Sign up here to receive the daily news briefing in your inbox every morning with exclusive insight from the BrexitCentral team Brexit negotiations reportedly hit fresh stalemate over timetable for next rounds of talks… Brexit negotiations have hit a fresh stalemate with the UK stalling on signing up to “pointless” further talks. Britain’s negotiating team are yet to agree to the timetable for new face-to-face rounds amid fears they would go in circles without movement from Brussels. Officials are concerned that talks ending in stalemate again would kill any the “new momentum” after Theresa May’s Florence speech and last week’s better than expected meeting of EU leaders. Despite promises to “speed up” the process after this month’s EU Council, a new wall has been hit over how many talks to have before the next meeting of EU leaders in mid-December. – The Sun …as it is suggested that the UK’s pre-summit push to ‘divide and rule’ the EU27 impeded progress The British government’s attempt to lobby individual EU leaders in the run-up to the recent crunch EU summit, where member states were to judge the progress of the negotiations, actively damaged Theresa May’s hopes of a better outcome, the Guardian has learned. A secret plan had been drawn up under which the EU leaders would have made the surprise and highly symbolic move of stating in their conclusions on the day of the European council meeting that they would take into account Britain’s positions as they announced their intention to scope out their ideas on a post-Brexit transition period and trading relationship. – Guardian Labour and Lib Dem peers flex muscles over EU rights Labour and Liberal Democrat peers will move today to enshrine a series of EU rights in UK law, signalling their intent to ambush the government over Brexit legislation. Opposition peers are set to defeat Theresa May on an amendment to the Data Protection Bill that would write part of the EU’s charter of fundamental rights into the legislation. – Times (£) Labour MP Barry Sheerman sparks outrage by saying ‘better educated people’ voted Remain — and branded Brexit voters stupid Brexit voters were branded stupid by a Labour backbencher – who said “the better educated people” voted Remain. Barry Sheerman sparked uproar by saying: “You can actually see the pattern, nearly all the university towns voted Remain.” His remarks were branded “snobbery” by Tory MP Stuart Andrew. They came in a TV debate about a letter sent to unis by Tory backbencher Chris Heaton Harris –asking for names of professors teaching courses involving Brexit. – The Sun UK remains most attractive European country for employers and staff The UK is still the most attractive European country for employers and staff, despite the uncertainty created by the Brexit vote, according to a report by Colliers International. A combination of talent, location, quality of life and cost puts Britain ahead, the commercial property company said. London ranks first in the league table of 50 European cities, with Birmingham, Edinburgh, Manchester, Bristol and Glasgow also featuring in the top 20. Simon Ford, a director at Colliers, said: “In the face of negative reports surrounding the UK’s political, social, economic and country risk issues, our research demonstrates that the country as a whole remains in a particularly strong position. – Guardian Customs teams in EU27 unprepared for no-deal Brexit Many of Britain’s leading EU trade partners will not have enough customs officers in place to cope with a “no deal” Brexit for at least a year after the UK is scheduled to leave the bloc, a Financial Times analysis shows. Long training programmes for inspectors — as long as three years in Germany and two in France — and reluctance to start boosting numbers amid uncertainty over the final shape of Brexit mean it is already too late for some member states to bring enough staff on stream by March 2019. – FT (£) UK aerospace industry flies away from Brexit blues as aircraft production soars to new high The UK aerospace sector is batting away Brexit blues, after the industry globally soared to a bumper third quarter for commercial aircraft deliveries, according to trade body Aerospace Defence Security (ADS). The total value to UK industry from the deliveries was estimated at up to £7bn, taking the total value so far for the year to £20bn. ADS said the industry looks on track to top 2016’s record year for deliveries with a final flourish expected to round off 2017. – City A.M. Train companies team up for £85bn plan to boost Britain’s railway post-Brexit Rail companies, their suppliers, and Network Rail, have today set out plans to work more closely together, in order to drive £85bn of additional economic benefits to the UK economy. Paul Plummer, chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train firms and Network Rail, said the plan “will deliver the railway that the economy, customers and communities need as Britain prepares to leave the European Union”. – City A.M. Bumper payday for EY partners as Brexit drives revenue growth Partners at EY are in for a pay boost after revenues at the accounting giant smashed a record for the year to June 30, helped in part by the UK’s decision to leave the