Sign up here to receive the daily news briefing in your inbox every morning with exclusive insight from the BrexitCentral team EU leaders set to agree Brexit transition… European leaders will on Friday agree to extend Britain’s de facto EU membership until the end of 2020, backing a transition deal to smooth the implementation of Brexit. Theresa May, Britain’s prime minister, proclaimed at a European Council meeting in Brussels on Thursday night that “considerable progress” had been made towards negotiating the end of Britain’s 45-year membership of the EU. After months of talks, the leaders of the remaining 27 EU member states will on Friday rubber-stamp plans for a 21-month transition deal, starting on “Brexit Day” on March 29 2019 and lasting until the end of 2020. On Friday the EU27 states are also expected to approve guidelines setting out the bloc’s strategy for negotiating a future relationship with the EU, covering trade, security and other issues. – FT (£) …as May tells EU leaders over dinner that Brexit deal took ‘compromises on both sides’… Theresa May has told EU leaders that it took “compromises on both sides” to reach the Brexit agreement struck on Monday, ahead of the 27 prime ministers and presidents formally signing off the deal on Friday. Speaking over dinner in Brussels on Thursday evening the PM told the other national leaders that she hoped the accord on the transition period would create a “new dynamic” in talks and that it would now be possible to come up with a solution to the Northern Ireland border issue. – Independent UK pulled into talks with Spain and EU about Gibraltar status after Brexit – Independent …while EU leaders agree Russia ‘highly likely’ to blame for Salisbury attack… Following a working dinner at a Brussels summit on Thursday night, European Council President Donald Tusk revealed the bloc’s member states have backed the UK Government’s assessment there is “no other plausible explanation” than Moscow’s culpability. He posted on Twitter: “#EUCO agrees with UK government that highly likely Russia is responsible for #SalisburyAttack and that there is no other plausible explanation.” Theresa May responded by saying she welcomed the fact that the European Council is “standing together”… The EU leaders moved their discussions on trade to Friday, as news broke the bloc will be temporarily exempt from US President Donald Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports to America. – Sky News EU leaders agree it is “highly likely” Russia was behind the Salisbury attack as Theresa May pushes for solidarity – City A.M. EU leaders agree Russia is ‘highly likely’ to be behind spy poison attack – The Sun Skripal and daughter may not recover from attack – The Times (£) Finland’s President congratulates Putin, not once but twice – Bloomberg …as May’s EU allies reportedly prepare to expel Russian diplomats too as EU recalls Moscow ambassador Russia’s spy networks across Europe were under threat last night as at least five EU countries prepared to follow Britain and expel diplomats, while the European ambassador to Russia was recalled… President Grybauskaite of Lithuania had earlier given the first public hint of co-ordinated action as she joined Mrs May and other leaders at the European Council summit in Brussels, saying that she was “considering” expulsions. Latvia and Estonia are also preparing to expel diplomats, according to sources. France and Poland were said to have vowed to take concrete action in the coming days and Germany hinted that it too would take measures as part of efforts to send “a strong common message from Europeans to Russia”. – The Times (£) EU blames Russia, expulsions now in sight, May sticks around another day to discuss trade: EU summit update – Bloomberg Britain deserves the support of the European Union in its stand-off with Putin. The use of a nerve agent in Salisbury is a calculated affront to the West – Times editorial (£) Lib Dems humiliated as EU leaders deny Brexit statement issued by the party Vince Cable has faced embarrassment in Brussels as eight liberal prime ministers denied issuing a provocative joint statement put out by the Liberal Democrats that backed a referendum on the final Brexit deal. The party said the prime ministers, including the Netherlands’ Mark Rutte and Belgium’s Charles Michel, had met Cable before the EU summit and agreed an extraordinary joint statement backing the Lib Dem policy that the British public should be given the chance to vote on whatever deal Theresa May reaches with the EU. However, shortly after the statement was released, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe group (ALDE) of liberal parties in Europe said: “No statement has been agreed upon or released.” …The Lib Dems said the statement had been signed by Rutte and Michel as well as Luxembourg’s prime minister, Xavier Bettel. It is understood that Michel did not attend the meeting with Cable… The Lib Dems also cited Slovenia’s Miro Cerar, who recently resigned as prime minister. – Guardian Sir Vince Cable facing humiliation after EU leaders disown claim they backed calls for second Brexit referendum – Telegraph Vince Cable left humiliated after claiming eight EU leaders signed statement backing calls for a second referendum on final Brexit deal – except they haven’t – The Sun EU delivers slapdown to Lib Dem leader for claiming eight EU Prime Ministers back a second Brexit vote – Daily Mirror Confusion over ‘EU leaders back new referendum’ claim – BBC News Vince Cable humiliated: Eight EU PMs deny backing second Brexit vote despite Lib Dem claim – Express Cable