Bad deal is worse than no deal’ – Express Chris Grayling insists the EU must compromise or face no deal – BBC News > Read David Davis’ speech in Munich on BrexitCentral here Jeremy Corbyn says Labour will vote down Theresa May’s Chequers deal so they can push for another election… Jeremy Corbyn says Labour will vote down Theresa May’s Chequers deal so they can push for another election and get into power. But he ruled out the possibility of holding a second vote on EU membership, saying they “are not proposing another referendum”. The leftie leader echoed his shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry, who said the opposition party will block any Brexit deal from getting through Parliament so they can oust the PM from Downing Street. Mrs May is currently struggling to get her plans agreed to by the other EU countries, and faces an even tougher job to get MPs to approve the deal she brings back from Brussels. – The Sun …as Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon calls for Brexit talks extension if no deal is reached Scotland boss Nicola Sturgeon mounted a fresh bid to delay Brexit yesterday by calling for an extension to talks if there is no deal. The First Minister wrote to all opposition party leaders at Westminster to back her call, including Labour chief Jeremy Corbyn. Ms Sturgeon’s demand came as new studies exposed the scale of the damage to the British economy is there is no agreement and a cliff edge Brexit. The Scotland chief said: “If the choice we face is between no deal and no detail, then an extension to the Article 50 negotiation period must be on the table as the only way to avoid an economic cliff edge, and allow all alternative options to be considered”. – The Sun Most manufacturers unprepared for no-deal Brexit, says trade body… More than 80 per cent of UK manufacturers say they are unprepared for a no-deal Brexit scenario, while one in six believes that reverting to World Trade Organisation rules if negotiations failed would make their business “untenable”. The level of concern and lack of contingency planning among Britain’s manufacturers just six months before the country is due to leave the EU was revealed in a survey conducted by EEF, the industry trade body. “The effect of no deal is pretty much nothing short of catastrophic for many of the larger companies. They are so integrated [in terms of their supply chains], we would see closure of plants,” said Stephen Phipson, EEF chief executive. The warning came as EU leaders warned Theresa May at an informal EU summit in Salzburg that the UK prime minister’s economic deal for Brexit — the so-called Chequers plan — “will not work”. – FT (£) …as ministers provide them with ‘100 pages of waffle’ Ministers were accused of leaving business woefully unprepared for a No Deal Brexit by producing planning papers full of “waffle”. In a humiliating attack, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), Federation of Small Business (FSB)and the British Retail Consortium said a lack of detail in the Government’s official advice had left the vast majority of UK firms unprepared for a No Deal in March. Speaking at an Institute for Government event yesterday they said ministers should be telling businesses precisely what mitigating measures they will put in place in the event of the UK crashing out of the EU without a deal. But instead many of the Government’s no deal technical notices published so far had been “maddeningly obtuse,” they said. – The Sun German industry has also started to fret over no-deal Brexit Germany’s manufacturing industries are increasingly worried about a Brexit upset at a time of mounting global trade conflict and a multi-headed crisis in emerging markets. “The world trade system is ever more of joint,” said Eric Schweitzer, president of the country’s powerful export lobby DIHK. Germany faces a blizzard of strategic headaches as its companies get caught in the cross-fire of US sanctions against China, Russia, and Iran, and fresh barriers arising even within the EU itself. – Telegraph (£) Scallop wars barely over as new accusations from Cornish fishermen spark crab wars The scallop wars are barely over but already new tensions have emerged in the English Channel in the form of crab wars. Cornish fishermen have accused French trawlers of deliberately sabotaging their crab pots, costing them hundreds of thousands of pounds. They said French trawlers had been seen in English waters towing nets “without a care in the world” within the UK’s 12-mile limit. Paul Trebilcock, chief executive of the Cornish Fish Producers Organisation (CFPO), said: “They are just dragging through all the gear, they break the ropes, damage the pots or just tow them away altogether.” – Telegraph (£) Ruth Davidson tells Brexiteers sniping at Theresa May to ‘shut up’ and put country before career Ruth Davidson’s frustrations with her pro-Brexit Westminster colleagues’ sniping at Theresa May has spilled over as she told them to “shut up”. She accused some of the Prime Minister’s critics in the Conservative Party of being more interested in their careers, telling them to “put the sharp elbows and the personal ambition away.” Speaking at an event in Edinburgh promoting her new book, she told them their job was to “get behind” Mrs May during the Brexit talks. Ms Davidson also said there is “no contradiction” between her wanting to be First Minister and her mental health battles ruling her out of being Prime Minister. – Telegraph (£) Iain Martin: Absurd Salzburg show proves we’re right