Sign up here to receive the daily news briefing in your inbox every morning with exclusive insight from the BrexitCentral team Boris Johnson reveals his four key Brexit ‘red lines’… Boris Johnson has laid out his four red lines for Brexit, insisting the transition period must last “not a second more” than two years… BoJo insisted: “There is no point in coming out of the EU and then remaining in rotational orbit around it. That is the worst of both worlds. You have to be able to have control of your regulatory framework.” … By laying down fresh demands, Boris will again be seen as establishing himself as the defender of the true Brexit faith. It emerged yesterday that he was the top choice among Conservative members to succeed Theresa May. – The Sun Mr Johnson also clarified four new red lines on Brexit, set out after Mrs May’s Florence speech a week ago, that are likely to make a transition period harder and limit the options for the sort of deal Britain finally strikes with the EU. He demanded that: The transition period must last “not a second more” than two years; The UK must refuse to accept any new EU rules or European Court of Justice rulings during the transition period, a position that could be legally impossible; The prime minister should rule out further payments to Brussels for single market access when the transition ends; The final deal must not result in the UK copying Brussels rules to ensure easy access to the single market. – The Times (£) Boris Johnson ramps up pressure on PM over Brexit and pay – Sky News Boris Johnson lays out alternative manifesto for EU withdrawal in fresh challenge to May – Independent Boris Johnson’s Brexit ‘red lines’ undermine Theresa May – FT (£) EU complains Cabinet splits on Brexit make dealing with UK ‘like negotiating with jelly’ – Express Boris Johnson favourite among Tory members to take over from Theresa May as Conservative Party leader – Telegraph Rising star James Cleverly throws his hat in the ring to be PM when Theresa May steps down – The Sun Our survey. Party members approve of Johnson’s Brexit article, but many are displeased with May’s Florence speech – Mark Wallace for ConservativeHome Brexit voters should thank their lucky stars Boris Johnson is batting for them in a Remain-heavy Cabinet – The Sun says …as Tory MPs say Theresa May must walk away from Brexit talks by Christmas if trade negotiations are still on hold… Party grandees including former Brexit minister David Jones today insist the Prime Minister should give formal notice that the UK will leave without a deal if “serious” talks on a free trade deal have not begun by the end of the year. They say Britain has “nothing to fear” from a no-deal scenario and must not be “held to ransom” by the EU… The pressure group Leave Means Leave today publishes a letter to Mrs May in which Eurosceptic MPs and business leaders demand that Britain gives notice of its intention to leave the EU on World Trade Organisation terms in March 2019 if talks on a trade deal are not well underway by Christmas. The group counts 30 Tory MPs among its backers. – Telegraph (£) Tories urge Theresa May to walk away from Brexit talks if EU still refuses to start trade deal by Christmas – The Sun May urged to leave EU talks amid fury transition deal will delay Brexit – Express …while Ruth Davidson hits back at Boris with attack on ‘overoptimistic Brexiteers’ Ruth Davidson has called for “serious people” to take charge of Brexit in a renewal of her attacks on Boris Johnson on the eve of the Conservative Party conference. Ms Davidson, tipped as a future leader of the party, says in an interview with The Times today that “overoptimism” about the future of Britain outside the EU “sells people short”. Her intervention means that the Tory conference in Manchester will begin tomorrow with two of the party’s most popular and charismatic figures at odds. – The Times (£) Tory Ruth Davidson calls for ‘serious people’ to take charge of Brexit in a swipe at the ‘impractical overoptimism’ of party rival Boris Johnson – Daily Mail Ruth Davidson: ‘That £350m a week? I think a failure to face reality is selling people short’ – Interview with The Times (£) Angela Merkel meets Theresa May and hails ‘good progress’… Angela Merkel yesterday hailed “good progress” on Brexit talks after months of stonewalling Theresa May. The German Chancellor ditched previous demands that the PM deal only with Brussels and met her for a private chat on the fringes of the informal EU summit in Estonia. She also called on EU negotiators to settle thorny rights issues with Britain “at the earliest opportunity”. – The Sun UK says Merkel hails ‘good progress’ in latest Brexit talks – Politico …but anger brews among Brexiteers after PM promises Merkel she will enshrine EU citizens’ rights in an exit treaty… During a head-to-head meeting yesterday, Theresa May confirmed the plans, which would give rules drafted in partnership with Brussels, ‘direct effect’ in British law… But leading Eurosceptics last night criticised Mrs May’s proposal, which has already been detailed at the negotiating table, as ‘unacceptable’. Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg said: ‘The rights of EU citizens must evolve in line with the rights of British nationals. To say their rights will be frozen in aspic is not serious and not deliverable.’ He said it would be ‘absurd’ for any future changes to citizens’ rights in the UK not to apply to EU nationals. Mr Rees-Mogg added: ‘We cannot have that – it is silly for the EU to be asking for it and weak of the Government to be contemplating it.’ – Daily Mail EU citizens will have more rights than Britons in UK under two-tier law plan – Express …while Britons in EU hail May’s ‘big step forward’ on residency rights Campaigners for the rights of British nationals in Europe have urged the EU to reciprocate a “significant” offer from the government to allow them continued freedom of movement to retire or live in another country in the bloc after Brexit. They made their call after Theresa May appeared to respond to a letter they sent following her Florence speech imploring her to make a gesture that would break the logjam in talks… “We are delighted to hear that the UK government has shown the flexibility that we asked for on free movement and has offered guaranteed rights of return to EU citizens in the UK with the hope that the EU will respond with onward rights of free movement for UK citizens in the EU,” said Jane Golding, the chair of the group… Activists lobbying for the rights of EU citizens living in the UK said it was “really positive” that the two-years-and-out rule could no longer apply after Brexit. – Guardian Number of British people applying to live in other EU countries surges – Independent Lithuanian President suggests UK’s membership could be extended for years instead of transition period Lithuania today dropped a big hint that the window for Brexit negotiations could be extended for several years if plans for a transitional period between Britain and the EU go off the rails. President Dalia Grybauskaite tellingly revealed the bloc has not ruled out lengthening the Article 50 process, which would prolong the UK’s membership until at least 2021… EU officials have previously refused to comment on suggestions that the Article 50 window could be extended, but the bloc’s rulebook says it could drag on forever with the say-so of all member states. However, lengthening the talks would be a bitter pill to swallow for Brexiteers given that it would keep Britain as a member of the bloc for a potentially indefinable period. – Express David Davis tells Dutch newspaper he is setting aside ‘machismo’ in favour of ‘solidarity’ during European charm offensive… David Davis, Brexit minister, has promised that the time for machismo is over in Brexit negotiations as he continues his European charm offensive across Europe, meeting Danish and Dutch foreign ministers as part of an effort to open the doors to co-operation. In an interview with the NRC Handelsblad, a Dutch daily newspaper, he avoided criticising officials in Brussels and instead said he wanted “European solidarity”… He denied the atmosphere was bad in the discussions, although agreed some payment demands – for example asking Britain to fund English language teaching in EU schools – had been “questioned”. – Telegraph Theresa May ‘sidelining’ David Davis to tighten her grip on Brexit deal – Express …while Jean-Claude Juncker stirs tensions with ‘miracle’ comment Jean-Claude Juncker, the head of the European Commission, risked derailing a fragile truce between UK and EU negotiators on Friday after he claimed that Britain needed a “miracle” if it wanted Brexit talks to progress onto trade negotiations next month… Mr Juncker’s remarks undermined a carefully constructed detente between British and EU negotiators which followed a bruising war of words between both sides in previous meetings. However, a senior EU official sought to downplay the remarks, telling the Telegraph: “Mr Juncker believes in miracles.” – Telegraph Juncker: No ‘sufficient progress’ on Brexit by end-October barring miracle – Politico Juncker: It will take a miracle to start Brexit trade talks by October – The Times (£) ‘Sometimes miracles happen’: Irish PM Leo Varadkar snubs Juncker with quip about Brexit trade talks – Express Henry Bolton defeats Peter Whittle and Anne Marie Waters to win UKIP leadership Bolton, a former Army officer and cop, surprised political commentators by winning the Ukip leadership with 3,874 votes. Waters, whose potential election had threatened to destroy Ukip, with many MEPs and members warning they would quit were she to win, finished second with 2,755 votes. Speaking after his shock victory Bolton, who once stood for the Liberal Democrats, told the audience at the party’s annual conference in Torquay: “While Brexit is our core