Sign up here to receive the daily news briefing in your inbox every morning with exclusive insight from the BrexitCentral team Donald Tusk tells European Union to approve Brexit deal at today’s summit… European Council President Donald Tusk has recommended that the EU approve the Brexit deal at a summit on Sunday. Mr Tusk, who represents EU leaders on the world stage, said he recommended “that we approve on Sunday the outcome of the Brexit negotiations” in a letter to members of the European Council. He added: “No-one has reasons to be happy. But at least at this critical time, the EU 27 has passed the test of unity and solidarity.” Even if the EU approves the deal, it still has to be passed by the UK Parliament, with many MPs having stated their opposition. Spain had raised last-minute objections ahead of the summit about how the issue of Gibraltar had been handled in the Brexit talks so far. But EU leaders secured a compromise with the Spanish prime minister, who said that Europe and the UK “had accepted the conditions set down by Spain” and so would “vote in favour of Brexit”. – BBC News …as Theresa May is reported to have given way over Gibraltar after Spain’s ‘veto’ threat… Theresa May has given way to Madrid’s demands over the future of Gibraltar after the Spanish prime minister threatened to “veto” the Brexit deal due to be signed off by EU leaders on Sunday. On the eve of Sunday’s special Brexit summit, the British ambassador to the EU, Sir Tim Barrow, wrote to concede that Gibraltar would not necessarily be covered by a future trade deal with the EU. The development gives Spain a veto over Gibraltar benefiting from a future trade and security agreement between Brussels and the British government. The Spanish leader, Pedro Sánchez, reacted immediately, claiming the UK would now have to open talks on “joint sovereignty” of Gibraltar, over which Spain has had a claim since the military dictatorship of Francisco Franco. Sánchez said: “Once the UK has left the EU, Gibraltar’s political, legal and even geographic relationship with the EU will go through Spain … Spain will be a fundamental pillar of the relationship between Gibraltar and the EU as a whole. “When it comes to the future political declaration, the European council and the European commission have backed Spain’s position, and backed it as never before.” – Observer Deal reached between UK and Spain on Gibraltar ahead of EU summit – Evening Standard Theresa May arrives for EU Brexit summit after last-minute ‘cave-in’ over Gibraltar – Mirror …although Gibraltar’s Chief Minister insists Theresa May has not let them down… Gibraltar’s government said: “The deep and unbreakable bonds that bind the United Kingdom and Gibraltar together have not been in any way, and will not be in any way, diluted as a result of our common departure from the EU. “Brexit will have no effect on the British sovereignty of Gibraltar and the waters that surround it.” Chief Minister Fabian Picardo added: “‘Throughout our history, we’ve stuck with Britain. After Brexit, we will stick with Britain in the future too. “This is our most important relationship. And as the UK establishes new trading relationships around the world, we look forward to the opportunities that will come from the benefits of our common language, our common law and the ties that bind us with the Commonwealth of nations around the world.” – Evening Standard …while May vows to ‘stand by’ Gibraltar following the row with Spain A letter from the UK’s ambassador to the EU Sir Tim Barrow confirmed the Withdrawal Agreement imposes no obligations regarding the “territorial scope” of future agreements – Spain wants to make sure it has a say over how any UK-EU trade deal applies to the Rock. But the UK has also made clear it will negotiate future agreements on behalf of all territories for whose external relations it is responsible – including Gibraltar. Mrs May said: “We have ensured that Gibraltar is covered by the whole Withdrawal Agreement and by the implementation period and we will always negotiate on behalf of the whole UK family, including Gibraltar, and in the future relationship we will stand up for their interests.” – Belfast Telegraph Theresa May begs, borrows and steels herself for one last push on her Brexit deal… May’s team are still seeking a “sweetener” for constructive rebels such as the former leader Iain Duncan Smith and cabinet Brexiteers such as Andrea Leadsom. She met May in No 10 last week to demand technological solutions to avoid a hard Irish border rather than the hated “backstop” in the withdrawal agreement, the legally binding part of the deal that is due to be signed today. Philip Hammond, the chancellor, spoke at a DUP dinner on Friday. Robert Halfon, who has said he opposes the deal, might yet find that he gets government support for a private member’s bill banning hospital parking charges. And watch out for cuts in air passenger duty — a demand of back-bench Tories and the DUP, whose confidence and supply deal with May’s government is now hanging by a thread.