Sign up here to receive the daily news briefing in your inbox every morning with exclusive insight from the BrexitCentral team Theresa May might not seek to reopen the Brexit deal, the Culture Secretary suggests… The Prime Minister may not seek to reopen the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement to make changes to the controversial Irish backstop, a Cabinet minister has suggested. Jeremy Wright implied the insurance policy to prevent a hard border could be amended via a codicil, saying the “objective” mattered more than the “mechanism”. The Culture Secretary’s comments came hours after Theresa May wrote to Tory MPs assuring them the Government would continue its work to secure changes to the backstop, as she pleaded with them to unite and deliver on Brexit. Mr Wright told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show: “I think what’s obvious is that Parliament, and I think probably people well beyond Parliament, are concerned about the potential indefinite nature of the backstop – that’s what we’ve got to do something about. “If this is the only way of doing it then that’s the way we will pursue. If there are other ways of doing it that are just as effective that perhaps we haven’t yet explored then we will do that too.” He continued: “I don’t think it’s the mechanism that matters, it’s the objective: if you can get to a place where the potential longevity of the backstop, the potential that the backstop lasts forever can be adequately dealt with, that’s what we’re all seeking to do.” – ITV News Cabinet minister sparks fury after admitting Theresa May could backtrack on promise to reopen Brexit deal with Brussels – The Sun > WATCH: Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright on The Andrew Marr Show …provoking a fresh confrontation with the ERG over the backstop Theresa May is facing a fresh showdown with Eurosceptic Conservative MPs after a cabinet minister suggested she may put her Brexit deal to parliament again without having secured a change to the withdrawal text. Before talks between May and EU leaders, the culture secretary, Jeremy Wright, said the prime minister’s aim was to solve the Northern Ireland backstop issue but the “mechanism” of the change did not matter. His words caused alarm among some Eurosceptic Tory MPs, who have repeatedly made clear they would not vote for a deal that did not remove an indefinite Northern Ireland backstop – a clause that could bind the UK into a permanent customs union with the EU. Steve Baker, the former Brexit minister and an influential figure in the European Research Group (ERG), retweeted a message saying Brexiter Tories would not like the sound of Wright’s suggestion. – Guardian May asks EU to help save Brexit as ministers revolt over No Deal… Theresa May will lead a major diplomatic drive to persuade European Union leaders to save her Brexit agreement, as she faces a rebellion from Cabinet ministers who want to stop the U.K. leaving without a deal. May’s allies believe she has just nine days left to save her strategy before members of Parliament run out of patience and step in to take over the process in a vote scheduled for Feb. 27. As the clock runs down, May’s dispatching her ministers across Europe in an attempt to persuade the EU to make concessions so that skeptical colleagues in her Conservative Party can vote for a re-written deal. Cabinet ministers opposing a no-deal split will tackle May directly this week. Ministers including Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd, Business Secretary Greg Clark and Justice Secretary David Gauke will tell the premier that Parliament is likely to order her to seek an extension to Brexit talks rather than risk economic damage by crashing out of the EU without a deal, and that she might as well take the decision herself, according to two people familiar with their plans. – Bloomberg Theresa May launches major push to reform Brexit deal as deadline looms – iNews …with Defence minister declaring he will vote to stop a no-deal Brexit Tobias Ellwood said quitting the EU in March without an agreement would be “catastrophic for Britain” and that the option needs to be taken off the table “very soon indeed”. The Defence Minister has been a vocal critic of a no-deal outcome, but today became the first frontbencher to openly admit he would be willing to rebel to stop it from happening. Mr Ellwood said the Prime Minister was aware that “many ministers” were in favour of backing that bid, when he appeared today on the Radio 5 Live show Pienaar’s Politics. Pressed directly on whether he would vote for it, he added: “Yes, I will intend to do that. I hope that I will not be tested in that way. “I hope we will either get the meaningful vote through or indeed measures are taken that would then allow people like myself to express those through a free vote.” The minister then batted away the question of whether the move would force him to resign his post. – although he has said he would be willing to quit to stop a no-deal Brexit. – PoliticsHome Geoffrey Cox to take centre stage in Brexit talks this week Geoffrey Cox, the UK attorney-general, will take centre stage in the Brexit process this week when he outlines how he thinks Britain can eliminate the