Book by Cameron’s comms chief lifts the lid on Theresa May’s ambivalence during the EU referendum… David Cameron became intensely frustrated at Theresa May’s unwillingness to declare her intentions in the run-up to the EU referendum campaign, according to his former communications chief. Sir Craig Oliver said Mrs May failed to support Mr Cameron on 13 separate occasions before she did reluctantly “come off the fence” for Remain – and then only after a “visibly wound up” prime minister gave her a dressing down over the telephone. – Mail on Sunday He [Cameron] begged her [May] to ‘come off the fence’ over Brexit – but she refused so often that one of Cameron’s allies questioned if she was secretly ‘an enemy agent’. Another accused her of leaving Cameron to ‘fight alone’. No 10 became so fed up with her habit of disappearing when Cameron needed her that they nicknamed her ‘Submarine May’. – Mail on Sunday …and describes Boris Johnson flip-flopping between Leave and Remain… I get a call from DC, by now at his home in Witney, to make sure I am stopping anyone tempted to reveal that Boris sent a message saying he will support Leave. The reason is there’s been another text suggesting he might change his mind and back Remain. I’m struck by how reckless Boris is being – we could just blurt all of this out at any time. His big moment could end with him badly tarnished. – Excerpt from Sir Craig Oliver’s book, Unleashing Demons: The Inside Story Of Brexit, in the Mail on Sunday The Remain campaign set too much store on the economic arguments and didn’t have answers on immigration – Sir Craig Oliver in the Mail on Sunday Gove made ‘solemn pledge’ to David Cameron he would back Remain – The Sun on Sunday …while Tim Shipman’s account of the campaign suggests May refused to fight for a brake on immigrants David Cameron branded Theresa May “lily-livered” after she told him to drop plans for tough immigration controls that could have helped him win the EU referendum. May told Cameron he should not press ahead with demands for an “emergency brake” to limit the number of EU migrants coming to Britain because the Germans did not approve… But two aides to Cameron have revealed May and Philip Hammond, the current chancellor who was then foreign secretary, “folded” in the face of opposition to the emergency brake from Angela Merkel and helped kill off the one idea that Cameron’s allies believe would have kept Britain in the EU. – Sunday Times (£) …and describes how Cameron opted against a pre-referendum “vow” on immigration The “remain” camp’s strategy focused on the economy, but they were getting killed on immigration, as a result of Cameron’s failure to win concessions from other EU leaders on free movement to Britain. He was warned voters thought he was not listening to their concerns. At a meeting with his closest advisers in his Downing Street study, 11 days before the vote, he discussed whether to tackle this head-on with a new vow. George Osborne had begun to wonder if they would lose the referendum, but he told Cameron that offering more on immigration would not work. – Excerpt from Tim Shipman’s All Out War: The Full Story of How Brexit Sank Britain’s Political Class in the Sunday Times (£) Sunday Times: Cameron failed basic test in his EU negotiation The referendum is water under the bridge, but if Mr Cameron is seeking to blame former cabinet colleagues for the result, he is barking up the wrong tree. Having failed to mention immigration in the Bloomberg speech in 2013 in which he pledged the referendum, he never caught up. Even late in the day, when a plea to Mrs Merkel for an emergency brake on migrant numbers might have worked, he held back. In his negotiations with the EU, and particularly with Germany, Mr Cameron failed some basic tests. – Sunday Times (£) editorial David Cameron can’t blame Theresa May for his awful “deal” with the EU – Fraser Nelson for The Spectator’s Coffee House Liam Fox prepares to address the WTO on Tuesday He will make a major speech to the World Trade Organisation on Tuesday, signalling the UK’s determination to take its place as an independent member of the international body, able to negotiate its own trade deals outside the EU… Dr Fox is expected to signal his strong intent that once outside the EU, Britain will take up a fully independent place at the WTO and will be free to strike competitive deals with countries across the world. In order to achieve this, Britain would have to leave the EU single market’s customs union. – Sunday Telegraph Consumers shrug off Brexit fears Confidence among shoppers is set to rebound from its post-referendum slump in the latest sign that the economy is shrugging off the effects of June’s EU vote. The expected bounce, when consumer confidence figures for September are released on Thursday, would cement hopes that sentiment has recovered close to