Sign up here to receive the daily news briefing in your inbox every morning with exclusive insight from the BrexitCentral team EU’s Chief Brexit negotiator tells UK to accept European Court jurisdiction… The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, today warned the U.K. that it must accept the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice in order to achieve a successful withdrawal treaty and transition period when leaving the EU. “We cannot accept that a jurisdiction other that the Court of Justice of the European Union determines the law and imposes its interpretation on the institutions of the Union,” Barnier said in prepared remarks at a meeting of EU law experts in Lisbon. He stressed there is little time to waste if a deal on a future trading relationship is to be hammered out successfully before the U.K. leaves the bloc next year. – Politico …and accuses Theresa May of hiding during on-going Brexit negotiations Theresa May is playing “hide and seek” during Brexit talks, the EU’s chief negotiator has claimed. Michel Barnier said he wanted to know “the sooner the better” if the UK wants to “modify its red lines”. The PM will face rebel MPs within weeks over her ruling out membership of both the single market and customs union. Mr Barnier said: “To negotiate in an effective way, you must know what the other side wants.” He added the EU wanted “an ambitious partnership with the UK”. – The Sun Priti Patel says Britain Stronger in Europe’s Keira Knightley video may have breached Brexit spending rules On Saturday Priti Patel, the pro-Leave former cabinet minister who has filed previous formal complaints about the Remain campaign, suggested the spending on the clip should have been declared by Britain Stronger in Europe as a free “service” it received during the campaign, with the cost counting towards the group’s £7 million limit. She said: “It raises further questions over the close relationship between numerous Remain campaigns, questions which the Electoral Commission must investigate.” – Telegraph Is the elections quango really fit for purpose? - Telegraph editorial (£) Fury from Brexiteers as the PM prepares hefty tax hike to fund her NHS promise Theresa May faces Brexiteers’ fury over a plan for a huge taxpayer-funded NHS budget hike. The PM has asked MPs for cash-raising ideas ahead of the service’s 70th birthday in July. She wants a three per cent deal in summer that would hit the target of £350million a week more by the next election — the sum Brexiteers said could go to the NHS once we quit the EU. Ideas include a 1p tax rise or a pensions raid. But it has angered Brexiteers who want to use the £350million weekly saving. Ex-Cabinet minister Priti Patel said: “The PM said she would guarantee that when we take back control of our money, it would be spent on domestic priorities, including the NHS. That should be the priority.” – Sun on Sunday NHS dividend would send out right Brexit signal – Macer Hall for the Express Pro-EU Tory MP rebels will be targeted by Leave voters to back Theresa May over vital Brexit votes Pro-EU Tory MP rebels will be targeted by Leave voters to back Theresa May over vital Brexit votes. The gang of a dozen pro-EU back-benchers will face a blitz of lobbying to get behind the PM. Leave supporters living in the group’s constituencies will demand their MPs to overturn efforts by Peers to “delay and obstruct” Brexit. They will be asked to resign from the party if they backtrack on the Tories’ manifesto commitments to leave the single market and customs union. Tory grandee and ex-Chancellor Ken Clarke is among the high-profile names on the list and ex-Education Secretary Nicky Morgan. – The Sun Corbyn under pressure to give members vote on Labour Brexit policy Supporters of Jeremy Corbyn from the leftwing campaign group Momentum are piling pressure on the leadership this weekend to give members a debate and vote on Labour’s Brexit policy in a move that will further expose the party’s deep divisions over Europe. Several prominent figures on the left have told the Observer that it will be unacceptable – and reminiscent of the worst elements of Tony Blair’s leadership – if policy is decided behind closed doors. They are demanding that Brexit is fully discussed and voted on by delegates at the Labour party conference in Liverpool in September. The gathering will take place before any vote by MPs in parliament on the outcome of negotiations between Theresa May and Brussels. – Observer Theresa May under pressure to remove visa cap on non-EU skilled migrants Theresa May is under growing pressure to ditch an “arbitrary” cap on visa numbers after the Home Office turned away skilled migrants from outside the EU for the sixth month in a row. Business groups and opposition politicians have warned that the limit is holding back innovation and growth in Britain. The 20,700 annual cap on so-called tier 2 visas, which is broken down into monthly allocations, was introduced by May in 2011 when she was home secretary. The monthly limit had only been reached once before December, but it has been hit every month since. – Sunday Times (£) Theresa May’s visa cap hurts employers — and her Brexit vision – Sunday Times (£) The Electoral Commission is preparing to go ahead with UK’s EU elections, even though it takes place eight weeks after the UK is due to leave the EU The Electoral Commission, the election watchdog, is preparing to go ahead with the vote, even though it takes place eight weeks after the UK is due to leave the EU. The Speaker’s committee on the commission, chaired by John Bercow — whose car sports a “remain” bumper sticker — has agreed to ring-fence £829,000, rousing suspicion among Brexit supporters who fear that the UK will never leave the EU. The election watchdog says funding was approved in the “unlikely” event the poll happens. The UK’s 73 MEPs