Sunday Times reveals Boris Johnson’s unpublished pro-Remain article Johnson’s unpublished article rehearsed warnings that Brexit could lead to an economic shock, Scottish independence and Russian aggression, only two days before he concluded that Britain would be better off out… He wrote it on February 19, two days before shocking Cameron by opting publicly for the “leave” campaign. He had already penned one piece arguing the case for “out”, then wrote the “remain” article as a way of clarifying his thoughts, before composing a final article backing Brexit for publication. The book [by Tim Shipman] dispels the myth that Johnson’s case for “remain” was better than his argument to “leave”. In fact the article was dashed off quickly and seems to be an attempt by Johnson to convince himself the case for staying in was weak. But it nonetheless shows some of the concerns he had about leaving the EU. – Sunday Times Boris Johnson’s secret Remain-supporting article in full – ITV News China lays ground for free trade talks with Britain… China and Britain will pave the way for free trade negotiations with top-level discussions next month. Chancellor Philip Hammond and one of China’s vice-premiers will lead an event in London in November called “The next economic and financial dialogue” aimed at forging stronger ties. – Sunday Telegraph …as Theresa May plans India trip next month with an eye on post-Brexit trade Theresa May will lead a delegation of small and medium-size businesses to India in November as part of efforts to bolster trade with countries outside the European Union as Britain prepares to leave the bloc. The Nov. 6-8 trip, May’s first bilateral visit to a country outside Europe since she took office in July, will be in pursuit of her ambition of forging a new global role for Britain after it leaves the European Union, May’s Downing Street office said in a statement. – The Times of India Tax breaks will be offered as an incentive to British businesses to boost exports – Sunday Express ComRes: Brits think a good trade deal with the EU is more important than cutting immigration Half of the public, 49 per cent, said “the Government should prioritise getting favourable trade deals with EU countries when negotiating the UK’s exit from the EU”, whereas only 39 per cent said the Government should “prioritise reducing immigration”. – Independent on Sunday Britain may end up with the most ‘extreme’ version of Brexit because there may not be enough time to negotiate with Brussels, say ministers Senior ministers believe negotiations after Theresa May triggers Article 50 – which begins the formal process of leaving the EU – may not be completed by 2019 because they are “very complicated and this has never been tried”. Under EU rules, if negotiations are not completed two years after Article 50 is triggered, Britain would simply crash out of the bloc and adopt World Trade Organisation rules, meaning that tariffs have to be imposed on trade between the UK and the EU. – Sunday Telegraph Fears Hammond could quit Cabinet: Chancellor ‘excluded from key meetings’ as pressure mounts on PM over ‘hard’ Brexit The Treasury last night moved to quash fears that Philip Hammond could be on the brink of quitting as Chancellor over the mounting Cabinet rift over Brexit. Friends of Mr Hammond claim he has been deliberately excluded from key No 10 meetings because of his outspoken criticism of Ministers who back the ‘hard’ Brexit option of the UK leaving the single market… Last night, a Treasury spokeswoman insisted Mr Hammond would not ‘throw his toys out of the pram’ and was working ‘to bring everyone together’. – Mail on Sunday UK’s best-known brands accused of exploiting Brexit to ramp up prices Today a Sun on Sunday investigation has unearthed an epidemic of price increases in the pipeline from firms ready to blame Brexit and the falling Pound. Former Cabinet minister Iain Duncan Smith has blasted these “Brexit bandits” as firms are already using the impact of the vote to crank up the cost of iPads, Dell laptops and our holiday cash. – Sun on Sunday Plummeting pound means it’s boom time for travellers to Britain The plummeting value of the pound is drawing tourists from the US and China to Britain in search of bargain prices for luxury goods. While British shoppers are faced with price rises, designer branded handbags, watches and jewellery are flying off the shelves, bought by bargain-hunting visitors from abroad. The rush of tourists has brought an autumn bonanza for exclusive stores in London and cities elsewhere in the UK. – Mail on Sunday Weaker pound prompts families to holiday at home rather than go abroad – Mail on Sunday How Brexit is set to affect how we shop – Sunday Telegraph Open Britain – the continuity Remain campaign – appears to be co-ordinating efforts to force a vote on parliamentary scrutiny of Brexit A powerful cross-party group of MPs is to renew pressure on ministers over Brexit by forcing a parliamentary vote on whether they should reveal their plans for the UK’s future outside the EU before negotiations begin. – Observer Ed Miliband, former Liberal Democrat Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, and former Conservative Minister Nick Herbert will in the coming weeks table a motion in the House of Commons to have a backbench debate. They will be joined by MPs from different parties across the House, including Labour Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the EU, Keir Starmer MP, and Leave supporting Conservative MP Stephen Phillips, in tabling a substantive motion that will be voted on. – Open Britain website Establishment politicians must not ignore the Brexit vote – Nigel Farage MEP in the Sunday Express We Remainers must not give up. The future of this country, and indeed of Europe, is far too important to accept the argument that we are bad losers and “it is time to move on”. – William Keegan in Observer The Remoaners who refuse to accept the verdict of the referendum need to be put back in their box – The Sun on Sunday says The democratic vote was for Brexit: Remoaners like Ed Miliband can’t defy the will of the people – Carole Malone in the Sunday Mirror Nicola Sturgeon vows to call a second independence referendum if UK opts for ‘hard Brexit’ The First Minister said her administration would work with others “to try to save the UK as a whole from the fate of a hard Brexit”, where