May announces that Brexit process will begin by end of March 2017… As Conservative conference begins, we are finally starting to find out a little more about what Brexit means. But only a little… Theresa May confirmed that she would trigger Article 50, which starts the process of taking Britain out of the European Union, before the end of March 2017. – Isabel Hardman on The Spectator’s Coffee House blog What is Article 50? The only explanation you need to read – Daily Telegraph From Saturday on BrexitCentral: Dr Lee Rotherham: Making sense of Article 50 – and why we are right not to be triggering it immediately – BrexitCentral …and slaps down those trying to “subvert democracy”… “Those people who argue that Article 50 can only be triggered after agreement in both Houses of Parliament are not standing up for democracy, they’re trying to subvert it. They’re not trying to get Brexit right, they’re trying to kill it by delaying it. They are insulting the intelligence of the British people.” – Excerpt from Theresa May’s speech cited by BBC News …as she insists that Brexit will mean control of UK borders Controlling immigration would be the key basis for departure, May said. The government would seek access to the EU’s single market if possible, she said, adding: “But let me be clear. We are not leaving the European Union only to give up control of immigration again. And we are not leaving only to return to the jurisdiction of the European court of justice.” – The Guardian Theresa May intends to take us out of the single market – The Independent Five key points from Theresa May’s Brexit speech – Wales Online Brexit: What We Learned on The First Day of the Tory Conference – Bloomberg No Soft Option: Theresa May has given herself room for realistic negotiation on trade and borders. But she needs to be clear on what Britain will cede – The Times leader (£) Chris Grayling: UK won’t set out its negotiating position when it triggers Article 50 – Spectator’s Coffee House blog Sturgeon accuses May of ignoring Scotland over Brexit – ITV News Stop picking fights with UK government, Ruth Davidson tells Nicola Sturgeon – The Herald Northern Ireland parties react to news that formal exit process to begin next year – BBC UK will ignore Brexit doubters to unlock ‘Global Britain’ – International Business Times EU leaders reject May over ‘hard’ Brexit talks – The Times (£) EU president rejects Theresa May’s call for early start to preliminary Brexit negotiations – The Independent Theresa May’s Brexit speech at Conservative Party Conference – BrexitCentral Could PM Theresa May invoke Article 50 earlier than March? Whitehall is working to a timetable that would allow Article 50 to be triggered in mid-January, Sky News understands. The negotiating position has been split into six areas – from the single market, to migration, foreign affairs cooperation and the Budget. The PM could have the option of triggering with a firm plan as early as 15 January. – Sky News What will happen now timescale for Article 50 has been revealed? – The Guardian Out by March 2019? Why Brexit will take far longer than we expect – New Statesman Theresa May’s Great Repeal Act is not symbolic – it’s vital for British sovereignty Don’t make the mistake of thinking that scrapping the 1972 Act is chiefly symbolic. That piece of legislation means that any EU ruling, however bizarre, however at odds with the plain text of the treaties, is automatically incorporated into British law…. As long as the European Communities Act is on the statute books, the sovereignty of parliament, which we fought a civil war and deposed two kings to assert, is in abeyance. – International Business Times Theresa May’s grand plan to deliver Brexit could be a lot more complicated than people think MPs will get the opportunity to vote on [the Great Repeal Act] — in theory, they could refuse to support it until certain amendments are made, or, in less likely but not impossible scenario, block it all together. The prime minister may also have to persuade the national governments of Scotland and Northern Ireland to agree to the legislation. EU law is deeply entrenched into the devolved status of these countries, meaning May might have receive consent from Edinburgh and Belfast. – Business Insider UK Brexit minister says he wants ‘freest possible’ trade with EU “We want to maintain the freest possible trade between us, without betraying the instruction we have received from the British people to take back control of our own affairs.” – Excerpt from David Davis’ speech as quoted by Reuters Davis: Brexit will be the biggest change for a generation – ITV News Davis’s Conference speech at Conservative Party Conference – ConservativeHome Boris Johnson’s full speech to Conservative conference in Birmingham – International Business Times Pro-EU Tory rebels reveal their plan to fight Theresa May’s ‘harsh Brexit’ The Conservative Group for Europe set out its stall ahead of the Brexit talks, pledging to fight the economic damage it fears from severing links with the Single Market. [Neil ] Carmichael MP said: “We would be reckless if we did not challenge some of the consequences of a hard, or harsh, Brexit.” – The Independent Chris Grayling warns MPs against trying to block Brexit as Tory former minister threatens to join rebellion in House of Commons – Daily Mail May on collision course with Conservative backbenchers over hard Brexit – The Guardian Brexit wasn’t about immigration: Top Tory says Leave voters were ‘fed up’ of being ignored Andrew Davies blasted “champagne socialists” for using immigration as a way to divert attention away from Brussels’ serious lack of democracy in an interview with Express.co.uk. In Wales, which has seen comparatively low levels of immigration compared to much of England, the majority of the population backed Brexit, stunning politicians and pundits. But Mr Davies said he was not surprised by the result, saying voters were fed up of Brussels meddling, like the possibility of EU state aid rules blocking a deal to save the Port Talbot steel works. – Daily Express Former PM took BBC to task over its Brexit ‘bias’ The former prime minister complained about the BBC’s business and economic