Australia offers to help the UK “all it can” after Brexit The “great opportunities” of Brexit have been championed by the Australian High Commissioner to the UK Alexander Downer. Mr Downer tells today’s BBC Sunday Politics that Brexit is “not as hard as some people say” and that “life outside, as we know, can be pretty good”. Mr Downer, whose father had the same role in the early 1970s when the UK joined the European Economic Community, claims his government has already set up a working group to explore a future ambitious trade agreement once the UK has left the EU. He says: “Australians consumers could purchase British-made cars for less – and we would buy more of them. We would give British households access to cheaper, fresher food all year round. Our summer is in your winter, so Australia can provide British households with fresh produce when the equivalent British or European product is out of season. And Australian households would have access to British products when it is in season.” – Sunday Express Britain will be front of the queue for trade deal with US under Donald Trump’s new commerce secretary Donald Trump’s commerce secretary has made securing a free trade deal between the US and Britain one of his top priorities, the Telegraph has learnt. Wilbur Ross, the billionaire nominated to lead on trade in Mr Trump’s administration, is understood to be determined to lower barriers between the two countries. He is said to have “extensive” business relationships and social links to Britain after decades as an investor and wants to embolden the “special relationship”. – Sunday Telegraph Britain has struck new trade links with South Korea which will lead to a post-Brexit jobs and exports bonanza A string of deals are expected to flow from the first major deal secured by International Trade Secretary Liam Fox. He expects it to open up lucrative new markets for UK goods once we leave the EU. A new UK-Korea trade working group will meet every three months to explore future business opportunities with booming country. Britain exported £4.7billion worth of goods to South Korea last year – with Burberry, Bentley, and Jaguar Land Rover among the biggest sellers. – The Sun on Sunday Labour’s Brexit betrayal as deputy leader in Brussels deletes lines from key report in ‘sneaky’ attempt to water down EU terms Labour has been accused of a secret plot to reverse Brexit after its deputy leader in Brussels deleted lines in parliamentary documents promising to “respect” the referendum result. Richard Corbett, Labour’s second most senior MEP, tabled a string of amendments seeking to water down the importance of the country’s vote to leave the EU. One changed a line that said the European Parliament “stresses that this wish [to leave the EU] must be respected” to simply that the body “notes” the referendum. – Sunday Telegraph Only 33% of voters want a second referendum, according to Opinium/Polling Matters poll We asked respondents whether they thought there should be a second referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU once the terms of withdrawal were known and also whether there should be one in the event that the British economy significantly worsens as a direct result of Brexit. The results will make sobering reading for Remainers. Surprisingly, a second referendum is roundly rejected in both circumstances. In fact, the results are identical – Political Betting Brexit vote has had limited effect on consumers, admits Bank of England Britain’s decision to leave the European Union had only a limited effect on households’ perceptions of their job security, incomes and spending, according to a survey by the Bank of England. The biannual poll showed that consumers’ view of their ability to access credit was largely unchanged after the referendum in June, and there “has not been much increase in measures of uncertainty.” There was “some weakening in households’ expectations for future income, spending and house price growth, although these changes were relatively modest,” the BOE said on Friday. – Bloomberg Scottish government Brexit proposals to be published The Scottish government is to publish its proposals for Scotland’s future relationship with the EU after Brexit. A paper titled “Scotland’s place in Europe” will be published on Tuesday. Brexit minister Michael Russell said it would include plans to retain a place for Scotland in the single market and new devolved powers for Holyrood. Prime Minister Theresa May has said she is “willing to listen to options”, but Chancellor Philip Hammond has suggested a special deal is “not realistic”. The Scottish government has been studying its options around Brexit, with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon setting up a “standing council” of experts for advice. – BBC News TUC and businesses urge Theresa May to act on rights of migrants British business and the trade union movement have made an unprecedented joint demand to Theresa May to guarantee immediately the rights of European Union migrants to remain in the UK, warning that further uncertainty will inflict serious damage on the British economy. In a strongly worded letter to the prime minister, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), representing companies with a combined workforce of 5 million employees, and the TUC say that more delays will be bad for business, families, local communities, and public services, such as the NHS. At an EU summit in Brussels last week, May told EU leaders that she wanted a decision about the rights of 3.2 million EU citizens living in the UK, as well as the more than a million