to go If you were running a major international organisation facing an extremely difficult set of elections next May, with populists on the rise on the back of voter anger about elite arrogance, would you make your latest summit modest and dial down on the razzamatazz? Or would you put the assembled leaders on the set of The Sound of Music and treat them on the way in like film stars? The answer is obvious. – Iain Martin for The Times (£) Bruno Waterfield: Discord in Salzburg after May hits all the wrong Brexit notes For the first time since she became prime minister, Theresa May arrived at a European Union meeting with high hopes and the wind in her sails. She badly needed good news; to be able to go to her party conference in nine days’ time buoyed with success and the acceptance by the EU of her controversial Chequers proposals as the basis of a final Brexit deal. Instead, she returns humiliated after a series of mistakes, with Eurosceptic Tory MPs and a jubilant French president alike crowing at her discomfort. – Bruno Waterfield for The Times (£) Iain Dale: May talks tough, but climbs down. Chequers was a compromise. Now get ready for more There seems to be an obsession in certain parts of the media with the dangers of a no-deal scenario. Sky News in particular seem determined to create news on this where none exists. Their breathless reporting that BMW’s Mini factory was going to shut down “at huge cost” for a whole month was a prime example. Iain Dale for ConservativeHome James Forsyth: Forget hard and soft Brexit – we’re heading for a blind Brexit What MPs will vote on before next March is not a ‘Brexit deal’ but a withdrawal agreement. Theresa May won’t come to the Commons and table her Chequers plan for approval, which is just as well given that she doesn’t currently have the votes to pass it. Rather, she will put forward an agreement that sets out the financial settlement between the UK and the EU, what rights EU citizens here will have and vice versa, along with the arrangements for the Irish border. The agreement will contain a statement on the future relationship but it will be a non-legally binding political declaration, thereby opening the door to a ‘blind Brexit’. For the words in the political declaration might be little more than fudge: vague commitments that are subject to interpretation and easily wriggled out of. – James Forsyth for The Spectator Fraser Nelson: The EU has brutally killed Chequers, and the UK must now brace itself for a ‘blind Brexit’ Just a fortnight ago, it seemed as if the European Union was trying to throw an arm around Theresa May. Today, Donald Tusk threw a punch. He knew that the Prime Minister had put everything into her Chequers plan. She lost two Cabinet members so she could offer as much – probably more – than her party would let her get away with. But to let her make an after-dinner pitch for her plan in front of all other EU leaders, only to reject it the very next day, was the kind of brutality that isn’t easily forgotten. It would leave any other Prime Minister devastated, and on the brink of resignation. – Fraser Nelson for the Telegraph (£) Lee Rowley: The EEA/EFTA ‘safe harbour’ is not the Brexit Britain needs With the unwanted and unworkable Chequers proposal creating a bizarre void at the heart of the Brexit debate, other proposals are now being floated regarding our future relationship with the EU just to add to the confusion. The most recent proposal is one to keep us in the European Economic Area (EEA) and, potentially, the European Free Trade (EFTA), for a period beyond Brexit. Whilst I applaud my colleagues for trying to put Chequers out of its misery and move the debate on, EEA and EFTA are absolutely not the answer, even temporarily. It would quite literally be out of the frying pan and into the fire: both would exacerbate the problems in our relationship with the EU and would bind Britain into arrangements some will find even more unacceptable than our current membership terms. – Lee Rowley MP for ConservativeHome Robert Bates: A narrow focus on EU trade restricts global opportunities The deep-seated belief that we must spurn trade with global markets, in order to secure the closest possible relationship with Europe, has manifested itself in several high-profile machinations thus far, and will undoubtedly continue to shape the terms of discourse between policy makers. The Treasury’s decision to use a gravity trade model when producing its Brexit ‘forecasts’, the proposed Customs Partnership, and Theresa May’s desire for Britain to stay inside the Single Market for goods, are symptoms of this belief; and show an ill-informed pre-eminence being granted to geographic proximity. – Robert Bates of Get Britain Out for Briefings for Brexit Comment in Brief Tick tock tick tock: time for a second EU referendum is running out – Paul Goodman for ConservativeHome The road to Brexit is paved with untruths and odd claims – George Trefgarne for the Evening Standard Letters: Now the EU has plainly said ‘Non’, Mrs May had better be for turning – Telegraph (£) We can’t wait to free ourselves of the two-bit mobsters who run the European Union – The Sun Says The EU is more preoccupied with migration than with Brexit – John Redwood’s Diary EU will suffer if it fails to negotiate a Brexit deal – Express editorial Worst EU ‘family photo’ ever? Leaders pose for shambolic picture before Chequers write-off – Express Donald Tusk posts a picture with Theresa May captioned with a sly putdown about Brexit cherry-picking – ITV News