German finance minister says post-Brexit trade deal with UK can be done quickly Germany’s finance minister has signalled a willingness to reach a quick deal on trade with Britain, giving hope to the UK government that Brexit negotiations with the EU can be constructive and successful. Speaking at the World Economic Forum on Friday, Wolfgang Schäuble held out the olive branch but also stuck to his view that leaving the EU would damage the British economy, adding that threats to turn the UK into a version of Singapore with low taxes was beneath a great nation. His words will reassure UK ministers in their belief that both the “divorce” phase and the establishment of what the prime minister calls a “comprehensive, bold and ambitious free-trade agreement” with the EU can be made to work. However, Mr Schäuble gave no indication as to what terms for a new trading relationship he would find acceptable. – FT (£) ‘My first reaction to Brexit was that I cried’: German finance minister – The Local Deutschland Germany offers UK hand of friendship on Brexit outcome – Ambrose Evans-Pritchard for the Daily Telegraph (£) …As Leave means Leave sound warning that German economy will pay a “high price” if it attempts to punish UK The German economy will pay a “high price” if its leaders make life hard for the UK over Brexit, British pro-Leave campaigners are to warn. John Longworth, co-chair of Leave means Leave, and ex-minister Owen Paterson will sound the warning at a major German business event on Saturday. Britain will “walk away” if the deal is not right, Mr Longworth will say. Theresa May has said it will be an act of “calamitous self-harm” for the EU to try and punish the UK for leaving. The prime minister has said she wants the UK and the EU to be “good neighbours” in a constructive, new partnership after Brexit. But she has warned that no deal will be better than a bad deal at the end of two years of negotiations – which are expected to start in April. – BBC News Theresa May is set to fly out next week to meet Donald Trump… Theresa May will fly out to meet Donald Trump next week in secret plans to make her the first foreign leader to hold talks with the new US President. The Telegraph can reveal that Mrs May hopes to fly out to Washington DC on Thursday – much earlier than previously thought. The visit has been brought forward after Steve Bannon, Mr Trump’s chief strategist, reached out to appeal for an early trip, according to sources… Mr Trump’s team is said to want to embrace comparisons with Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, the former US and British leaders who developed a close relationship in the 1980s… While the UK would not be able to sign a new trade deal until it is outside of the European Union – expected in mid-2019 – the two countries can hold scoping talks. Government sources said Mrs May would also seek assurances over Mr Trump’s stance on Russia, Vladimir Putin and Nato. – Daily Telegraph …and emphasise the value of the EU and Nato to the new President… Theresa May will urge Donald Trump not to undermine European unity when she meets him in Washington within days, insisting that Britain sees a strong EU as a crucial partner on both economic and security issues. Mrs May told the Financial Times in an interview that she expected to have “very frank” discussions with the new president when she visits Washington, saying honesty was a key element of what she believed would be “a very special relationship”. Mrs May’s team described as “speculation” reports that the prime minister could meet the new president as early as next Thursday; she had been expected to make the trip in February. The British prime minister said she wanted to make early progress towards a US-UK trade deal, but she also made it clear that she did not share Mr Trump’s insouciant approach to the possibility of the EU starting to disintegrate. – FT (£) …as the Trump administration tells Farage there will be a UK-US trade deal ‘within 90 days’ of Brexit’ Britain could strike a trade deal with the United States within 90 days, the Trump administration has told Nigel Farage. Speaking to Sky News at a party hosted by the former UKIP leader in Washington DC on the eve of inauguration, the MEP insisted Donald Trump was offering a “great gift” and was willing to hold talks before Britain even left the EU. Dismissing predictions that reaching an agreement could take a decade, Mr Farage hailed the “can-do attitude” of the incoming president’s team. – Sky News Singapore ‘ready’ to sign free trade deal with Britain post-Brexit The Prime Minister of Singapore has said the country is ready to sign a free trade deal with the UK, once it exits the European Union. In an interview with the BBC at the 2017 World Economic Forum (WEF), Lee said: “Singapore would be ready to sign a free trade deal with Britain after it exists the EU.” Singapore remains one of the Britain’s largest trading partners in Asia, with over 1,000 British companies having a presence in the island nation, and is also home to 30,000 British expats. – IBTimes David Davis preparing to address Parliament in the hours after Supreme Court verdict David Davis will go to Parliament within