the country is removed from the single market. As part of that the SNP leader is demanding new powers for Scotland over issues such as immigration. But while she accepted that leaving the UK would bring “challenges”, she said she would make sure that voters had that choice if the Tory government at Westminster fails to secure a deal that keeps Scotland in Europe’s free trade area. – Scotland on Sunday Why do the SNP think leaving the UK single market is a good idea? – John Redwood‘s Diary Sturgeon’s answer to Hard Brexit? Wreck the Scottish economy – Iain Martin on Reaction The clock is ticking for Nicola Sturgeon’s Brexit strategy – Julia Rampen on the New Statesman’s Staggers blog It’s Nicola, Queen of Scots v Theresa of Brexit – Adam Boulton in the Sunday Times Conservative Party winds up MEPs’ fighting fund Even before Prime Minister Theresa May announced she will trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, to leave the EU by the end of March 2019, Conservative Party associations were told they would no longer have to contribute to the European election campaign fund. They were also told that any funds already contributed would be reimbursed. The decision is symbolic of Mrs May’s determination that “Brexit should mean Brexit”. – Sunday Express Study finds anti-Brexit bias in post-referendum BBC programming Overall, there were no attempts in any programme to explore the benefits of leaving the EU, but conversely, Brexit came under sustained negative attack. This was reflected in the balance of contributions and comment contained within the items. Analysis by News-watch shows that only 23% of contributors in the programmes as a whole spoke in favour of Brexit, against 58% in favour of Remain and 19% who gave a neutral or factual commentary. – News Watch President Hollande says Brexit should not put free movement at risk French President Francois Hollande said on Saturday that Britain’s decision to leave the European Union should not jeopardize the bloc’s principle of free movement. “They have decided to leave. I think the worst attitude would be to contest their choice or call into question the very foundations of the European Union,” Hollande told a conference on Europe in Paris. – Reuters Opponents of EU trade deals with US and Canada rally in France – Politico Lord Livingston: We need an interim deal with the EU before leaving the single market We need to recognise that time is not our friend and seek an interim agreement with the EU. For a limited period, of say three years post-Brexit, the UK would remain in the single market or similar. This would mean continuing with free movement and at least part of our net contribution to the EU. This would not be overly attractive to Brexiteers, but would be an essential precondition from the EU and a short-term price well worth paying to stop serious long-term damage to our economy. – Former trade minister Lord Livingston in the Sunday Telegraph John Rentoul: Theresa May will probably get a good Brexit deal, but nobody can say so The Prime Minister has to manage expectations. She has to prepare the nation for the hardest of Brexits so that any tariff-free access to the single market, any agreement on common standards, or any reduction in our contribution to EU funds, can be presented as a negotiating triumph. Paradoxically, the EU’s leaders share Theresa May’s interest in playing down expectations of the Brexit negotiations. They cannot allow the sceptical peoples of Denmark, Sweden, the Czech Republic and even the Netherlands to think that the grass might be greener outside the EU. – John Rentoul in The Independent on Sunday Janet Daley: Remainers and Eurocrats will never bully the British people into giving up on Brexit The referendum was not a glorified opinion poll. While legally, its status was “advisory” – because we do not make law in this country by plebiscite – its function as an instruction to government was explicitly accepted in the act of parliament which initiated it. Therefore, there should be no issue here: the executive, whether you like it or not, has the right to carry through the decision of the electorate which parliament agreed that it should consult. – Janet Dsley in the Sunday Telegraph Simon Heffer: Theresa May take note: all successful prime ministers curb the power of the Treasury The almost autonomous behaviour of the Treasury over the past 20 or so years defies the nature of our constitution, and encourages an anti-democratic streak in how we are governed: a streak manifesting itself as seldom before in the desperate attempts of parts of the political establishment to reverse or ignore the clear vote by the British people to leave the European Union. The two forces merged last week when an absurd Treasury paper showing the cost of Brexit as being £66 billion was leaked, in the latest attempt to build up public pressure for a reconsideration of the question. – Simon Heffer in the Sunday Telegraph Stefan Kooths: Punishing Britain with a tough Brexit will harm everyone It would reflect very badly on the EU if it sought to punish the UK in order to deter other countries from leaving. A club’s appeal lies in its ability to provide members with opportunities that, by their very nature, can only be achieved collectively. Threatening members who want to leave with tough sanctions doesn’t fit that description. – Stefan Kooths on the LSE Brexit blog Brexit comment in brief Brexit means we’re leaving the EU. It’s not a crisis. It’s an exercise in democracy – Tim Stanley in the Sunday Telegraph Britain shouldn’t stay in the customs union after Brexit – James Forsyth on The Spectator’s Coffee House blog Brexit anger is growing, desire for Labour is rising, but not under Corbyn – Alastair Campbell for the International Business Times Beware, a long period of belt-tightening is in prospect – Jeremy Warner in the Sunday Telegraph The Observer view on hard Brexit – The Observer Brexit news in brief Ex-Plaid Cymru leader quits party, citing insufficient response to Brexit – ITV News Forget hard Brexit: this is chaotic Brexit, blasts Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell – Sunday Express Fresh British veg ‘could be wiped out by Brexit’ – Sky News British MPs in Brexit slanging match during trip to Berlin – Mail on Sunday Theresa May’s Brexit reshuffle cost the taxpayer more than £250,000 in pay-offs – Sunday Mirror