“Hammond is taking his chequebook,” one source said. – Sunday Times (£) …and writes an open letter asking the British public to back her… Theresa May has written a letter to the British public pleading for their support for her Brexit deal, as the EU prepares to formally sign it off. The prime minister said her agreement promises a “brighter future” for the UK and leaving the EU next year will be “a moment of renewal and reconciliation for our whole country”. In Mrs May’s “letter to the nation” – published on the eve of the EU summit where she hopes the 27 other EU countries will back her deal – the PM claims the deal is “in our national interest” and works for all parts of the UK Leaving the EU on 29 March 2019 will mark “a new chapter in our national life,” she said. “It must mark the point when we put aside the labels of ‘Leave’ and ‘Remain’ for good and we come together again as one people. “To do that we need to get on with Brexit now by getting behind this deal.” – BBC News Dear Britain: Theresa May pens desperate letter for Brexit backing as deal on brink – Sunday Express …although Whitehall and Brussels are already plotting a secret ‘Plan B’ alternative for when MPs reject it… Senior figures on both side of the Channel are urgently plotting alternatives to the agreement struck by the Prime Minister after 91 Conservative MPs indicated that they would oppose it in the Commons. The disclosure comes as EU leaders meet in Brussels to approve the Withdrawal Agreement and “political declaration” outlining the proposed future relationship between the UK and the bloc after Brexit. Sources said several senior ministers were talking up one “Plan B” idea of a Norway-style relationship with Brussels, under which the UK would have a more certain “exit mechanism” from the EU’s rules but would be unable to end the free movement of workers from the Continent. Under the Norway option, the UK would remain a member of the European Economic Area (EEA), without full EU membership. A Government document leaked to The Telegraph reveals that economic modelling by the Treasury designed to allow MPs to compare Mrs May’s deal to a no-deal exit would also include an “EEA-like scenario” – in a further sign that the arrangement is being considered seriously in Whitehall. – Sunday Telegraph (£) …although Michel Barnier warns MPs there will be no concessions if the Commons votes down May’s deal EU negotiator Michel Barnier warned MPs threatening to block the Brexit deal in Parliament to ‘take responsibility’ today as an historic summit to sign off the plan began. Mr Barnier said that after the painstaking talks, the controversial divorce deal had to be agreed as the basis for rebuilding trust between Britain and Europe. The 27 EU leaders will formally adopt the draft divorce deal and political declaration on the future trade deal. But Theresa May faces an ‘impossible’ task to get the package through Parliament in early December. – MailOnline Brexiteer fury over granting of knighthood to Tory backbencher John Hayes ahead of crucial vote Conservative Brexiteers have reacted with fury to Theresa May’s decision to award a knighthood to a veteran Eurosceptic MP ahead of a knife-edge vote that could kill off her Brexit deal. Sir John Hayes was given the honour in a surprise move by Downing Street on Friday, which immediately prompted accusations of “cronyism” from political opponents. Tory MP Mark Francois has now written to Sir John suggesting his new coat of arms should be an “utter cock rampant on one side and a big chicken on the other” and claiming he kept his political principles “on the back of an old postage stamp” as an “ideological aide-memoire”. He described the award as a sign of “absolute desperation” by the government to stave off defeat in the Commons, when MPs vote on the Brexit deal in the coming weeks. – Independent A Tory rebel ‘bought off’ with a knighthood receives a mocking letter of congratulations – The Sun Philip Hammond warns of ‘economic chaos’ if MPs reject the Brexit deal… The Chancellor has said there will be ‘very serious’ consequences if MPs vote down Theresa May’s plan for Brexit. Philip Hammond appealed for the Commons to support the embattled leader, warning that a no-deal would bring ‘economic chaos’ and job losses across the country. Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Mr Hammond also said that he believed the deal on offer was better than remaining in the EU, stressing that it would help heal the divisions caused by Brexit. ‘Economics is not the only consideration – we also have to look at the political healing process, bringing our country back together because countries that are disunited and divided are not successful countries. ‘If we want this country to be successful in the future, we have got to bring it back together after this process.’ Mr Hammond also reiterated Mrs May’s warnings that if she is opposed in Parliament then Brexit might not happen. – Metro Philip Hammond insists Brexit deal is ‘better than staying in the EU’ – PoliticsHome …and reportedly threatens to quit the Cabinet and take five ministers with him if Theresa May tries for a no-deal Brexit Philip Hammond would quit the Cabinet and take at least four Ministers with him if Theresa May tried to move towards a ‘no deal’ Brexit, Downing Street has been warned. The Chancellor’s allies say that he and key colleagues would ‘walk’ if the Prime Minister reacted to losing next month’s crucial Commons vote by quitting the EU with no formal agreement about our future relationship. They say Mr Hammond’s uncompromising stance is one reason why Mrs May has ‘downgraded’ her warnings about crashing out of the bloc with no deal and now tells her MPs there could be no Brexit at all if they reject the withdrawal agreement she has struck with Brussels. – Mail on Sunday New ‘gang of five’ in second cabinet mutiny on Brexit as Theresa May appeals to voters – Sunday Times (£) Philip Hammond ‘to lead Cabinet exodus’ if Theresa May goes for no-deal Brexit – PoliticsHome Britain on verge of ‘historic mistake’ if it accepts the current Brexit deal, Boris Johnson tells DUP conference… Boris Johnson said Britain needs to recover its “confidence and self-belief” as he blasted the current Brexit deal which he feels should not be accepted. The former foreign secretary said that no British government “could or should” sign up to the arrangements outlined, as he spoke at the DUP party conference. Describing it as a “historic mistake”, he said: “If we are not careful, we are going to stay in the customs union, we are going to stay in the single market, we are going to be rules takers. “We need urgently to recover our confidence and our self-belief, and to stop treating Brexit as if it were a plague of frogs, or a murrain on our cattle, or some adverse weather event that had to be managed.” Throughout his address, he also called for the backstop arrangement proposed to be scrapped. “Unless we junk this backstop, we will find that Brussels has got us exactly where they want us – a satellite state,” he said in Belfast. – Evening Standard Boris Johnson, sniping at May, calls for ‘no deal’ Brexit minister – Reuters Boris Johnson urges DUP to retain pact with Conservatives – FT (£) Boris Johnson woos DUP with call to ‘junk’ Brexit backstop – Observer > WATCH on BrexitCentral’s YouTube channel: Boris Johnson’s speech to the DUP conference …as DUP leader Arlene Foster says Theresa May’s Brexit deal is ‘not in Northern Ireland’s interest’ DUP leader Arlene Foster has slammed Theresa May’s Brexit deal and said it is ‘not in Northern Ireland’s interest’. She used her keynote speech at the DUP’s annual conference in Belfast to reject the government’s proposed deal and said it must be improved in the weeks ahead. She said: ‘I acknowledge the hard work and determined efforts of the prime minister to secure an agreement. ‘She is genuine when she says she wants to see an outcome that does no harm to the Union and the internal market of the United Kingdom. ‘We cannot wish away the fact that the draft withdrawal agreement contains arrangements that are not in Northern Ireland’s long-term economic or strategic interests. ‘Northern Ireland would remain part of the European Union’s customs code and as things stand we would be sowing the seeds of inevitable economic divergence from our largest market.’ – Metro Theresa May’s Brexit deal can be salvaged if she relents over Irish backstop, says Dominic Raab There is “still time” to salvage Theresa May’s deal with “modest and reasonable” changes that would allow it to pass through the House of Commons, Dominic Raab has said. Instead, amid warnings 91 Tories are preparing to vote against the current arrangements, Mr Raab suggested that Mrs May could regain his support – and that of many Conservatives – by insisting on a new “exit mechanism” from the backstop that could be subject to “conditions” to satisfy the concerns of the EU. He also called on Mrs May to seek changes to last week’s “political declaration” – a non-legally binding document which covers the UK’s future relationship with the EU – so it no longer risk “shackling” the country to rules and customs arrangements “over which we have no say”. Mr Raab, who resigned after Mrs May overruled his insistence that a unilateral exit mechanism should be written into the Withdrawal Agreement to allow the UK to extract itself from such an arrangement, suggested the Commons could still vote for the deal if she relented on that point and ensured that the future relationship would not resemble the backstop arrangements. – Sunday Telegraph (£) Government accused of massaging immigration statistics in run up to Brexit vote The Government has been accused of a cynical attempt to massage immigration statistics after it emerged Theresa May will announce a curb on low-skilled foreign