unit during a conversation about controversial plans to change the way the corporation is governed. He used the charter renewal process to interfere with the BBC’s editorial approach and press it into delivering more pro-Remain coverage. The revelation is contained in ‘Unleashing Demons, the Inside Story of Brexit’, a book by Sir Craig Oliver, Mr Cameron’s former director of communication. – The Times (£) Norman Tebbit: Rejoice, for Theresa May has started the avalanche which will set Britain free The party and indeed most of the country will have rejoiced at her announcement of the early introduction of the “Great Repeal Bill”, which will provide that all of the EU law and regulatory structure governing us today will, from the moment of Brexit, become British law. That will both provide continuity and certainty and give our Parliament the power and authority to progressively adopt, amend or repeal any part of it. – Norman Tebbitt for the Daily Telegraph Matt Ridley: Freed from the shackles of Brussels, Britain can blaze its own trail by telling the world that we are open for business We just don’t know how competitive British science, technology, medicine, even precision agriculture could be, once freed from the top-down dirigisme of Brussels with its myriad rules designed to stifle innovation and protect big companies from upstart competition. – Matt Ridley for The Times (£) Daily Mail: May and Brexit… now the real work begins Hostilities have already begun with a legal challenge by the Remainers to the Government’s right to trigger Article 50 without a vote in Parliament. If it were to succeed, Mrs May’s thin majority could mean defeat in the Commons and long delays in the Lords. She may have similar difficulties repealing the European Communities Act. – Daily Mail Daily Telegraph: The monumental task of Brexit has only just begun While MPs mostly now accept that the referendum outcome cannot be gainsaid, they might be less inclined to agree to a type of Brexit that looks like a bad deal for Britain. If this legislation is going through Parliament in parallel with the EU talks, then any problems in the latter could well cause difficulties with the former. It could make the Maastricht Treaty ratification look like a walk in the park. – Daily Telegraph editorial Bagehot’s notebook: Parliament must push for a bigger role in the Brexit negotiations The point would not be to block Brexit. Though the referendum was not binding, moves by MPs to overrule its result would be a political travesty in the absence of a dramatic shift in public opinion (of which there is no sign, yet). No, the point would be to involve MPs—who, remember, are paid to hold the government to account—in a process that will define not just Britain’s relations with the wider world but the character of its economy and society for the foreseeable future. – Bagehot in The Economist Matthew Goodwin: Britain has no regrets about Brexit. But Theresa May might Should Mrs May deliver fundamental immigration reform then she could trigger a new Conservative ascendancy, banishing the UK Independence party into the wilderness and oversee Labour recording its lowest number of seats since 1935. Should the Brexit negotiations produce only minor changes with a clear financial cost, then the prime minister may find herself pouring petrol on the populist fire and encountering serious trouble. – FT (£) Halfhearted Remain campaigner emerges as cheerleader for Brexit – FT (£) Why didn’t Theresa May campaign for Brexit? – The Spectator Xavier Rolet: The City of London will be fine after Brexit – and a vengeful Europe would be shooting itself in the foot [The UK financial] ecosystem must be championed and protected. The best way is to secure continued regulatory equivalence with the EU, membership of which also provides equivalency with the US. But people in Europe and the UK should realise this isn’t a zero sum game. If business leaves the UK, the European economy would suffer – and very little of that business is likely to go to Europe anyway. – Telegraph Business City calls for transition period to avoid Brexit with a bump – City A.M. Vernon Bogdanor: After article 50, Brexit will be easy. A trade deal will be anything but Britain therefore may well find itself in 2019 trading under the rules of the World Trade Organisation – of which it was an original member – while still negotiating trade agreements with the EU and other countries. WTO membership, if Britain moved towards freer trade, would allow it to benefit from cheaper food from outside Europe – EU prices on beef and veal are currently around 30% higher than world prices – as well as cheaper cars, textiles and other goods subject to the EU’s common external tariff. – Vernon Bogdanor for The Guardian Brexit comment in brief Nick Herbert: Hard Brexit ideologues threaten the UK’s economic future – The Guardian Trevor Kavanagh: Unlike David Cameron, Theresa May will not be rushed and her Brexit plan will leave the UK shipshape – The Sun The Sun Says: Any doubt about Theresa May’s commitment to Brexit has been quashed – May is the capable PM we can be proud of – The Sun Brexit news in brief Liam Fox warns Brexit could spark a “domino effect” across the EU unless bureaucrats change their ways – The Sun Liam Fox ‘quite tearful’ with pride when Britain voted to leave the EU – ITV News Tony Abbott says Australia should strike shotgun trade deal with post-Brexit UK – The Guardian Business secretary Greg Clark has hinted at support for future government interventions by welcoming freedom from EU state aid rules – City A.M. Brexit boosts British watchmaker Bremont as Swiss suffer – Bloomberg Eurosceptics across the EU are pinning their hopes on Brexit being a success – Buzzfeed Hungary PM claims EU migrant quota referendum victory – BBC Gibraltar maintains hopes over movement of people – BT News Sterling falls as May commits to triggering Article 50 by end of March next year – City A.M. UK to lay claim to array of Brussels cellars, art and property as part of split – FT (£) Which laws could go and which could stay after Brexit? – Sky News Iain Duncan Smith: Car makers are wrong to worry about single market access – PoliticsHome