embarrassed as EU leaders deny signing LibDem 2nd referendum statement – Guido Fawkes Vince Cable’s big Brexit stunt backfires – Steerpike Shadow Cabinet member Owen Smith breaks ranks with Corbyn to call for referendum on final Brexit deal Owen Smith has broken ranks with Jeremy Corbyn to reopen the question of whether Brexit is “the right choice for the country” – and urge Labour to offer the public a referendum on the final deal. The shadow Northern Ireland secretary, who challenged Corbyn for his party’s leadership in 2016, was brought onto the Labour frontbench after last year’s general election. He has argued strongly for Labour to back a customs union with the EU27, something that has now become party policy – but in an article for the Guardian, Smith says his party can only “serve democracy”, by recommending a poll on the Brexit deal. – Guardian Labour should ask if Brexit is the right decision, not just push for a softer version – Owen Smith MP for the Guardian Theresa May defends decision to allow Franco-Dutch firm to make Britain’s blue Brexit passports Theresa May has defended the decision to allow a Franco-Dutch firm to make Britain’s new blue passports after Brexit as ministers said that the UK must be a “strong proponent of global free trade”… Downing Street insisted that the procurement process for the passport had been “fair and open” and would deliver “best value for money” for the taxpayer. Andrea Leadsom, the Leader of the Commons, said in the Commons: “We compete in a global marketplace. That is the case and will continue to be the case. Great UK companies compete on a world stage and often win business around the world, and they will continue to do so, both before and after we leave the EU.” – Telegraph Snubbed British firm demands answers from Theresa May as Cabinet minister hints blue passport contract not a done deal – Telegraph UK passport firm demands Theresa May explain ‘moving manufacture to France’ – Sky News UK bidder De La Rue bemoans losing passport deal – The Times (£) Stand up for Britain – for once! MPs and ministers urge ministers to ‘put the country first’ amid a wave of fury over decision to make new blue passports in France – Daily Mail Victory for Global Britain as Franco-Dutch blue passports deal saves taxpayers £50m* – Guido Fawkes French passports deal will save £120m – Guido Fawkes Taxpayer will be £120m better off with foreign-made passport – City A.M. New blue UK passports will be £120m cheaper if made in Europe – Guardian UK passport protests get to the heart of post-Brexit trade debate – Catherine Neilan for City A.M. Does it matter that post-Brexit British passports will be made by a French company? – Sir Gerald Howarth vs Ben Kelly for City A.M. British passports being made abroad isn’t a ‘national humiliation’ – James Forsyth for the Spectator What happens when the French go on strike – just as everyone needs their passports? – Robert Hardman for the Daily Mail Will the price of an EU deal be French-made blue passports and Spanish boats in British waters? – Iain Dale for ConservativeHome How both Brexit camps are messing up on passports – Isabel Hardman for the Spectator Unpatriotic passports are a false economy – Telegraph editorial (£) If the French can make British passports more cheaply, good luck to them – Times leader (£) Let’s give the £120m we’ll save getting passports printed in France to the NHS – The Sun says Gavin Williamson readies the gunboats to protect British fish after Brexit Britain has taken delivery of state-of-the-art gunboats to protect our fishing waters from the EU and others after Brexit, the defence secretary has announced. Gavin Williamson said the vessels will “stand ready” as he unveiled the first of five £116m ships which will form part of the Royal Navy Fishery Protection Squadron. The Ministry of Defence said the boats will become the Royal Navy’s “eyes and ears” around the UK, helping to safeguard fishing stocks. HMS Forth is the first of five from the Batch 2 River-class Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) production line, built by BAE systems in Scotland. As well being designed for fishery protection, it will form part of the defence against smuggling and assist with border patrol, counter terrorism and maritime defence duties. – Telegraph > Lee Rotherham on BrexitCentral last month: As we take back control of our fishing waters, ministers must provide the resources to police our seas Juncker: If Martin Selmayr goes, I go Jean-Claude Juncker told senior colleagues in his party he would quit if his former chief of Cabinet Martin Selmayr is forced out of his new job as the European Commission’s most senior civil servant… Selmayr’s surprise elevation to the role of secretary-general last month, in questionable circumstances, caused consternation in Brussels and led to accusations that the move showed the Commission acting like an “old boys’ club.” One senior EU official said that during the Thursday meeting Juncker told his colleagues that “if [Selmayr] goes, I go.” A second EU official briefed on the meeting confirmed Juncker had threatened to quit if Selmayr is forced out. – Politico Jacob Rees-Mogg: We must learn from our mistakes when negotiating Brexit The prime minister will, at the European Council, get an unsatisfactory deal which we shall have to endure. There is much in it to regret and it illustrates plainly that although Theresa May has negotiated throughout in a sincere, cooperative and statesmanlike fashion, the same courtesy has not been extended to her in return… However, we must learn from the route we have taken