#Brexit boost as @BorisJohnson gives strongest signal yet of govt invoking Article 50 early 2017 with swift exit process pic.twitter.com/LCxV6efGpb — BrexitCentral (@BrexitCentral) September 22, 2016 Theresa May to decide over Brexit talks, No 10 says after Boris begins setting out strategy Theresa May alone will decide the terms of Britain’s departure from the EU, Downing Street has said after Boris Johnson began setting out a strategy for Brexit. Speaking in the United States, the Foreign Secretary on Thursday said that the UK will begin formal Brexit talks “early next year” and leave the EU by 2019. – The Telegraph The UK has upper hand in negotiations over Brexit With 5.8 million EU jobs reliant on the other member states continuing to trade freely with Britain the rest of the bloc cannot afford to start a trade war. As this newspaper has pointed out many times the other member states need us far more than we need them. – Express editorial Britain has the edge over EU nations in trade talks, says Civitas – Telegraph Today on BrexitCentral, Civitas report author Justin Protts writes: Any move by the EU to punish the UK with trade restrictions or new barriers would be an act of self-harm UK must leave EU by early 2019, says European Parliament President Martin Schulz As he prepared for talks in Downing Street, Mr Schulz urged Theresa May towards the “earliest possible triggering of Article 50” which will launch the official Brexit talks process. He argued it would be wrong for British voters to take part in EU Parliament elections while the negotiations were on-going. – The Independent Manufacturing growth accelerates despite Brexit fears Britain’s manufacturers are growing “at a healthy pace” despite fears that the Brexit vote would knock the momentum out of the sector. The fall in the pound shortly after the vote on June 23 has helped support export orders, with big-ticket items such as cars performing particularly well, according to a survey from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). – The Telegraph Lord Lawson says ‘disgraceful’ Bank of England Governor Mark Carney should quit for fuelling Brexit fears The Conservative peer and former chancellor accused the Canadian of joining ‘the chorus of scaremongering’ during the EU referendum campaign. He said the central bank chief is now ‘seeking to validate the improper remarks’ with fresh warnings about the economy – despite signs that Britain is booming. – Daily Mail Confidence grows that Mark Carney will steer BoE through Brexit – FT Labour must support the end of free movement to be credible again, says another Labour Remainer… Labour needs to stop “sulking” about the EU referendum result and vow to end freedom of movement, one of the party’s northern heartland MPs has warned. Jonathan Reynolds, who has represented the Greater Manchester seat of Stalybridge and Hyde since 2010, believes keeping the EU’s free movement rules in exchange for Single Market membership would be “unacceptable” to millions of Labour voters. – Huffington Post …as Chuka Umunna also U-turns on free movement Chuka Umunna today confirmed he too would sacrifice access to the Single Market if it meant keeping the current freedom of movement rules. The former Shadow Business Secretary, who was one of the most high profile Remain campaigners in the EU referendum, is the latest high-profile Labour figure to definitively call for an end to free movement in any post-Brexit deal. – Huffington Post Millionaire Ukip donor Paul Sykes announces plans to defect back to Tories following Brexit He warned he will only donate to Theresa May’s party if she agrees to take Britain out of the single market and restore “full control of our borders and fishing rights”. The news is a boost for the Tories ahead of their annual conference next weekend but more bad news for Ukip, which is struggling to define itself after the Brexit vote. – The Telegraph Get Brexit right, and I’ll be a Tory again. Betray it and you’ll see my Ukip adverts from the moon – Paul Sykes in The Telegraph Latvian foreign minister hints at flexibility over free movement and calls for “pragmatic” approach Latvia is willing to allow some flexibility in negotiations on free movement and the single market between the U.K. and the bloc, [Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars] Rinkevics said Thursday in an interview at Bloomberg’s headquarters in New York… “To be pragmatic, especially now, when so many loud statements are being made from all