working arriving in Britain. The move was seen as an attempt by the Prime Minister to win support among Eurosceptic Tory MPs in the run up to the Brexit vote. But, immigration experts and campaigners yesterday warned that the proposals would mean that those arriving under the 11-month visa would not be counted as immigrants. Jonathan Portes, professor of economics and economics and public policy at King’s College, London, said: “In theory these people coming into the UK under this visa would not be immigrants and would not be counted as immigrants. “I would call it a pretty transparent attempt to massage the immigration figures.” – Sunday Telegraph (£) Brexiteers’ trade guru says UK would be better off staying in EU, rather than accepting the Prime Minister’s Brexit plan The man relied on by Brexit supporters to underpin the economic arguments for leaving the EU has said the UK would be better off staying in the club rather than accepting the prime minister’s Brexit plan. Shanker Singham admitted “there’s no point leaving the EU” because the opportunities he had envisaged will have been lost. “The upside and the opportunity … disappears, and you’re left only with a damage limitation exercise,” he said. His remarks, made in an interview before the prime minister announced her proposed EU deal, echo those made by the former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab, who on Friday told the BBC’s Today programme that May’s proposal was inferior to EU membership. They follow statements from other senior Brexit-supporting MPs including Iain Duncan Smith and Boris Johnson conceding the same point. – Observer Nicola Sturgeon wants leaders’ debate on draft agreement Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has challenged Theresa May to a debate over her draft Brexit deal before it is voted on by MPs. Ms Sturgeon, responding to suggestions the prime minister is willing to debate Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in advance of a House of Commons vote, tweeted: “I can’t speak for @jeremycorbyn, but I’d be up for a full leaders’ debate on the ‘deal’. So, how about it PM @theresa_may?” The SNP leader was scathing about Mrs May’s proposals after the pair held “full, frank and calm” talks on Brexit last week, likening it to asking people to “take a blindfold leap off a cliff”. Ms Sturgeon said: “I’ve seen today the current draft – it’s not binding, it doesn’t have legal effect and effectively it amounts to the House of Commons being asked to vote to exit the EU without knowing what comes next. “That’s asking people to take a blindfold leap off a cliff edge and I have said all along I just don’t think that’s a reasonable or acceptable thing to do.” – BBC News Theresa May an ‘incompetent arch Remainer’ who is bungling Brexit, says former Tory donor Leading British hotelier Sir Rocco Forte has accused “incompetent” Theresa May of bungling Brexit and urged the Government to leave the EU on WTO terms because Europe is an “uncompetitive” place to do business. Describing the Prime Minister as an “arch Remainer”, the multi-millionaire former Tory donor said a “third-rate negotiator in any middle sized company” would have done a better job of the negotiations, and called for Boris Johnson to take over. Likening the hysteria around no deal to the millennium bug, he lambasted the Government’s “defeatist” attitude, accusing Mrs May of going “cap in hand” to the EU. Despite owning 11 hotels including nine in Europe, the 73-year-old entrepreneur said Britain would be “far better off” leaving on WTO terms. He told the Telegraph: “I’d prefer no deal to anything else because then we’re fully free, we don’t have to pay any money, we can use the £40 billion to invest in the north of England. – Sunday Telegraph (£) Donald Tusk quotes Freddie Mercury lyrics on friendship ahead of Brexit summit Donald Tusk drew musical inspiration from Queen as he insisted the UK and European Union would remain friends. The European Council president said “friends will be friends, right till the end”, ahead of Sunday’s summit of EU leaders which is expected to approve the Brexit deal. On the 27th anniversary of Queen singer Freddie Mercury’s death, Mr Tusk said the lyrics will act as “a motto for tomorrow”. The lyrics come from the 1986 Queen track Friends Will Be Friends. It is not the first time the Polish statesman has quoted British pop music lyrics. Mr Tusk looked to John Lennon’s Imagine for inspiration when he revealed what he told friends when asked if he thought Brexit could be reversed, stating: “I told them that in fact the European Union was built on dreams that seemed impossible to achieve. So, who knows? – Belfast Telegraph Theresa May: My Brexit deal works for everyone – whether you voted Leave or Remain When I became your Prime Minister the United Kingdom had just voted to leave the European Union. From my first day in the job, I knew I had a clear mission before me – a duty to fulfil on your