risk of being trapped in a customs union with the EU. Mr Cox, a barrister who was little known in British politics until he delivered a crowd-pleasing address at the Conservative party conference in October, will hold talks in Brussels on Monday and then give a speech in London on Tuesday. Prime minister Theresa May is herself expected to travel to Brussels this week to meet European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker. Her government is hoping that Mr Cox, himself a Brexiter, can bring round rebel Eurosceptics to accepting the most contentious measure in her exit deal with the EU — the so-called Irish backstop. This seeks to prevent border checks on the island of Ireland, if necessary by creating a temporary customs union between the EU and the UK — an idea many Brexiters loathe. – FT(£) Theresa May ready for ‘howls of rage’ as no‑deal Brexit tariffs are settled Liam Fox, the international trade secretary, wants a move to zero tariffs in as many areas as possible, but other ministers are demanding protection for producers, including farmers, who would struggle to compete with cheaper imports from outside the EU. The row will come to a head this week after attempts by Mrs May to win concessions from the EU over the Irish backstop. Yesterday Jeremy Wright, the culture secretary, said that she may not seek to reopen the divorce deal, but that it could be amended by a codicil. No-deal tariffs are published next week and Michael Gove, the environment secretary, is said to have won a promise that agriculture would be protected at least in the short term. Industries such as ceramics, which fears annihilation without tariffs on non-EU goods, are still lobbying before a cabinet sub-committee meeting on Wednesday to sign off the regime. – The Times (£) Two more senior Tory MPs facing deselection votes as ‘purple momentum’ purge gathers pace Two more senior moderate Conservative MPs are facing deselection votes at their annual meetings as the “purple momentum” assault on them by hardline Eurosceptics gathers pace. Sir Alan Duncan is facing a motion of no confidence at his annual meeting, while Sarah Wollaston, chairman of the Health select committee, is facing a challenge at either an extraordinary meeting in the next fortnight or an AGM. Sir Alan, a senior foreign office minister who has been critical of Eurosceptic Tories, has already been readopted by his local party’s executive but is now facing a motion of no confidence at the party’s annual meeting on March 15. In Dr Wollaston’s constituency, a letter signed by more than 50 members calling for an extraordinary meeting to deselect the MP will be presented to John Smith, the local party chairman on Monday. If that fails a motion is set to be tabled at the party’s annual meeting on March 30. A draft, seen by The Telegraph, accuses Dr Wollaston of having “reneged on the clear and unambiguous Conservative manifesto pledge to leave the EU: a manifesto on which she was elected” and not respecting the result of the 2016 EU referendum by backing a second vote. Rupert Hanmer Grant, one of the local activists behind the move, said: “We are calling for this vote of no-confidence in Dr Wollaston because we feel she is playing fast and loose with our constitutional arrangements and making a nonsense of the democratic process simply because she didn’t like the result of the first Referendum.” – Telegraph (£) Nigel Farage’s ‘purple momentum’ gaining strength as more Tory MPs face deselection – Express John McDonnell re-opens Labour’s Brexit civil war with hint the party could back a second referendum The Shadow Chancellor admitted he was in talks with MPs about a backbench amendment to force the PM to another vote if her deal gets through – but also if it didn’t pass. That would mean that even if Theresa May forces it through Parliament then Brexit could all be at risk once again by putting it to the people. Our EU exit could be put on ice for months and even reversed completely if the MPs managed to force the change through. Leftie Mr McDonnell told the BBC this morning he would “look at” plans from MPs Peter Kyle and Phil Wilson to tag on a change to the agreement when it finally gets voted on again. They say it could break the Brexit impasse, but it would set Britain up for years more insecurity over leaving the EU. I met Peter and Phil last week, and what they’re saying is if Parliament does agree some form of deal, why not have a confirmation referendum after that?” he told the Andrew Marr Show. “We’ll look at that in the debate over the next week.” And he also said that Labour could ask the people for another day if the deal doesn’t pass too. He added: “If you can’t get a deal agreed through parliament or if any deal you thought wasn’t going to protect jobs and the economy you’d have to go back to the people and I think that’s right.” – The Sun Labour will only back a fresh referendum ‘in extremis’, John McDonnell says – Independent > WATCH: Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell on The Andrew Marr Show UK-Japan trade talks sour after letter from Jeremy Hunt and Liam Fox The UK’s latest attempt to persuade Japan to agree a quick post-Brexit trade deal has backfired after officials in Tokyo reacted with dismay at