Sign up here to receive the daily news briefing in your inbox every morning with exclusive insight from the BrexitCentral team Philip Hammond put in charge of Britain as Brexiteers sent packing… Mr Hammond will be the most senior minister in charge of the Government for two of the next three weeks as Mrs May flies abroad for a break. The role is effectively acting prime minister – though Number 10 disapproves of the description, noting Mrs May can still pick up anything important from her holiday. It will see Mr Hammond lead the Government’s response to any breaking events and liaise with Number 10 staff who would normally report to Mrs May. The development is all the more intriguing given that the Cabinet’s most ardent Brexiteers have been dispatched to the other side of the world… Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary and future leadership hopeful, will be in Australia and New Zealand after his visit to Japan. Liam Fox, the International Trade Secretary who challenged Mrs May for the top job last summer, is in America for trade talks. – Sunday Telegraph …as Liam Fox defends US deal against Philip Hammond’s ‘sneers’… Liam Fox has reignited a feud with Philip Hammond by saying a trade deal with America should not be “sneered” at but “embraced” as he prepares to begin talks in Washington tomorrow. In a swipe at the chancellor, who said the global trade deals promised by Theresa May post-Brexit would make a limited difference to the economy, the international trade secretary said Britain should “take advantage of the vast opportunities ahead of us, rather than talking down our attractiveness to the rest of the world”. – Sunday Times (£) Liam Fox: US trade ties are just the beginning The US is our single largest trading partner, accounting for a fifth of all exports. So taking advantage of the many opportunities ahead of us is something we should welcome, as we look to improving trade relations both now and post-Brexit… Enthusiasm from the country that has nearly a quarter-share of the global economy should be embraced; it’s yet another sign of confidence in the future of the UK as a place to do business… We want to be the global champion for free trade, and we will work to remove barriers, liberalise trade and secure market access for British businesses across the world, not just within the EU… We recognise the vast benefits that free trade brings, not only to large economies such as the UK and the US, but to smaller developing nations across the world to which free trade offers an escape from poverty. – Liam Fox for the Sunday Times (£) …while Fox demands showdown talks with BBC chief over ‘biased’ Brexit coverage The International Trade Secretary fired off a letter of complaint to Director General Lord Hall. In it Dr Fox claims reporters have persistently buried good news about the economy since the leave vote. He accused the BBC of ditching positive Brexit stories for doom-laden interviews with pro-EU commentators… In his letter, which has been seen by The Sun on Sunday, he claims there is a “clear pattern of unbalanced reporting of the EU economy” and the work of his department. He cites cases where he says the BBC has “wilfully” ignored upbeat announcements or economic stats, undermining his efforts to strike trade deals… The Beeb hit back saying: “No organisation takes coverage of the economy more seriously. We do not recognise the characterisation of our coverage outlined in the letter, but the BBC is always happy to talk with politicians as we always do on a regular basis.” – The Sun on Sunday Lib Dems and Labour plot to delay Great Repeal Bill in hope that it ‘could be the thing that does it for Theresa May’ The Liberal Democrats and Labour are plotting to delay Theresa May’s most important piece of Brexit legislation by months in a bid to destabilise her leadership… They hope to delay MPs green-lighting the law until the start of 2018, throwing the Prime Minister’s preparations for Brexit into uncertainty… When MPs come back in the autumn after their break, the legislation will be the focus of a major battle over Brexit that will play out in Parliament. For most legislation the Government normally proposes a timetable motion, which names the amount of time MPs can debate it before a vote is called. However, senior Lib Dem and Labour sources have vowed to reject any such motion for the Great Repeal Bill, throwing its progress into uncertainty. – Sunday Telegraph Theresa May turns to ex-Tory leaders David Cameron, John Major and William Hague to help her keep her grip on power – The Sun on Sunday Tory grassroots figures call for Theresa May to consider quitting by Christmas – Sunday Telegraph Theresa May must play shrewd game of Snakes ‘n Leaders to avoid summer bite on the asp as Tory vipers close in on leadership – The Sun on Sunday Tory party seeks dream candidate to replace Theresa May – Observer Theresa May’s team breath a sigh of relief after carrying her to the summer holidays – James Forsyth for The Sun A