sides is something I would advocate for,” Rinkevics said. “We are not the country in the EU that thinks that we need to see Britain punished” for voting to leave, he added. – Bloomberg Allister Heath: Look at the evidence, not the economists, for the effects of the Brexit vote A month or two ago, the consensus was predicting immediate Armageddon, a Lehman-style freezing of markets, and in many cases a recession or numerous negative quarters of growth if we voted Brexit. It’s a woeful, abysmal record, one for which the very concept of “rewards for failure” was invented. – Allister Heath in The Telegraph Daniel Hannan: Why it’s brilliant in Brexit Britain and how ‘Project Fear’s’ lies were exposed Despite everything we’ve been hearing about failing economies, it will be Britain nudging in front of Germany and well ahead of France and Italy… Today, exactly three months on from the vote, it is clear that Remain’s Project Fear merchants were talking hogwash. – Daniel Hannan MEP in The Sun Steve Reed: The people chose Brexit so we must show them Labour’s vision of taking back control in British politics A bold and radical plan for taking back control would offer the hope of a better future to those who feel left behind. And it might just be a vision that could save Labour. – Steve Reed MP on LabourList Eamon Delaney: Ireland will miss the UK’s presence in Brussels post-Brexit We are in a scary situation now, with the EU, almost daily, coming out with pronouncements about no more favourable tax deals for corporates and a “level playing field”, and basically threatening our golden goose of the 12.5pc corporate tax rate… It all adds up to an extremely challenging situation. We are going to really miss the UK batting away forcefully in Brussels, as we have always been used to coasting along in its slipstream. Now it’s just us facing the Germans and French. – Eamon Delaney in the Irish Independent Ed Conway: Resilient City will take Brexit in its stride Britain’s financial hub has withstood challenges far greater than Brexit… The City became the pre-eminent global hub because of — not in spite of — regulations imposed by bureaucrats and politicians. So it is odd that the latest argument against a clean break with Europe is that UK banks would become mired in extra red tape… Britain could lose passporting and never know the difference. It could keep passporting and still face extra barriers from national regulators. More fundamentally, whatever the result, we can probably presume that the City will do what it has done for centuries, and survive. – Sky News Economics Editor Ed Conway in The Times David Collins: Far from finding it difficult to strike trade deals post-Brexit, the UK is in a prime position. Here’s why In the weeks since the referendum there has been much gnashing of the teeth over the UK’s future trade relationship with both the EU and the rest of the world. Much of the negativity expressed by commentators is exaggerated or misguided. The UK remains in a strong position, and can in fact prosper under existing arrangements – and new ones, which are highly feasible and in fact quite likely. – Professor of International Economic Law David Collins in City A.M. Brexit comment in brief Evening Standard Comment: Evening Standard comment: London remains open for business, Mr Schulz – Evening Standard John Redwood MP: Fallon’s too late to veto Juncker’s EU army – Comment Central Douglas Carswell MP: Brexit pessimism is based on dogma, not data – TalkCarswell Martin Roth’s departure from the V&A has nothing to do with Brexit – Charles Moore in The Spectator Brexit: So far, so good – The Northern Echo Mark Wallace: The OECD, the IMF, the Treasury, Osborne. How the experts got it wrong on the effects of a Leave vote. – ConservativeHome Brexit news in brief BoE’s Kristin Forbes says the current interest rate of 0.25% is good enough to prevent the UK from slipping into recession – IBTimes Welsh Labour attacked by Plaid Cymru after voting with Tories on the Single Market – Wales Online UK urged to adopt Icelandic style fishing policy post-Brexit – IEA in City A.M. Finance job vacancies in England ‘fall after Brexit vote’ – BBC News Could Brexit cure your hangover? Scrap EU rules and raise a glass to synthetic alcohol, says think tank – Daily Telegraph US-EU trade war threat over ‘illegal’ Airbus aid – The Times Where some see risk and volatility after the Brexit vote, EDC sees opportunity – Financial Post Watch: David Miliband Chances of ‘Hard Brexit’ Rising