British tactics. Theresa May’s government is already battling to mend relations with China, after Beijing cancelled a key trade meeting with chancellor Philip Hammond in protest at a UK pledge to send an aircraft carrier to the Pacific. Relations with Japan have soured as a result of a letter from the UK foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt and international trade secretary Liam Fox which told their Japanese counterparts that “time is of the essence” and said flexibility would be required on both sides. Although UK officials insisted that the letter, sent on February 8, had been couched in standard diplomatic language, Japanese officials believe that it reflected an increasingly high-handed approach from the British side. In response, officials in Tokyo briefly considered cancelling a round of trade talks this week. – FT(£) Citigroup hands Britain £1.2bn vote of confidence Citigroup is close to agreeing a £1.2 billion deal to buy the skyscraper in Canary Wharf that houses its European headquarters. In what would be a striking financial commitment to Britain only weeks before Brexit, and one of the largest UK commercial property transactions on record, Citi is in advanced talks to buy the 42-storey Citi Tower, or 25 Canada Square, according to EG, a property trade publication. Banks are considering moving staff and assets out of the country amid concerns about Brexit, but the potential investment by one of the world’s largest banks underlines that they expect London to remain a global financial centre. Citigroup is the fourth largest American bank and it employs about 9,000 people in the UK. These include 6,000 at its main European offices at Canary Wharf, east London, with 2,000 in 25 Canada Square and 4,000 in the neighbouring 33 Canada Square. It is understood that if the deal goes ahead, Citi staff will be moved gradually from 33 Canada Square back into 25 Canada Square, with space sublet to other businesses reclaimed. The bank also has a West End office in St James’s for its private bank. Citi has said previously that it will create between 150 and 250 jobs in Europe as a result of Brexit, with roughly 60 staff members in London being relocated. – The Times (£) Just 13% of 12,000 EU regulations have been transferred to British law Britain faces having “large gaps” in the law after Brexit after a study found just 13% of EU regulations have been replaced. Experts say it will create “troubling” uncertainty for businesses as they brace themselves for the possibility of no-deal in just over a month. Some 12,000 Brussels rules will have to be examined, edited and ‘retained’ by MPs before Britain leaves the EU at the end of March. To ensure a smooth transition, in either a deal or no-deal situation, the Government will “lift and shift”’ those Regulations which currently apply to the UK into the UK Statute book. However, those Regulations need identifying and many will need amending to make sense, and to be effective, post-Brexit. But with 40 days until Britain officially leaves the EU, new research found just 1,700 of the laws had been reviewed and amended so far. – Mirror Berlin warns it will stop extradition of Germans to UK after Brexit Germany will stop the extradition of its citizens to Britain immediately after Brexit, even if the UK leaves the EU with a deal, according to a formal notification Berlin has given Brussels. The German decision, submitted to the European Commission last week, underlines the challenges Britain and the EU face in maintaining security co-operation at current levels after the legal rupture of Brexit. Under its constitution, Germany has strict limits to the extradition of its nationals. The only potential exceptions permitted are for requests from other EU countries, which are made via the European Arrest Warrant, or to an international court. This means Berlin will reject any British requests to arrest German nationals after Brexit, even if a planned 21-month transition period comes into force. – FT(£) Germany vows to block extradition of nationals to UK post-Brexit – Express Express: EU’s food propaganda leaves a bitter taste Remainers have told us for months that the price of food would soar as a result of Brexit but now it seems that the EU wants to give us donations from its famous butter mountains and wine lakes for free. Put in your orders for baguettes with Parma ham and brie, washed down with a bottle of claret. The whole saga should be treated as a joke but, on a more sinister level, the warning from Conservative backbencher Andrew Bridgen should be taken seriously. He rightly notes that for there to be a food shortage in Britain, the EU would have to erect non-tariff barriers to stop it being imported. In doing so, the EU would be breaking international law. Given that Britain is the biggest market for things such as champagne, Irish beef and much more it would also be an act of incredible self-harm. The reality is that this is all part of the propaganda war against Brexit. – Express The Sun: We must continue preparing for a managed No Deal clean break from the EU – we have nothing to fear Theresa May MUST secure legally watertight concessions on the backstop if she hopes to get her deal through. If the Government try to pull the