to this point. There is still much negotiating to be done. The EU has been much more disciplined in its approach to the negotiations, deciding its position privately and then viewing its position as absolute. The other member states have not undermined the single position and little effort seems to have been made to peel them off. What we can learn from the Commission is that we ought to set out our own stall more clearly and be less willing to deviate from it. That we always appear to be working to an EU text is an error: we ought to be producing clear legal formulations of our own counter proposals. At the same time ou[r] embassies must take the arguments across Europe… The EU is a tough interlocutor, we must be tougher. It is working in our political waters, we must fish in theirs. – Jacob Rees-Mogg MP for The Times (£) Tim Ross and Kitty Donaldson: Inside the secret plot to reverse Brexit Early every Wednesday morning, 15 people leave their homes and travel separately to a secret location in central London, where, over cups of Indian-style filter coffee and plates of cookies, they plot to stop Brexit. Those who gather, bleary-eyed, in the meeting room are a mix of women and men, old and young. They include politicians and activists, both professional and little-known, though their identities haven’t been formally released. The one thing that unites them is opposition to Theresa May’s plan for Britain to make a clean break from the European Union. Their aim: engineer a new referendum so the British people can reconsider Brexit before it’s too late. “I do not want to see Brexit happen. I think it will destroy the futures of the next generation in this country,” says Chuka Umunna… For the first time, people in the anti-Brexit movement in the U.K. are getting organized. That’s because, for the first time, they believe they can win. – Tim Ross and Kitty Donaldson for Bloomberg John Longworth: The Irish people should not let themselves be manipulated by Brussels My plea to the people of Ireland is: do not let your politicians be used as useful fools by the EU, who will undoubtedly abandon you as soon as their work is done. We already see EU leaders calling for a uniform 33 per cent corporation tax rate across all EU countries. The continued road to integration and uniformity may eventually spell the end of the Eurozone and possibly the EU, but it will certainly spell the end of Irish prosperity. It should be remembered that there are perfectly good systems operating to facilitate the free flow of goods under WTO rules. According to a World Bank survey of countries around the world, on average only 2 per cent of goods flowing across borders are physically checked and that for countries who frequently have no trade arrangements, let alone a Customs Union. We can do much better than that on the island of Ireland. It is time for the Republic of Ireland to argue with its EU masters for a common sense solution to the border question, based on technology and pre-notification systems. – John Longworth for the Telegraph (£) James Holland: What Britain can learn from Switzerland To really understand the Swiss model, it is worth turning the clocks back to 1992. It was precisely as the British Conservative Party was tearing itself apart over the controversial implementation of the Maastricht Treaty that Switzerland held its most important EU referendum. On 6th December 1992, the Swiss narrowly rejected European Economic Area (EEA) membership in the last of 15 (15!) referendums it held that year. By rejecting the EEA model, Switzerland was now destined to develop its relationship with the EU in an ad hoc, incremental manner. Greater cooperation may have been desired by both sides, but it was clear that the Swiss were more attached to their sovereignty than had been expected. The incremental model was also very appealing to officials who had found a new respect for the Swiss electorate after the shock 1992 referendum… In the end, while the Swiss model is flawed, it is on the verge of getting an upgrade. What ought to be of particular interest to London is where the EU concedes ground to Switzerland in its attempt to secure this new agreement. – James Holland for CapX Comment in brief Why Brexit could boost British farming – Kim Wilkie for the FT (£) Deciphering Brexit double-speak – Pierre Briançon for Politico Holyrood and Westminster face off as MSPs pass Brexit bill – Henry Hill for ConservativeHome Brexiters are spoiling for a transition fish fight – FT editorial (£) Taking back control is just a fisherman’s tale – Ed Conway for The Times (£) People only moan about the use of Facebook data when it is used by campaigns they dislike – JP Floru for ConservativeHome Free-market fightback: How to win the argument against nationalisation – Matthew Elliott for City A.M. After Brexit, EU nationals in the UK should have the right to vote in local elections – so should all other permanent residents – Harry Phibbs for ConservativeHome News in brief May finally ready to ask MPs to back Heathrow’s £15bn third runway to ‘kick-start’ Brexit – The Sun Merkel calls for greater EU economic integration – ‘much more than just the Single Market’ – Express BOE keeps interest rate unchanged as minority urges hike – Bloomberg Euro weakens to 2-month low against sterling – FT (£) City jobs ‘will start moving’ to Europe from next month – The Times (£) Morgan Stanley said to relocate 80 jobs to Paris after Brexit – Bloomberg Clashes on Paris streets as rail unions rage against reforms – The Times (£) And finally… Paris gets a taste for la cuisine anglaise – The Times (£)