summer campaign to put Jeremy Corbyn in Downing Street – Emma Rees, Momentum national organiser for the FT (£) Can Theresa May make it to the end of the Brexit talks? – James Forsyth for the Spectator Calls for Theresa May to resign must be resisted – Macer Hall for the Express Brexit negotiating process ‘not working’ as EU theocrats reject UK offer of independent ombudsman The British offer of an ombudsman chaired by a judge from an impartial third country such as Canada, was among the practical solutions that UK negotiators presented when discussing how to protect EU Citizens’ Rights after Brexit during negotiations last week. But it was rejected by Brussels in order to comply with the demand that the so-called ‘divorce agreement’ between the EU and the UK be monitored by the European Commission, backed by the European Court of Justice – a position Britain says is wholly unacceptable.. The initial rejection of the British offer has exposed a key flaw in the Brexit negotiating process – namely the inflexibility of the legal mandate which has been handed to Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief brexit negotiator, by the 27 other EU member states. – Sunday Telegraph (£) EU demands right to child benefits even after Brexit – Observer Brexit will reduce food, wine and clothes costs by 20%, says Jacob Rees-Mogg The Conservative MP told Express.co.uk Britons’ living standards will soar after Brexit thanks to the removal or reduction of tariffs… Britain’s poorest citizens could see their disposable income rise “significantly” which will be good for the economy as a whole, Mr Rees-Mogg said… “Where the tariffs are the highest is on clothing and footwear. These make up a disproportionate amount of the budgets of the poorest people in society. If those come down in price significantly then the disposable income of the poorest in society rises significantly, which they can then spend on alternative consumer goods, they can invest, they can save.” – Express Desperate France demands access deal to British waters or there ‘won’t be any fishing’ The French fishing minister wants compromise over access to British waters after the UK cuts ties with Brussels, as he is terrified there “won’t be any fishing” otherwise… Mr Travert said France and the EU need to “reach agreements” with Britain for when it leaves the bloc… Chief executive of The National Federation of Fisherman’s Organisation Barrie Deas said: “I can understand why the French minister is saying this, he has got fishermen who are dependent on UK waters, but it has no legal basis. The EU’s fishing fleets take four times more in value out of UK waters than we take out of EU waters, there needs to be some rebalancing in the quota share.” – Express Millionaire Remainers to launch party if Corbyn goes further left Millionaire Remainers have put plans to form a pro-EU political party on hold – but have warned they will bankroll a breakaway Labour party if Jeremy Corbyn lurches further to the left. A number of high-profile names have been linked to a new centre-left party dedicated to blocking Brexit. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair has reportedly held talks with a number of wealthy individuals including Hull City owner Dr Assem Allam, who donated £700,000 to Labour under Ed Miliband. Last November, emails revealed than Virgin boss Branson was willing to bankroll a campaign to derail Brexit, which had also received the backing of a host of businesses, communications firms and celebrities including Bob Geldof… Labour MPs Chukka Umunna and David Lammy’s names were linked to the breakaway party, which also had the backing of Sir Clive Cowdery, an insurance millionaire who founded the Resolution Foundation think tank. – Express Corbyn ally Clive Lewis warns Labour leadership over party’s Brexit stance – Politico Former PM Tony Blair saved Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn from a plot to have him sacked – The Sun on Sunday Jeremy Corbyn was given an easy ride on incoherent policies because no one thought he would win – John Rentoul for the Independent EU probe into alleged German carmaker cartel The European Commission is probing whether German carmakers colluded illegally in what may be one of the biggest cartel cases in the country’s history… News magazine Der Spiegel alleged Friday that major German car companies colluded in secret working groups going back to the 1990s. Volkswagen flagged the practice in a briefing it sent to German competition authorities, according to the magazine. Volkswagen reportedly said it struck agreements with Audi, Porsche, BMW and Daimler in secret working groups on a number of technical and economic aspects of their cars and production processes. – Politico Sunday Times: The Government starts to get real on Europe We advised Mrs May from the outset to slash corporation tax to Irish levels and enact pro-enterprise measures that would have boosted business confidence and encouraged foreign investment — Singapore-on-Thames