EU ramping up the demand for advice. – Telegraph Brexit holds no fear for Macquarie, Australia’s largest investment bank Clouds hanging over the UK’s future relationship with the European Union haven’t hurt Macquarie Group’s appetite for investing in the country, according to its chief executive Nic Moore. “We are looking at Brexit with interest but not fear,” Mr Moore said on Friday after the release of Macquarie’s half-year results. “We do note Brexit, but we also think the UK economy is a strong and growing economy, ” he said. “We’re continuing to invest.” – Sydney Morning Herald May to meet Welsh First Minister for Downing Street talks Theresa May will meet Carwyn Jones in Downing Street to talk about Brexit at a time when relations between the two governments are extremely tense. The First Minister has been publicly critical of the UK Government’s negotiations with the European Union and has accused ministers of making a ‘power grab’ of EU rules and regulations affecting devolved areas. In return he’s been accused of being ‘obsessed with process, bureaucracy and power’ by the Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns. – ITV News James Arnell: If there’s no deal, and the EU fails to play fair, we shouldn’t pay it a penny First, if there is no deal. We are signed up until March 2019, so we should pay our share of the budget until March 2019, with the possible exception of funds to be drawn for projects which will extend beyond March 2019. I have previously calculated the exit bill at around €5 billion, plus a share of the pension liability at around €7 billion. I would set out these figures and I would also set out what the EU has been demanding, showing what has been accepted and what has been rejected. Technically, legally, it seems that we are not obliged to pay a penny on leaving the EU but, in the interests of goodwill, I would propose that we agree to pay a total of €12 billion as our “divorce bill”, payable even in the absence of a free trade agreement. – James Arnell for ConservativeHome Trevor Kavanagh: Jumped up Jean-Claude Juncker is fanning Europe’s flames amid mounting resentment towards Brussels THE EU’s proudest boast, indeed its founding purpose, is putting an end to war on the continent of Europe. It is questionable, of course, but it persuaded many member states to sacrifice democracy in return for the promised security of an overarching superstate without national borders. Yet today one of its biggest and richest nations seems to be sleepwalking into conflict. The Spanish stand-off between Madrid and breakaway Barcelona may well be solved without a shot being fired. – Trevor Kavanagh for the Sun Matt Ridley: Either build on fields or cut immigration The Office for National Statistics says it expects Britain’s population to grow slightly more slowly than it thought three years ago, partly because of lower immigration after Brexit and partly because of slowing increases in life expectancy. But it still forecasts the figure to pass 70 million in a little more than ten years from now. That is not necessarily a bad thing, unless we remain as reluctant to build new houses, roads, schools and hospitals as we currently are. Britain can thrive as a dense city-state, a big Singapore, but not if it hates development. Openness to immigration and antipathy to building cannot both persist. – Matt Ridley for the Times (£) Karren Brady: Let’s get on with Brexit and back our businesses to make the best of it Under a “no deal” scenario, the closer we get to the date, the more businesses will have to decide for themselves what to do. The impact is likely to be more negative than a commitment to some form of transition under which we officially leave the EU in March 2019 but remain within the jurisdiction for 24 months, say, letting businesses on both sides of the Channel adjust. We need to think long and hard about how we will cope if there is no successful negotiation. We need to see a vision of the UK outside the EU. We need a plan to drive business, skills, jobs and innovation. – Baroness Brady for The Sun Charles Moore: May is repeating Cameron’s mistakes in dealing with the EU Theresa May’s style of negotiating with the European Union is coming spookily to resemble David Cameron’s. She is in the mindset where the important thing is to get a deal, rather than working out what sort of a deal is worth getting. The EU understands this, and therefore delays, making Cameron/May more desperate to settle, even on bad terms. Eventually, there is an inadequate deal which the British government then has to sell to a doubting electorate. Mr Cameron was punished for this at the referendum he had called. Mrs May is inviting punishment at a general election. – Charles Moore for the Spectator Brexit in brief Assessing a good deal – John Redwood for John Redwood’s Diary How the UK can lead a fourth industrial revolution – Juergen Maier for the Telegraph (£) Joining the Commonwealth would help address the Brexit conundrum – Dan O’Brien for the Irish Independent Calls to raise interest rates are a good sign for the British economy – Roger Bootle for the Telegraph (£) Britain should move to permanent summer time, while the EU goes back to winter – The Times (£)