UK residents in other EU states, to be made as soon as possible – but only after formal talks are triggered in March next year. – The Observer Monarch Air boom shows Brits getting over Brexit blues, CEO says A surge in demand for Mediterranean holidays suggests Britons are coming to terms with a weaker pound and the threat of terrorist attacks, according to Monarch Airlines Ltd., the U.K.’s second-biggest leisure carrier. Vacation bookings for summer 2017 are up 40 percent, Monarch reported Friday. While the increase may have been enhanced by lower sales during this year’s peak season, when the Luton, England-based company was struggling to secure new financing, the improvement stems mainly from “external” factors, Chief Executive Officer Andrew Swaffield said on a media call. “Britons tend to be quite resilient,” he said. “Some people changed their plans in 2016 due to the combination of terrorism and the exchange-rate fluctuation, but they’re bouncing back in 2017. I think they’re getting used to it.” – Bloomberg Liam Fox MP: When it comes to Brexit, this Government is preparing, not prevaricating We want to take advantage of all the opportunities available to us, to ensure that Britain becomes a global leader in free trade. The continuing success of our closest trading relationships since the referendum is proof of the intrinsic strength of the British economy. This Trade Working Group is only the latest in a series of trade dialogues announced since the creation of the Department for International Trade five months ago. They will provide stability, continuity and support for Britain’s global businesses as we build a new Britain, safeguarding our country’s prosperity. Above all, it shows that, when it comes to Brexit, this Government is preparing, not prevaricating. – Liam Fox MP for the Sunday Telegraph Asa Bennett: Sorry Project Fear, the British people want Brexit no matter what Remainers are awfully stubborn these days. They’re sticking by their forecasts of post-Brexit doom. If it won’t happen yet, they reason, it’ll happen at some point. A stopped clock is right twice a day after all. This persistence isn’t just a matter of pride, but politics. The British people ignored their melodramatic cries about what would happen if they voted to leave the European Union, and now the Brexit process is in motion. Europhiles have to respect that for now, with only a few suggesting that it could be reversed in a second referendum later on. – Sunday Telegraph Karren Brady: Don’t listen to the pessimists, everything changed in 2016… and not in a bad way My view on change is that the bottom line is, you have two choices. You can turn your back on it, like the people who didn’t want to leave Europe and demanded another referendum after the majority of people spoke. The other choice is to embrace it. I was one of the people who didn’t want to leave the EU. But rather than resist it, I’m going with it because, as much as we might want to stick our fingers in our ears in opposition to change, it’s happening, so you’ve got to open up your heart to it. Also, it’s important to remember that change is often a good thing. We now have a female PM who wears leather trousers, for goodness sake. – Baroness Brady for The Sun on Sunday Simon Heffer: Calm down, Brexit and President Trump will be much better than the liberal elite would have you think This week’s scares – the never-ending Brexit, or a Brexit that comes with a £50 billion price tag – will not be the last. We are in the territory the Fat Boy in The Pickwick Papers once occupied – “I wants to make your flesh creep.” Perhaps the rest of us keep smiling because we know the £88.9 billion trade surplus the EU had with us in 2015 gives them tens of billions of reasons to ensure they do keep trading with us, and that they inevitably will. One car in seven made in Germany is sold here: will that end? Europe is heading towards the margins while Britain is seeking new markets and deals around the world. Britain’s attitude is not one of isolation, but of enterprise with a global reach. – Simon Heffer for the Sunday Telegraph Brexit comment in brief Why we need a smooth Brexit – Simon Watkins for the Mail on Sunday Report on Brexit and Northern Ireland is so biased it discredits the Lords – Lord Kilclooney for the News Letter EU Associate Citizenship for Britons is a trap to lure the unwary – Matthew Ellery for ConservativeHome Brexit news in brief British companies absorb Brexit shock and get on with business for 2017 – Reuters Brexit can benefit deprived areas, says Wales Secretary Alun Cairns – BBC News Tory Ex-Cabinet minister Stephen Dorrell appointed European Movement chairman and plans campaign explicitly to “defeat” Brexit – PoliticsHome …And finally Europhile MPs besieged with pro-Brexit Christmas cards telling them to respect the vote Remoaners Anna Soubry, Alan Johnson and Pat McFadden have been the targets of a mail blitz orchestrated by campaign group Change Britain, who sent pro-Brexit greetings cards urging them to respect the referendum result. The card reads: “All I want for Christmas is Brexit.” The group also set up street stalls across the country to hand out the cards to local MPs, asking that they trigger Article 50 unconditionally. Despite the Commons vote last week where MPs voted almost unanimously to trigger Article 50 by the end of March next year, some arrogant MPs could still attempt to block Brexit. The symbolic vote might not stop Europhiles such as Ken Clarke, Nick Clegg and Anna Soubry voting against Article 50 when the vote comes in more than three months’ time. – Sunday Express