are scheduled to end their term in office on March 29 next year — the day Britain is meant to leave the bloc. However, the commission has revealed contingency plans to keep the EU gravy train rolling for another five years. – Sunday Times (£) Government quietly planning for Britain to stay in EU after March deadline, Eurosceptics fear – Telegraph Is the elections quango really fit for purpose? - Telegraph editorial (£) …as Britain’s MEPs could be forced to stay in Strasbourg after Brexit Britain’s Euro MPs should be made to stick around in Strasbourg beyond Brexit day, a shock report has concluded. A top expert has argued the UK’s representatives must serve their entire terms in the EU Parliament rather than being cut loose next March. The dossier, by law and government Professor Federico Fabbrini, stunned their European colleagues who branded it an “Alice in Wonderland scenario”. The Dublin City University academic argued that because our MEPs serve EU citizens as a whole, not just Brits, they can’t quit. But ex Ukip leader Nigel Farage told Politico: “I will be leaving.” The report, compiled for the EU Parliament, examines the treaties underpinning how the bloc works. – The Sun Iain Duncan Smith: The EU acts like a playground bully – it’s time we stood up to it When the British people voted to leave the EU, they didn’t just turn politics on its head in the UK. They also called into question the whole European Project – this ever-onward march, driven hard by a central bureaucracy, aimed at creating a United States of Europe. Since that point the EU Commission, aided by meetings with hardcore UK Remainers, have included in their core strategy, the strong possibility that the UK could be forced to accept Brexit in name only. This would mean remaining in the Single Market and Customs Union whilst accepting the authority of the European Court of Justice. To do this, the EU believes they simply need to sit tight and obstruct the process, finding reasons to reject proposals put forward by the UK. They smile behind their hands as UK officials desperately make endless new proposals. – Iain Duncan Smith for the Telegraph (£) Brendan O’Neill: Ireland’s referendum shows that some people only like democracy when it gives them what they want Speaking of Brexit: the difference between the UK liberal media’s treatment of the massive vote for abortion rights in Ireland and the massive vote for Brexit in Britain (17.4m votes, the most for anything in British history, as if you needed reminding) is staggering, if also depressingly unsurprising. In their flighty view, Brexit was the work of plebs brainwashed by a bus, while the the repeal of the Eighth was the work of an enlightened people. Brexit is scary and dangerous and therefore we should call it off; the repeal of the Eighth is brilliant and wonderful and therefore we should see it through. Brexit confirmed democracy is a terrible idea; the repeal of the Eighth shows it is a great idea. And on it goes, hypocrisy upon hypocrisy, anti-democratic wailing one minute, pro-democracy weeping the next. They support democracy, not in principle, but only if it gives them what they want. – Brendan O’Neill for the Spectator Macer Hall: Theresa May is still keeping MPs guessing Many Eurosceptic MPs are worried that the drift and division radiated by the Government is emboldening the European Commission negotiators in the exit talks. Recent days have seen some provocative briefings from Brussels, including threats to freeze Britain out of the Galileo international satellite system and other security co-operation initiatives. EU officials have begun mocking the Government for appearing unable to make up its mind about what the country wants from the future relationship with the bloc. Mrs May has survived a series of previous crunch points in the negotiations ever since she activated the EU’s Article 50 exit procedure in March last year. Her watch-and-wait strategy, only openly declaring a position when absolutely necessary, has kept the talks progressing while irritating some colleagues. – Macer Hall for the Express Patrick Minford: Civil servants should know their place, rather than indulge in anti-Brexit black ops The civil service is against Brexit and using all its wiles to oppose it. Not long ago, it issued its Cross-Whitehall Report on the humungous ‘cost of Brexit’- suggesting that GDP would be lost to the tune of 1.6%-7.7%. The latest farrago was the evidence given by Jon Thompson to the Treasury Committee. He produced an estimate of £20 billion for the cost of customs procedures if we leave the EU Customs Union. This works out at about 5% for every pound exported and imported. He based it on the assumed paperwork of customs declaration of value and origin. – Professor Patrick Minford for the Telegraph (£) Adam Boulton: We can check out of Hotel Brussels but the truth is we can never leave the EU The UK’s long march to Brexit has produced few memorable quotations. The best bons mots are paradoxical, as if trying to please both sides of the leave/remain divide. “Brexit means Brexit” will endure because it reveals little — and yet so much — about Theresa May’s modus operandi. So will the assessment of the British by Xavier Bettel, Jean-Claude Juncker’s successor as prime minister of Luxembourg: “They were in with a lot of opt-outs; now they are out and want a lot of opt-ins.” – Adam Boulton for the Sunday Times (£) Brexit in brief MEPs ‘trying to destroy EU’ face repaying £350,000 expenses – Sunday Times (£) Britain gets big on Japan to gear up for driverless car revolution – Telegraph (£) Britain’s governing classes are showing contempt for Brexit voters – Telegraph letters (£) We don’t just need a good Brexit deal for Britain. We need one for the Falkland Islands too – Rupert Matthews for ConservativeHome Italy to challenge Euro austerity – John Redwood’s Diary