Andrew Neil debunks viral Open Britain video BBC host Andrew Neil unleashed an incredible tirade against a pro-EU campaign group for lying about prominent Brexit advocates in a desperate attempt to keep the UK in the single market… In the campaign video, twelve Leave activists are shown apparently advocating for single-market membership. But, Neil quickly revealed the video cherry-picked the quotes out of context. He also slapped down the pro-EU chief for not using a single quote made during the actual referendum itself. – Daily Express The Owen Paterson, Matthew Elliott and Nigel Farage quotes were deliberately clipped to distort entirely what they were saying. Brillo told Open Britain’s James McGrory: “You misrepresented them… How did you think you would get away with this?… Many people will conclude that you are the biggest liars”. – Guido Fawkes > Yesterday on BrexitCentral: Open Britain proven to have grotesquely distorted the views of Leave campaigners on the Single Market MPs continue pushing Downing Street for ‘clean break’ from European Union More than 70 MPs last night called for a clean break from Brussels amid fears that Remain plotters could sabotage Britain’s EU exit… To give further backing to the campaign to ensure the EU referendum verdict is respected, a new group was launched by Tory MPs yesterday to press Theresa May to deliver on her promise that “Brexit means Brexit”. A stark statement issued by Brexit-supporting MPs said: “The UK must leave the European Economic Area and the customs union.” It was signed by 60 Tories and 11 MPs from other parties including Labour, the Democratic Unionist Party and Ukip. The move is understood to have been organised to coincide with the launch by Tory MPs of the European Research Group – dedicated to pressing the Prime Minister to deliver her Brexit promise. – Daily Express All MPs should back Steve Baker’s Brexit letter – Douglas Carswell’s blog Eurosceptics welcome Tony Blair’s political comeback and Brexit intervention Tony Blair’s plan to make a comeback to political life by spearheading an anti-Brexit group was last night welcomed by eurosceptics who said it would increase public support for leaving the EU. Tory MPs welcomed Mr Blair’s decision to set up a new political institute that will seek to influence Britain’s withdrawal and said that the level of public anger still directed at the former Labour leader will simply embolden the Brexit movement. – Daily Telegraph Go away Tony Blair, you’ve done enough damage – Trevor Kavanagh in The Sun Theresa May aiming to put post-Brexit UK at ‘cutting-edge’… Theresa May is to reach out to business leaders by pledging an extra £2bn a year in funding for scientific research and development by 2020. In a speech to the CBI, Mrs May will outline a new fund that will back areas such as robotics and biotechnology and help commercialise new discoveries. The investment will help put post-Brexit Britain at the “cutting edge”, the prime minister is to say. – BBC Theresa May to give Britain lowest corporation tax of world’s top 20 economies – Daily Telegraph …as 7 in 10 firms plan to increase or maintain innovation spending in light of Brexit British businesses are pressing ahead with plans to spend hundreds of millions of pounds on research and development, in a vote of confidence in the UK economy following the Brexit vote. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said 70pc of companies intended to maintain or increase spending in new technologies to grow their business, despite the referendum result, as it described corporate access to research and R&D tax credits as “world class”. A survey of over 800 businesses showed just 7pc of those polled planned to reduce their investment in innovation. – Daily Telegraph ‘There’s no point crying about Brexit uncertainty’ says Philip Hammond… Brexit is causing an unprecedented level of uncertainty which is leading to forecasts of an economic slowdown, Chancellor Philip Hammond has said. But he added “there’s no point crying over that fact” and stressed it was the reality of pulling Britain out of the European Union. The Chancellor also admitted the Government would have no clarity on what the UK’s future trading arrangements will be when it triggers Article 50 of the EU treaties to begin the Brexit process. – Evening Standard Chancellor warns Brexit uncertainty leaves UK facing ‘eye-watering’ debt – Sky News Office for Budget Responsibility to tear up forecasts for UK growth – The Guardian …as the Chancellor’s ‘relentless negativity’ around Brexit is attacked by ministers and MPs Philip Hammond has been attacked by ministers and MPs for his “relentless negativity” around Brexit after he said the UK was facing “unprecedented uncertainty” after voting to leave the European Union… One minister said: “At this time, the Chancellor should be trying to convey a feeling of confidence. Philip is not doing that. There is a growing feeling that he has made a decision to be relentlessly negative about Brexit.” Iain Duncan Smith, the former work and pensions secretary, urged Mr Hammond to stop focusing on the economic forecasts as they have repeatedly proved to be incorrect. – Daily Telegraph Hammond’s big task is to persuade business that an Open Britain lies ahead after we leave the EU – Paul Goodman on ConservativeHome Polish President stands up for the UK and calls on critical EU politicians to cool off about Brexit Poland is concerned that inflammatory remarks will lead to looser cooperation between the European Union and the U.K. following the country’s exit from the club, which would be detrimental to the economic prospects of both, President Andrzej Duda said in an interview. He urged a more more measured approach toward the negotiations after a week of heavy criticism of May’s government, whose strategy for Brexit was described as chaotic by an Italian minister and as “impossible” by a Dutch politician. “I propose a glass of cold water to cool emotions, so that in the end it doesn’t turn out that we all lose — both the EU and the U.K.,” Duda told Bloomberg – Bloomberg Brexit Committee chair Hilary Benn faces deselection fight as John McDonnell refuses to intervene John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, has refused to intervene to ensure Hilary Benn remains a Labour MP amid reports that he is facing a possible deselection battle with activists in his local party… The Sunday Times claims that Corbyn supporters have taken over positions in Benn’s Leeds