behalf: to honour the result of the referendum and secure a brighter future for our country by negotiating a good Brexit deal with the EU. Throughout the long and complex negotiations that have taken place over the last year and a half, I have never lost sight of that duty. Today, I am in Brussels with the firm intention of agreeing a Brexit deal with the leaders of the other 27 EU nations. It will be a deal that is in our national interest – one that works for our whole country and all of our people, whether you voted ‘Leave’ or ‘Remain’. It will honour the result of the referendum. We will take back control of our borders, by putting an end to the free movement of people once and for all. Instead of an immigration system based on where a person comes from, we will build one based on the skills and talents a person has to offer. We will take back control of our money, by putting an end to vast annual payments to the EU. – Sunday Telegraph (£) Dan Hannan: This is a calamitous, cowardly Brexit deal – and we’re now being shafted for it by the EU Sunday, according to gleeful Remainers, is the day that Brexit fantasies collide with cold reality. Leavers, they claim, have been in a trance, dreaming of some unachievable Brexit peddled by charlatans during the referendum campaign. In Brussels, those Leavers will supposedly be jolted back to their senses by the harsh withdrawal terms agreed by Theresa May and her 27 fellow heads of government. You will read variants of that analysis in almost every Europhile medium. You will hear it repeated across the Continent. The deal, as one Italian newspaper puts it, represents “a resounding victory for the EU over Her Majesty’s subjects”. Yet there was nothing inevitable about this climbdown. On the contrary, there is something extraordinary, awe-inspiring even, about the slow-witted cowardice that led British negotiators to this point. – Dan Hannan MEP for the Sunday Telegraph (£) Boris Johnson: Brexit deal sell-out protects barbaric trade of sending live animals abroad for slaughter I cannot believe that this barbaric trade is still going on — but it is. Every year this country sends thousands of live calves overseas for slaughter, and some of them are enduring nightmare journeys as far as North Africa. They are jammed together in the dark. They are terrified. For many years we were told that such a ban was impossible; because the rules on shipment of animals is controlled by the EU, and a UK ban on live animal transport would be against basic EU law on the free movement of goods. I remember 25 years ago how a previous Tory government tried to end the trade. Brussels said no — and the government looked foolish. Animal welfare campaigners were indignant at the powerlessness of their own government. So was the public — and so was I. So when the people of this country voted to leave the EU, it seemed obvious that we would at last be able to end the suffering of these animals. What else could we conceivably mean by taking back control of our laws? The prospect of a ban on live animal transport is even mentioned in the so-called Chequers white paper. Indeed, the ban has been promised over and over again. And now what? I am afraid to say that our hopes will almost certainly be dashed by the appalling sell-out that we are about to sign. – Boris Johnson MP for The Sun Jacob Rees-Mogg: I will ‘stand up for our freedom’ These are not the words of a fierce Brexiteer or an opponent of Theresa May. It is the private view of the CBI, an organisation that is supposed to stand up for business but instead likes to suck up to government. If even the arch toadies recognise that it is not a good deal, it must be almost indefensible. Its failure is that it does not deliver on Brexit and, instead of taking back control, in some areas it will leave the United Kingdom with even less control than it currently has: the vassal state. The Withdrawal Agreement is declared to be superior law and is designed to be an international treaty that would override UK law, exactly as membership of the EU does. Law is at the heart of taking back control, the promise given in the referendum. Superior EU law, taxation without representation and a divided nation… that is what the Government proposes to buy with £39billion of taxpayers’ money. In return, there is a political declaration that offers warm words to us but odd specifics for the EU. – Jacob Rees-Mogg MP for the Sunday Express Ben Bradley: ‘Go back and show some strength!’ May must accept Brexit plan’s doomed This Brexit deal is no representation of the promises that were made at Lancaster House last year. That was a plan that respected leave voters and the referendum result. This deal is neither remain nor leave, an unending state of purgatory that represents the worst of all worlds. It does not deliver on the promise to take back control of our money, as we give away £39bn in exchange for not much at all. It doesn’t deliver on trade, as the backstop ties us in to a customs union that limits our freedom to make meaningful deals with the rest of the world, and which we cannot leave without the EU’s permission. There is a way forward though if the PM is willing to accept that her plan cannot succeed. She can go back and show some strength in the national interest, offer up the clear evidence of these last weeks to show that this won’t work, and instead return to what she promised at Lancaster House. That kind of free trade agreement is what Monsieur Barnier claims he wanted in the first place and she should hold him to that, or she should walk away. We should have nothing to fear in walking away either. – Ben Bradley MP for the Sunday Express Richard Dearlove: The security and defence threat posed by May’s Brexit deal In the heat of negotiations about our future relationship with the EU, the fact that the UK is Europe’s leading defence, security and intelligence power has gone largely unmentioned. Now we discover that, within the draft political declaration and other withdrawal documents, these powerful advantages may be compromised rather than leveraged. This might in part explain why both Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel have also chosen the Brexit moment to revive the idea of a European army. A close examination of the “administrative agreements” and “participation criteria” suggests that when they are taken together they require full subordination of the UK to the EU defence rule book. That means the draft withdrawal document actually commits us to a European defence role without any say in its formulation, and would effectively end the UK’s successful policy of denying the European Commission the development of a military or security role. – Sir Richard Dearlove for the FT (£) > Steven Edginton on BrexitCentral today: Despite Brexit, the Government has covertly signed us up to the EU’s defence agenda Sherelle Jacobs: Is Labour secretly conspiring to let a Tory Brexit happen? It beggars belief that Labour failed to defeat a crucial amendment to the Finance Bill by five ballots, even though the DUP reportedly briefed them that they would mobilise against the PM. Even curiouser, Jeremy Corbyn didn’t turn up to the vote. Why would Labour go out of its way to avoid landing a punch on the Government? One theory is almost too devious to countenance. Suppose that, for all the party’s heckling for a “People’s Vote”, its leaders are plotting to ensure a Tory Brexit happens. This flies in the face of the dominant narrative about the Left and Brexit; the story goes that, with the party’s grassroots salivating for a second referendum, Labour MPs will vote down Mrs May’s proposal, then block a no deal, and call a vote of confidence. After winning the latter, Mr Corbyn could force an election; the people would then deliver a stinging slap to the Tories, and Labour would win by default. The only problem with this theory is that everybody believes in it except Labour itself. – Sherelle Jacobs for the Sunday Telegraph (£) Sunday Telegraph: Banging the immigration drum won’t guarantee passage of the Withdrawal deal Immigration is only one element of Brexit. Sovereignty matters, too, and both the Agreement and Declaration give a not-insignificant role to European courts. The Union is critical, and the backstop would treat Northern Ireland differently; it would also trap us in a disadvantageous customs arrangement and limit free trade. Deregulation has long been a dream of Eurosceptics, and yet Clause 79 of the Declaration commits Britain to maintaining a “level playing field” in a great swathe of regulations. The political calculus behind making immigration the central issue is transparent, but risks, yet again, misunderstanding the fundamentals of Euroscepticism. The Conservative argument for Brexit was always that we should leave the EU to regain control over our borders, yes, but also to take back control of our laws and rules – to liberate our economy and trade freely with the rest of the world. In other words, Mrs May might find that Tory opposition to the Withdrawal Agreement does not vanish the moment she bangs the immigration drum. Sunday Telegraph (£) editorial Thomas Sharpe: Why a ‘sunset clause’ could restore the near total collapse of trust in the Brexit process As it stands, the interim arrangements carry on till the EU is satisfied they should be replaced by the Declaration. But the Declaration is a series of choices and it is doubtful if the EU would readily accede to arrangements less favourable than those in the Withdrawal Agreement, so movement will not be easy if the Brexit promises regarding border, laws and money are to be upheld. These “interim” terms provide that the UK must accept EU rules in the future. These rules, but for the General Court, would have excluded Dyson vacuum cleaners from the EU market or excluded London from Euro-clearing (and may still do). The UK cannot trust in a benign regime going forward and