Remain campaign outspent Leave by £5m in EU referendum The Remain campaign outspent Leave by a margin of more than £5 million in last year’s EU referendum, new figures have revealed… A total of more than £32 million was spent on the campaign, making the Brexit battle the most expensive referendum campaign ever in British political history. Details of groups which spent £250,000 or more, released on Friday, showed the major Remain campaigns splashing out almost £16.2 million, compared to £11.5 million for Leave. When combined with details of smaller spenders released last November, this means the Remain campaign outspent Leave by a margin of £19,070,566 to £13,436,241. – Daily Mail Brexit referendum spending probed by Electoral Commission – FT (£) Corbyn denies Copeland disaster as he talks Brexit and by-election results Jeremy Corbyn today dismissed questions about his future after Labour crashed to its worst by-election defeat in more than 50 years. Labour were crushed in the Copeland by-election as the Tories became the first governing party to win a seat off the Opposition in decades. Asked this morning if he had considered at any point that he might be the reason for Labour’s crushing defeat, Mr Corbyn replied: “No.” He denied the Copeland result was a disaster for Labour, saying only that it was “disappointing.” – Daily Mirror Labour at weakest for 50 years, says David Miliband –The Times (£) ‘We should own it’: Farage says Ukip must base its campaign on tough immigration stance –Daily Express Dutch politicians vote for full inquiry into whether they should drop euro Dutch politicians voted unanimously for the inquiry amid growing scepticism about the single currency. It will probe the possibility of withdrawing from the euro. The inquiry will also be seen as an attempt to outmanoeuvre far-Right election candidate Geert Wilders, who is leading the polls ahead of next month’s parliamentary vote. Mr Wilders’s Party for Freedom could become the largest single party in the Dutch parliament if he wins – and he’s promised a referendum of euro membership as part of his campaign. – The Sun Big Issue founder Lord Bird: I ‘bottled’ backing Brexit over Project Fear ‘misinformation’ The crossbench peer, best known for his work tackling homelessness, revealed he’d been made “really, really frightened” by the former chancellor’s forecast of economic doom if Britain quit the EU. Lord Bird hit out at how he’d been forced to make a decision based on “misinformation” after Mr Osborne and ex-prime minister David Cameron teamed up to predict a huge hit to the UK’s economy and threaten a ‘punishment budget’ in the event of a Leave vote. – Daily Express Germany and Italy back Brussels on British EU legacy payment Berlin and Rome are backing the European Commission’s plan to rule out starting trade talks with Britain until the UK gives assurances on a multibillion-euro Brexit bill and citizens’ rights. German and Italian officials say they support Michel Barnier, the chief EU negotiator, in seeking progress on divorce terms as an opening step. France is uncompromising on the estimated €60bn bill, while Spain is more wary of attempts to “punish” Britain. Such stances are preliminary, since EU member states have still to take a formal position. – FT (£) Government under pressure to drop ‘transitional period’ before Brexit A report by the pro-Brexit campaign group Change Britain has revealed that a transitional arrangement which would allow free movement to continue over five years would see 912,000 to 970,000 EU nationals pouring into the UK. The findings show that the influx will heighten pressure on our housing meaning that Britain will require the construction of between 69,000 and 74,000 homes just to house EU migrants. – Daily Express EU nations will have ‘backdoor access to UK’s fishing waters after Brexit unless May acts’ Fishing for Leave has informed the Government that a number of current EU states will have “backdoor” access to part of Britain’s fishing waters under the London Conventions Act 1964 – a precursor sweetener deal which was agreed upon to try and crowbar Britain into the EU, the group claim. Under current Brussels law derived from the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), members of the European superstate are allowed to fish between 12 and 200 miles away from British coastlines. – Daily Express New Lord Chief Justice must be 65 or younger to navigate Brexit The new lord chief justice will have to be 65 or younger in order to steer the judiciary through the uncertainties of Brexit, ruling out several leading candidates including Lord Leveson. The decision, revealed in the launch of the appointment competition on Friday, astonished the legal world. As well as Leveson, who conducted the inquiry into media ethics, it rules out Lady Justice Hallett, who conducted the inquest into the 7/7 bombings. Both will be 68 later this year. –The Guardian ‘We are not in a bazaar’: German minister rules out HQ compromise in London Stock Exchange-Deutsche Börse talks Politicians in Frankfurt appear determined to accept nothing but the headquarters of the combined London Stock Exchange and Deutsche Boerse, with an influential minister making clear he is not interested in compromise. “We are not in a bazaar,” Thomas Schaefer told City A.M. when asked whether there was anything the exchanges could offer to the state of Hesse other than the legal HQ, which is due to be in London. He also suggested that executives from the company know this would be the best option for the combined entity but that they do not want to acknowledge that “Brexit has inexorable drawbacks for Great Britain”. – City A.M. > Daniel Hodson on BrexitCentral: As the City prepares for Brexit, the authorities should call a halt on the LSE merger with Deutsche Börse UK banks warned not to try clever schemes to preserve EU market access One of Germany’s most senior central bankers has warned UK-based banks not to come up with schemes to get around regulations as they seek ways of preserving their access to the EU market after Brexit. Speaking at a conference in London, Andrea Dombret, a Bundesbank executive board member, predicted London-based lenders would be deciding in the first half of this year whether to relocate some activities. – The Independent Rod Liddle: I was right! Brexit has killed off Ukip It is hugely important, if you are someone as insecure as myself, to say ‘I told you so’ whenever the opportunity arises. So, on 28th January this year I wrote a piece about the Stoke and Copeland by-elections and took a bit of stick on here for its thesis. This was the crucial bit: ‘And Copeland and Stoke-on-Trent Central? Nuttall has risked all by standing in the latter, where his party came second last time. If he doesn’t win, that may well be it for them. The Lib Dems will continue their revival in both seats, but win neither. My guess is that with a decent candidate, a quiescent Ukip and a split vote, Labour will just about hold Stoke. And the Tories will gain Copeland’ Rod Liddle for The Spectator > David Scullion on BrexitCentral: Will UKIP be a casualty of Brexit? Michael Wilkinson: What is Article 50? Brexit is the greatest disaster to befall the European Union in its 59-year history but the referendum in which British voters opted to leave the European Union does not automatically signal the country’s exit. That is the job of Article 50. Britain’s complex negotiations to exit the EU can only begin when Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon is formally triggered by the UK. – Michael Wilkinson for the Daily Telegraph Brexit in brief Ten little ways leaving the EU could change your life – Asa Bennett for the Daily Telegraph Jon Snow makes a case for dictatorship by elites – Iain Dale for ConservativeHome Remainers can shape Britain once it is sovereign – Janan Ganesh for the FT (£) Scots Nats confident they can win independence referendum next year over hard Brexit – Daily Express Boris Johnson visiting Egypt for talks with President – BBC Nigel Farage admits he’s “difficult” husband as he discusses love, Brexit and being “most hated figure” in politics –Daily Mirror EU threat to pensions: Mass migration blamed for £30 billion a year ‘economic catastrophe’ –Daily Express And finally… Juncker insists that the European Commission will no longer try to regulate the flushing of toilets Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said on Thursday that he “fought like a lion” against “ill-inspired Commissioners” who thought the EU should regulate the flushing of toilets… In a speech to students at Belgium’s Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve, Juncker made use of the attempt of the previous Commission to regulate the flushing of toilets to explain his different understanding of the role of the executive. – EurActiv