wool over the public’s eyes with wishy-washy words from Brussels negotiators, there will be hell to pay. Jeremy Wright yesterday seemed to suggest the Government would be happy with an IOU and a handshake — but if he thinks MPs or voters will be fooled, he’s deluded. We have said that those who believe in Brexit should, if the PM secures legitimate changes to the backstop, back her deal to ensure we leave on March 29. But if those cast-iron concessions aren’t forthcoming, we must continue preparing for a managed clean break from the EU. We have nothing to fear. This weekend we saw the apocalyptic scenarios dreamed up by Remainers, of grounded planes and massive tailbacks on our roads, are straight-up rubbish. There is plenty of Brexit fatigue but it’s worth remembering that — deal or no deal — we have a bright future ahead. – The Sun Brian Monteith: Eurozone stats should underline advantages of leaving EU As the prospect comes closer of leaving the European Union without the UK having agreements for a transition period (mistakenly called a “deal”) we are likely to hear more prophecies of economic catastrophe and scares about what might go wrong. One reason that uncertainty about Brexit has been allowed to build up must be the false sense of how important the EU has been to the relative success of the UK economy. Last week the latest figures for GDP growth in EU member states were released and they underlined how distressed in particular the Eurozone is. They also helped to demonstrate how the UK’s economic future lies outside the EU and why we should be confident of economic success after our departure. The EU is meant to give us an advantage from being inside the single market and customs union but as the UK is mainly a service economy the main advantage has been in opening up our goods market to EU countries, while we have gained no comparable opportunities in their financial services markets that was promised. As our politicians seek to ensure as soft a Brexit as possible they should take solace in the fact that as we leave the EU we regain the ability to introduce policies that can help those business sectors that might find difficulty – while gaining the freedom to open up new markets for the benefit of everyone. – Brian Monteith for The Scotsman Iain Mansfield: We have nothing to fear from No Deal One constant on our journey to leave the EU is that the predictions of Project Fear have repeatedly failed to come true. Despite the predictions of the Treasury, there was no immediate recession, “immediate and profound economic shock”, ten per cent drop in house prices or ‘’Punishment Budget’ as a consequence of the vote to Leave. Instead we’ve seen a growing economy, the highest ever level of employment, growing wages, falling inflation and an £11.8bn increase in exports in 2018. The new bogeyman is No Deal. The summer of 2018 saw repeated stories of planes being grounded in the event of No Deal, only for, entirely predictably, the EU to make provision in December for flights to continue for twelve months to allow alternative measures to be put in place. More recently, claims that our trade to other countries would grind to a halt are being refuted by the regular drumbeat of mutual recognition agreements signed by the Department of International Trade, including one last week with our largest non-EU trade partner, the USA. I do not say that there will be no short-term impact in the event of No Deal, but it will be vastly less than is being suggested. I am not a No Deal fanatic. Last year on this site I advocated support for Chequers, and I still believe that, if the backstop is removed from the Withdrawal Agreement, the deal would be worth signing. We must not, however, accept a deal at any cost. To succeed in any negotiation, one must be prepared to walk away – and the actions of MPs who have effectively announced that they will take any deal, however bad, have undoubtedly hamstrung our negotiations. – Iain Mansfield for ConservativeHome Tom McTague and Jacopo Barigazzi: Theresa May sets course for Brexit disaster In European capitals there is now mounting alarm that Theresa May has set Britain on course for a diplomatic disaster, by fundamentally misjudging how far EU leaders are prepared to bend at the last minute in their summit just a week before Britain’s EU departure date. A month after suffering the biggest parliamentary defeat in British history, May is doubling down on her strategy of winning her Brexiteer backbenchers and the Democratic Unionist Party over to supporting her deal by securing legally binding changes to the Withdrawal Agreement she finalized with the EU in November. Her ministers have made diplomatic forays to Brussels, Strasbourg, Paris and Dublin in recent days and May herself has spoken to the leaders of Germany, Portugal, Austria and Sweden. Next week, she will be back in Brussels for talks with Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. But there is skepticism in Brussels about the substance of the current diplomatic flurry. – Tom McTague and Jacopo Barigazzi for Politico Brexit in Brief It is ridiculous to say no one ever voted to be poorer – Daniel Hannan MEP for the Telegraph (£) Airbus boss claims no-deal Brexit would be ‘catastrophic’ – RTE