hours of next week’s expected Supreme Court ruling to put forward an Article 50 Bill. Senior ministers are preparing themselves to lose their Supreme Court appeal, the result of which will be announced on Tuesday. If the Government loses, it means Theresa May will be forced to give Parliament a vote before she triggers Article 50, which begins formal Brexit talks with Brussels. Downing Street has for weeks been preparing for the result and is understood to have drafted a short Bill which it believes will not face scores of amendments from Remain-supporting backbenchers. – Daily Telegraph The Government didn’t offer Nissan money to stay in UK The letter the Government sent to Nissan to convince it to stay in the UK, contained no figure relating to how much the company might be compensated, The Independent has learnt. Whitehall sources revealed the controversial message which led the car manufacturer to commit to the UK, was based solely on reassurances that it would not lose out from Brexit. It emerged as Nissan said it would review the competitiveness of its car plant in Sunderland once the final outcome of Brexit negotiations becomes clear, after stating last year that it was investing in new models at the factory. – The Independent Nissan chief exec Carlos Ghosn said he will commit to the UK once Brexit outcome is known – City A.M. Hard Brexit is ‘wise’ says Norway minister as he blasts Sturgeon’s plan to go it alone Norway’s EU affairs minister, Frank Bakke-Jensen, praised Theresa May’s speech where she set out her plan for Britain post-Brexit. The prime minister confirmed that she will take the UK out of the single market, a controversial issue which had been subject of heated debate. The Norwegian minister called leaving the market “wise”, saying: “Britain alone would have a difficult task to get as good a deal as Norway has today.” The Scandinavian country enjoys access to the EU’s internal market as it is a member of the European Economic Area (EEA). – Daily Express Sir Keir Starmer: ‘Lib Dem leader fanning flames of division over Brexit’ Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, has accused the Liberal Democrat leader, Tim Farron, of “fanning the flames of division” in Britain by ignoring the needs of those who voted to leave the EU. The senior Labour politician, who is leading the opposition response to Brexit, said Farron has “absolutely nothing to say to the 52%” who voted to leave the EU. “I don’t think any party that wants to govern the UK can proceed on the basis that it will only speak to or seek to represent only half of the population,” he said, in comments that will heighten tensions between two parties that some had urged to work more closely together to oppose Theresa May. – The Guardian Fraser Nelson: Trump has just created a vacancy for a world leader in free trade. Step forward, Theresa May Trump’s election is about the return of protectionism, the US retreat from free trade – and a massive vacancy that has just been created to lead the world in this department. A vacancy that can be filled by Britain. At the Davos summit yesterday, Theresa May delivered what was perhaps the best speech of her career making clear she wishes to apply for this vacancy… With the EU in crisis, the stage is set for Britain to return to its former position as the chief torch-bearer for free trade – a mission all the more important with protectionism on the rise. – Fraser Nelson for The Spectator Coffee House James Forsyth: With the backing of the new US President Donald Trump, the UK is in a great position and Brexit success is a Don deal Trump’s election has also made the UK more important to Europe. Trump’s worryingly ambivalent attitude to Nato and his desire for better relations with Vladimir Putin’s Russia at almost any price, means that the UK is more important to the continent’s security than it has been for 60-odd years. Trump has also reversed US policy to the EU. For 60 years, Washington has supported European integration. But Trump doesn’t. He and his team prefer strong nation states to big, supranational organisations. The new President acts like he wants the EU to fall apart. In a provocative act, he is planning to make a Brexit-backer the US’s ambassador to the EU and is predicting that other countries will follow this one out the door. – James Forsyth for The Sun Brexit comment in brief As we leave the single market, a good transitional deal is vital – Andrew Sentance for the Daily Telegraph Why post-Brexit Britain will need a sovereign wealth fund – John Penrose on ConservativeHome Brexit and why Yorkshire sets the example for global Britain – Adam Bradford for the Yorkshire Post Brexit news in brief Watch: Jeremy Corbyn: Labour can unite people over Brexit – BBC News Labour’s Remainer candidate set to lose Copeland by-election, party’s own canvass returns reveal – Daily Telegraph PM’s post-Brexit strategy includes energy storage and battery research centre – The Courier Richard Branson uses his millions in a new bid to block Brexit: He’ll fund a second referendum campaign – Daily Mail Labour shadow minister is ‘leaning towards’ voting against Article 50 in defiance of Jeremy Corbyn – The Independent