if you like. The message did not get through. The political imperative of triggering article 50 by March and fighting off legal and parliamentary challenges diverted attention from other necessary work… The cabinet is moving to a more realistic and pragmatic stance, however. It is moving in the direction of the open and entrepreneurial Brexit — the only basis for Britain’s future success — that we have urged. It needs to move further, faster. – Sunday Times editorial (£) Liam Halligan: It’s time to inject some sense into immigration policy Immigration is clearly a net-positive. Our economy and cultural life have benefited enormously, over centuries, from successive waves of talented migrants. Sharp increases in annual net immigration over recent years, though, have raised serious questions… Favoured by many large employers, sky-high immigration makes low-skilled workers more vulnerable, while stretching the public services upon which poorer citizens heavily rely. EU freedom of movement rules also discriminate against non-EU migrants, including those from places like the US, India and Australasia, where Britain has close ties. Then there’s evidence large-scale immigration has deterred UK firms from investing in staff training… The UK’s post-Brexit immigration policy, handled well, could be enormously beneficial and growth-positive. – Liam Halligan for the Telegraph (£) Freedom of movement in Europe will end. But will it be orderly or chaotic? – Janet Daley for the Telegraph (£) Sean O’Grady: Why we need to stop romanticising the idea of Europe I can see the emotive power of the nation state – a concept that remains stubbornly attractive from Quebec to Catalonia to Scotland – and I can also recognise the dreamy attractions of a European superstate as rich and powerful as the US, with nuclear weapons too. But a stumbling, flawed, dysfunctional, disputatious, multi-speed, crisis-ridden European Union? It is the worst of all worlds, and has set the European cause backwards. I don’t think many even in “core” Europe are really convinced by the ramshackle outfit we’ve got now, and really believe it will be around in another 60 years. It is often remarked that the EU is a “unique experiment” in international integration, which it certainly is. Trouble is, for all its economic achievements, and some flops, it has failed to earn much widespread loyalty or affection. Ask a Greek. – Sean O’Grady for the Independent Christian Mulcahy: Brexit is Britain’s chance to cut red tape on vaping and go cigarette-free by 2022 Vaping products were, in hindsight, unfairly incorporated into the same legislation as tobacco products (although they contain no tobacco whatsoever) through the EU’s Tobacco Product Directive. Though these regulations provided many helpful product standards that encouraged better manufacturing practices, they did not fully recognise vaping’s potentially positive public health impact. This resulted in the contradictory situation where new evidence was mounting that demonstrated vaping’s efficacy as a quitting tool at minimal risk, but regulations for vaping were as strict (if not stricter) than for tobacco products… Now is the time for Parliament to turn back the tide of this heavy-handed regulation and allow the vaping industry to build on an already thriving, dynamic and innovative consumer marketplace. Only then can we seize this massive public health opportunity. – Christian Mulcahy for City A.M. Vaping has destroyed the case for the nanny state – Tom Welsh for the Telegraph (£) > Andrew Allison on BrexitCentral: Scrapping EU vaping laws would improve health and boost the economy Brexit in brief It is not our finest hour, but Brexit must stand – Niall Ferguson for the Sunday Times (£) Brexit without a deal is intolerable if you care about the economy – Jeremy Warner for the Sunday Telegraph (£) Vince Cable leads a party that has lost all that it stood for – Deborah Orr for the Guardian Battle with top general could signal the end of Emmanuel Macron’s honeymoon period – Sunday Telegraph (£) And finally… Jean-Claude Juncker refused booze during Brexit lunch to avoid being mocked by press The famously thirsty EU Commission President joked with Brexit Secretary David Davis that the British press had accused him of drinking “two cognacs for breakfast — but they are are wrong, I have four.” Concerns about Mr Juncker’s drinking habits have been raised throughout his presidency and are a constant source of Brussels gossip. An insider said: “Juncker popped into Davis and Michel Barnier’s lunch, when offered a glass of wine he said ‘non, the British papers will only say I was drunk’”. The exchange happened last month when David Davis and his team had travelled to Brussels for the opening of formal Brexit talks. Mr Davis later referenced “a humorous exchange” with Mr Juncker when giving evidence to a House of Lords committee. He said people in Brussels “read all the British newspapers and they take them – if anything – too seriously”. – The Sun