will be in an even worse position to defend its interests than it is today. If the EU refuses to provide an exit mechanism to the Withdrawal Agreement, assuming it survives a Parliamentary vote, and it is incorporated into UK law, as it must be, Parliament can add a “sunset clause” repealing it if no satisfactory trade agreement is in place by a given date and so reinstate the “no-deal” provisions which are currently law in the Withdrawal Act. This might focus minds and fill the gap caused by the absence of trust. – Thomas Sharpe QC for the Sunday Telegraph (£) Paul Goodman: Gibraltar rocked? Theresa May’s concession over Gibraltar does not allow negotiations to be opened between the UK and Spain over which country should have sovereignty over the Rock. However, the difficulty for the Government is that it could allow such discussions to take place in future. In essence, it says that Gibraltar won’t be covered by the proposed Brexit deal. So the Rock won’t automatically be included in any future free trade agreement between Spain and the UK – and may not be at all. The problem for the UK and Gibraltar is that Spain really will have a veto if a trade deal is eventually put on the table. It could then, if it wished, seek to hold any such agreement up until or unless discussions over sovereignty were opened – which would present a very serious problem for May’s Government, assuming that she and it are still there. – Paul Goodman for ConservativeHome Macer Hall: May takes flight to find a friend Theresa May is on the hunt for friends in unexpected places as the titanic Commons battle over her Brexit deal draws near. The Prime Minister and her Chief Whip Julian Smith are plotting how to reach out across the party divide in their effort to build a majority for her concord with the EU. With the numbers apparently so stacked against them they need to find support in every quarter they can. Mrs May flies to Brussels today to try to persuade the leaders of the 27 EU nations to approve the draft agreement concluded by the two sides in the departure negotiations this week. Downing Street aides are braced for a long day of theatrics and tantrums as her European counterparts play to their domestic audiences with surprise demands for late insertions into the deal. – Macer Hall for the Sunday Express Belfast Telegraph: Caught between preserving Union and avoiding a no-deal catastrophe, unionists find themselves in difficult position It is worth pointing out that Mrs Foster will speak in conciliatory terms about Mrs May. She will be warm about recognising the Prime Minister’s hard work and determination for a favourable conclusion to the Brexit negotiations. At the same time, there is no doubt that Mrs Foster is genuine when she says she wants to see an outcome that will do no harm to the Union. Clearly the DUP is not changing its position in opposing the current — and only — deal on offer from the EU. The reality is, therefore, that if we are to secure a better deal, the only option is to look beyond the current draft withdrawal agreement and use the time left to encourage everyone to work for a better outcome. Nevertheless, for both the DUP and the UUP, the Union is something that is not negotiable, and is fundamental to their political identity. Basically, neither party can negotiate away the Union without damaging the essence of unionism itself. Brexit has now thrown all these complex issues into stark relief. – Belfast Telegraph editorial Peter Foster: What the EU will do when Parliament rejects Theresa May’s Brexit deal With 91 MPs understood to be in open opposition to the deal in London, the handshakes that take place on Sunday afternoon between Mrs May and the 27 the EU leaders will be accompanied by hollow, pitying smiles. “It has already taken on the air of a wake, not a celebration,” said one senior EU official involved in planning the summit. “Everyone knows it looks next to impossible for May to sell this deal, even though it is the only one she’ll get.” With the deal looking dead on arrival in Westminster the Brussels back-channels are already gaming out what happens when Mrs May loses the ‘meaningful vote’ and returns empty handed asking for fresh favours. “We can change the staples and the colour of the paper, but beyond that, we can’t do much,” says a diplomat from a country usually friendly to the UK. “The EU will not give up the backstop. It cannot. So you can do some tweaks, but will that really make a difference?” – Peter Foster for the Sunday Telegraph (£) Brexit in Brief It is time for both leavers and remainers to get real – Sunday Times (£) editorial ‘Whatever Spain says, Gibraltar is as British as Churchill’ – Joe Duggan for the Sunday Express May’s legacy: her Brexit deal could crush the Tories – James Forsyth for the Spectator Ann Widdecombe furious at Brexit Britain ‘running up white flag’ to EU – Sunday Express Lord Trimble destroys ‘economic case’ against no-deal Brexit – Sunday Express