Central constituency party and he is facing the threat of deselection in the seat. – The Guardian Scottish Parliament may have the legal right to block Article 50 entirely Not many people are familiar with section 2 of the Scotland Act of 2016, but it could give First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and her government in Edinburgh the legal power to block the UK from triggering Article 50. – Business Insider UK Citi keeps faith with London but will cover all its bases for Brexit Citigroup thinks the British government will secure passporting rights for UK-based financial services companies when negotiating Britain’s exit from the EU, though it is preparing for the downside if that does not happen, says Michael Lavelle, Citi’s UK head of corporate and investment banking. Whatever happened, London would remain Citi’s European headquarters, Lavelle said at its London headquarters… London would continue to be a global financial centre even in the event of a hard Brexit, said [Citi CEO for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Jim] Cowles. – Business Day Brexit banks told to relax: ECB won’t give first-mover advantage – Bloomberg Facebook boost to post-Brexit era with 500 new skilled jobs Facebook will today pledge to create 500 more jobs in the UK in another vote of confidence from America’s technology giants in post-Brexit Britain. Google last week reaffirmed its commitment to the country with plans to expand its workforce from 4,000 to 7,000 by 2020. That followed Apple’s decision to move its headquarters to six floors of Battersea Power Station Facebook will confirm London’s status as the technology capital of Europe when it unveils plans to increase its UK staff level from 1,000 to 1,500 in the coming years… Nicola Mendelsohn, Facebook’s vice-president of Europe, Middle East and Africa, will say: “The UK remains one of the best places to be a tech company and is an important part of Facebook’s story.” – The Times (£) ‘Brexit boost’ will see best Black Friday bargains yet – with 60pc discounts on items Following the Brexit vote shoppers have become acclimatised to bargain prices, as shops instantly dropped prices on thousands of lines over fears shoppers would tighten their purse strings… Mark Solomon, founder of LovetheSales.com said, “Post Brexit uncertainty has resulted in increased competition between retailers, reflected by more aggressive discounting of inventory. If this trend continues, this Black Friday weekend will be the biggest ever.” – Daily Telegraph London named Europe’s top retail destination thanks partly to Brexit – Property Investor Today Steve Baker MP: We must have a real Brexit, not a fake one To be in the EU internal market would mean retaining all the EU’s regulations and policies, barring reform and new trade. To be in the Customs Union would mean no external trade deals on goods, adopting EU product regulations on our domestic economy and suffering the EU’s import taxes. – Steve Baker MP on his blog Brexit pointless if Britain stays in single market, says top economist Patrick Minford – Daily Express Dominic Raab MP: Brexit means Britain can be an even greater ally to our European friends As more and more Remainers make their peace with the referendum result, we Brexiters need to avoid sounding miserly… I support the 60 Conservative MPs who have said publicly Britain should leave the customs union, because we can’t deliver on the Prime Minister’s ambition to end free movement and the jurisdiction of the European Court, or make Britain a global leader in free trade, without doing so. But, we also need to set out a positive and optimistic vision of the UK’s relationship with the EU after Brexit – for the British people, and our European friends. – Dominic Raab MP in the Daily Telegraph (£) John Mills: Globalisation can benefit everyone and make the UK profitable again We have to get the costs of making and selling things in the UK down to a sufficiently competitive level. And to do this we have to unwind the disastrous exchange rate policies which we have pursued for the past 40 years. We have to make it as economical to produce goods here – or at least a fairly high proportion of them – as it is to get them made on the other side of the world… At $1.10 or a bit lower, it would become profitable again to locate in the UK. This is why price sensitivity would kick in with a vengeance and we would be able to reindustrialise. – Daily Telegraph (£) Clare Marx: How to make the best of Brexit for the NHS Much less has been said by the health service about the significant opportunities that Brexit brings for improving a number of areas of healthcare safety. Along with all EU countries, the UK has often been required to accept the lowest common denominator of standards across Europe… At present, regulators such as the GMC do ask doctors from the rest of the world, where EU rules don’t apply, to sit tougher and more relevant tests which examine language skills in a clinical setting. The current two-tier system is blatantly unfair and not sufficiently protective for patients. – Clare Marx, President of the Royal College of Surgeons, for ConservativeHome Brexit comment in brief Clear thinking needed on Brexit – Morning Star editorial Brexit means a clean break from the EU – Paul Nuttall MEP in the Daily Express What will the Queen and Donald Trump discuss over tea during his state visit? – Matthew Norman for The Independent President-elect Donald Trump’s success is final nail in coffin for the EU’s TTIP – Helen McArdle for The Herald Brexit news in brief Nicolas Sarkozy crashes out of French Right-wing primaries as Thatcherite François Fillon takes surprise lead – Daily Telegraph Angela Merkel confirms she will seek fourth term as German Chancellor – The Guardian Erdogan says Turkey could abandon the EU and join a Russia-China pact – Business Insider UK Fianna Fáil leader slams ‘backward-looking nationalism’ in Britain after Brexit vote – Irish News Lord Kilclooney criticises Fianna Fail’s rhetoric but agrees that Brexit is bad for Republic of Ireland – Belfast Telegraph New research suggests that one Scottish parliamentary constituency did actually vote for Brexit – The Scotsman Nigel Farage expects invitation to Donald Trump inauguration – The Guardian Trump’s UK allies put Remain MPs in their sights – Politico Insurers call on MPs to help with global expansion post-Brexit – Daily Telegraph Smiggle braves 200 UK store openings despite Brexit – Daily Telegraph