task, that greater goals, which is ongoing beyond the time that we leave the EU, that is our core purpose.” Bolton, 54, was supported in the contest by former leader Nigel Farage. – The Sun Henry Bolton elected new leader of Ukip – ITV News Henry Bolton becomes Ukip leader with Nigel Farage’s backing – FT (£) Unknown soldier, Henry Bolton, elected Ukip leader – The Times (£) Who is Henry Bolton? Everything you need to know about UKIP’s new leader – Sky News Henry Bolton: Who is Ukip’s new leader? Ex-Army and former Lib Dem candidate beats Whittle – Express Ten things to know about Henry Bolton – Guido Fawkes Introducing Ukip’s new leader – a former Lib Dem who takes inspiration from the AfD – Katy Balls for the Spectator Ukip avoided self-destruction today, but there is no need for it any more – John Rentoul for the Independent Corbyn reignites Labour debate over EU rules on state aid and socialist manifesto Jeremy Corbyn reignited a decades-old debate inside the Labour party this week when he claimed a socialist manifesto might be blocked by the European Union’s rules on state aid if the UK tried to stay in the single market. Since his election as leader, Corbyn has been reluctant to discuss the reasons for his euroscepticism, preferring instead to focus on sovereignty, and the need to accept the democratic will of the British people expressed in the 2016 referendum. But in a break with this recent reticence, Corbyn told the Andrew Marr Show the single market “has within it restrictions in state aid and state spending. That has pressures on it through the European Union to privatise rail for example and other services.” Asked to cite specific examples, he said “there are issues of state aid rules which are endlessly disputed”. His analysis has immediately been attacked by remain MPs such as Chuka Umunna who say he is peddling “absurd myths” about EU opposition to state aid, a view shared by many Labour MEPs. – Guardian Brexit has made Labour’s radicalism possible – but it could bury it too – Jonathan Freedland for the Guardian EU set to abolish limits on sugar beet production but continue punitive tariffs on cane sugar Brussels is also keeping punitive tariffs on imported cane sugar – which makes a substance chemically identical to beet – in a bitter development for one of the oldest names in the British sweetening industry, Tate & Lyle Sugars. The company was one of the most vocal proponents of Brexit for just this reason. Gerald Mason, the firm’s senior vice-president, said: “This [end of EU quotas] is a pretty depressing milestone for us. We’re already running at a loss, and these changes will only exacerbate that.” The makers of the famous Lyle’s Golden Syrup at its factory in east London will continue to face EU tariffs just as the global sugar price dips ahead of the anticipated European boom in beet production. Brexit offers the potential to sidestep the EU tariffs, although it could also lead to other changes that are difficult to forecast. – Guardian Charlie Elphicke: A new court would free Britain from the ECJ Giving the ECJ the power to interpret the rights given to its citizens in the UK is a predictable power grab to retain a foothold for the ECJ in our legal system. This is clearly unacceptable. So how do we come up with a solution that is fair to both sides, gives both sides certainty while respecting our sovereignty? Attempting to square this circle, three senior and experienced lawyers, from the organisation Lawyers for Britain led by Martin Howe QC, have formulated a detailed and workable solution. Their report recommends the establishment of an International Treaties Court, staffed by British judges and working under UK law… It would be a practical and symbolic addition to the British legal system – a demonstration that the Government has listened to the British people’s desire to take back control of our laws. But also a measure to give our judges the necessary tools to uphold and interpret the law while being free from oppressive oversight from Luxembourg. – Charlie Elphicke MP for CapX > Martin Howe QC on BrexitCentral last week: The UK needs a new court to restore legal supremacy and free us from ECJ oversight Rory Cellan-Jones: Frictionless borders – learning from Norway Norway, which is not a member of the European Union, has a thousand-mile frontier with Sweden, the EU’s longest land border. The Norwegians are part of the European Economic Area, meaning they enjoy tariff-free trade, but they still have to mount customs checks at the borders. “I don’t think there’s any border in the world that’s so smooth,” says Kristen Hoiberget who runs the customs operation at Svinesund, one of a dozen border crossings that freight companies are allowed to use. He says the average waiting time is eight minutes… “It is possible to set up solutions with smooth border crossings without stopping – the technology is there already,” says [Norwegian customs officer] Anita