its level before the referendum. – Sunday Times (£) Jeremy Corbyn re-elected as Labour leader and accuses May of dithering over Brexit… The 62 per cent to 38 per cent margin of triumph over rival Owen Smith is even bigger than 59.5 per cent he racked up a year ago… The Labour leader said Mrs May was ‘dithering’ in the face of the ‘historic challenges of Brexit’ – despite being condemned by many on his own side for demanding immediate invocation of article 50 in the hours after the EU referendum. – Mail on Sunday …as the Lib Dem leader attacks Corbyn’s position on Europe… “Jeremy Corbyn has failed as opposition leader and failed to stand up for Britain’s place in Europe. He is now not backing our membership of the single market despite the damage leaving would do to our economy and the threat it poses to jobs. After a year of failure, it is disappointing for all of those who oppose this Government that the Labour leadership will continue to be dominated by ineffectual leaders” – Tim Farron quoted in the Express …and voters urge government not to delay Brexit process 50 per cent say “the Government should start the process of leaving the EU as soon as possible”, while 50 per cent say “the Government should start the process of leaving the EU as soon as possible”, while only 37 per cent say “the Government should take more time before starting the process”. Ms May has said that she won’t trigger the two-year timetable for departure until the end of the year, but has tried to avoid being boxed in to a more precise date. – ComRes poll reported in The Independent City looks to new passporting rules to weather the Brexit storm Since a “big deal” on financial services will have to tackle the issue of free movement of people, it is likely to take longer to agree than the two years the UK has to negotiate its exit from the EU under Article 50. As a result, the City believes it is crucial that the UK and EU agree on a longer transition period for banks, insurers and fund- management firms. – Sunday Telegraph BBC News boss responds to claims of EU bias “Inasmuch as the EU referendum was about the economy, it was about forecasts more than facts. It was not a contest of hard truths but an argument over whose predictions of the future you preferred. The BBC was abundantly clear that the overwhelming weight of expert economic opinion advised people to vote Remain. But the BBC, at all times, should be open to those who may challenge a consensus – not all such opinions stand the test of time… The fundamental charge – that BBC reporting resulted in a false balance in which fanciful claims got the same billing as serious insights – is not true.” – BBC director of news James Harding writing in The Observer Dominic Lawson: Summon the troops, Sergeant-Major May, for our EU marching orders When she launched her campaign to become leader of the Conservative Party, a week after the vote for Brexit defenestrated David Cameron, Theresa May reminded her audience of MPs: “I grew up . . . the granddaughter of a regimental sergeant-major.” Perhaps Mrs May was trying to let them know that. . . she expected her cabinet to be as obedient as the ranks should be to their commanding officer. – Dominic Lawson for the Sunday Times (£) Jeremy Warner: Fat and lazy? There’s an element of truth in Fox’s jibe Whether we like it not, Brexit is going to force change. British industry will have to stand on its own two feet, shielded neither by the warm embrace of one-time imperial preference or Europe’s protectionist single market. The “fat and the lazy” are in for quite a shock. – Jeremy Warner for the Sunday Telegraph Euan McColm: Doff your caps to the Tory toff who gives Brexit’s losers a voice So if neither Labour nor the SNP nor the Liberal Democrats speak with authority on behalf of those who believe close co-operation with the EU is the wise and progressive path, who does? This may pain many pro-EU supporters of those parties, but the answer would appear to be former Tory chancellor, George Osborne. – Euan McColm for Scotland on Sunday Brexit comment in brief Who is to blame for Brexit? – Dan Hitchens for Spectator Coffee House blog The London Stock Exchange boss is spouting nonsense when he says 100,000 clearing jobs are at risk from Brexit – Tim Worstall on Forbes.com Brexit news in brief SNP partly responsible for Brexit, claims Theresa May – Scotland on Sunday Alex Salmond finally admits he is ‘not confident’ Scotland will stay in single market – Sunday Express European leaders in Bratislava avoided all the difficult questions – The Economist Bitter anti-Brexit campaigners demand release of Article 50 legal details to force MP vote – Sunday Express Lib Dems claim Brexit puts 48,000 motorsport jobs at risk – Sunday People Don’t pine for Europe: Britain’s traditional trees will be boosted by Brexit, says Kew’s top expert – Mail on Sunday