Graff. She says the UK could get such a system up and running within 18 months. [Swedish customs officer] Vidar Gundersen believes the UK has an advantage because it is starting with a clean sheet. But he says collaboration between countries and businesses is vital: “You have to work on this together and everyone has to see this as a common challenge still to solve.” – Rory Cellan-Jones for BBC News Asa Bennett: If EU leaders really think Britain could ever rejoin, why do they treat us with disdain? As beguiling a dream this may be for the European elite, there are two issues that would stop it becoming a reality. The first… is that the British public would never embrace the vision – outlined by both Presidents Juncker and Macron – of an EU with new layers of bureaucracy and further uniformity on areas ranging from the military to tax rates. A survey by Demos and YouGov last year found only 5 per cent of respondents were happy with Britain staying in a bloc where Brussels has greater powers, while just 2 per cent backed wanted to be in a fully-fledged United States of Europe. The second – and perhaps bigger – problem is that the way European leaders are treating Britain as it makes its way out of the bloc will ensure it has minimal desire to even think about rejoining. Michel Barnier exemplified the EU’s behaviour yesterday when he continued to speak yesterday like Britain was an errant schoolchild who needed to be brought around to his way of thinking. – Asa Bennett for the Telegraph (£) Matthew Parris: At last! The subversion of Brexit has begun The Brexit crowd are right to smell a rat… So, with apologies to fellow Remainers who may accuse me of letting the cat out of the bag, I must tell you that this business of a ‘transitional’ or ‘implementation’ period after Britain has formally left the EU — the plan that Theresa May endorsed in Florence last week — strikes me as carrying a secret threat to Leavers’ hopes: a threat Remainers should not disclose yet. – Matthew Parris for the Spectator John Redwood: Preparing for No deal The EU’s comment yesterday that it will take a miracle to get early trade talks with the UK is not an accurate statement of the position… As the EU is clearly now overplaying their weak hand, the UK needs to show it is serious about going for No Deal… Today I invite all those who think No Deal would be bad to write in with specific problems they think will arise. I will then respond with how we could fix any that might be an issue… Most just say there will be a cliff edge without having a clue why. There is no cliff. The day after we leave French farmers and German car makers will still be sending us their exports. In return we will still be selling things on the continent. The cliff edge has all the potency of the Millennium Bug. – John Redwood’s Diary Brexit comment in brief The EU would still rather hush up fraud than punish it – Lee Rotherham for ConservativeWoman Cult Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg on Brexit, ‘Moggmania’ and why nanny’s always right – Jacob Rees-Mogg Interview with the FT (£) AC Grayling’s piece on Brexit is inaccurate and tendentious – Chris Hanretty for Medium Greater European integration will do great harm to all Europeans – Charles Moore for the Spectator Why the ‘European vision’ is distinctly un-European – Alastair Benn for Reaction Why is Brussels funding protectionist propaganda? – Bill Wirtz for CapX Labour has nudged ahead in the polls since the election – but Brexit could save the Tories – Ashley Kirk for the Telegraph (£) The crisis in Catalonia may already have gone past the point of no return – Hannah Strange for the Telegraph (£) Spain threatens to break up the euro unless Catalonia comes to heel – Ambrose Evans-Pritchard for the Telegraph (£) In defence of referendums – they’re unpopular, but we need them – Richard Russell for the Guardian Referendums are a blunt tool but people have a right to decide – Henry Mance for the FT (£) From Spain to Iraq, states have to see that suppressing secession won’t work – Simon Jenkins for the Guardian A Jamaican Germany is good for Europe – Guntram Wolff for the FT (£) Angela Merkel’s migration problem – Roger Boyes for The Times (£) The EU sees British concessions on Brexit as a weakness to be exploited – Telegraph letters (£) Brexit news in brief UK financial regulator weighs temporary licences for overseas groups after Brexit – FT (£) Leo Varadkar: Bombardier battle ‘warns of trade wars to come’ – The Times (£) Sir Jeremy Heywood urged to investigate Boris Johnson and Liam Fox over think tank launch – Sky News Brexit in any form poses major risks to NHS, claim academics – Guardian The European businesses breaking down the EU’s door to continue trade with Britain – Express Clash of the europhiles: Juncker, Macron and Tusk face off in scrap to be Europe’s saviour – Express SNP angers Spanish government by sending delegation to Barcelona – The Times (£)