Brexit select committee says Theresa May must guarantee status of EU nationals living in UK Theresa May should act unilaterally and guarantee the status of three million EU nationals currently living in Britain, and not wait for reciprocal reassurance from Brussels, according to the parliamentary committee for exiting the EU. A new report jointly authored by all members of the committee, which includes prominent Leave campaigner Michael Gove, says it would be ‘unconscionable’ to make EU nationals living in Britain wait up to two years for negotiations to find out on what basis they might be allowed to stay in the UK, or even be forced to leave. Committee chairman Hilary Benn said they had been left under a “cloud of uncertainty” and did not want to be used as “bargaining chips” in the talks. – The Independent Chancellor to ‘put aside £60bn’ for post-Brexit resilience The Chancellor will use recent economic growth to put aside up to £60bn to boost Britain’s “resilience” for future uncertainty as the UK withdraws from the EU, according to reports. Warning that Brexit will lead to “unexpected challenges”, Philip Hammond said that it would be “reckless” to spend the additional money now. Writing in the Sunday Times, he said: “As we begin our negotiations with the European Union we are embarking on a new chapter in our history. “We may face unexpected challenges in the months and years ahead as we forge our vision of Britain’s future in the world.” The Chancellor argues his approach will leave “flexibility… through the remainder of this Parliament to ensure our economic resilience”. – Sky News The young will make Britain No1 again and my Budget will boost skills for a post-Brexit world – Philip Hammond for The Sun on Sunday Education system to be overhauled with new ‘T-levels’ to plug post-Brexit skills gap Britain plans to spend an extra half a billion pounds a year to improve skills training, the government said on Sunday, seeking to address the country’s nagging productivity problems as it prepares to leave the European Union. Weak productivity growth has hindered Britain’s recovery from the financial crisis, and many employers say the problem is largely due to a shortage of workers with sufficient training. With Britain seeking to impose more controls on workers from the EU once it leaves the bloc, the government is looking with increasing urgency to bridge the skills gap. – Reuters Gina Miller says she fought Article 50 in court because rhetoric around Brexit ‘could lead to world war’ The woman behind the Supreme Court case that forced Theresa May to get parliamentary approval for triggering Article 50 has said she believes the rhetoric surrounding issues like Brexit could lead to “world war”. The campaigner said she had begun her fight following the referendum because she had become concerned about the growing power of the executive over Parliament and the ugly rhetoric surrounding the decision to leave. She told the Huffington Post: “I do not want any possibility that our children will grow up and face a world war. – The Independent MSPs call for ‘bespoke’ Brexit deal for Scotland… MSPs on Holyrood’s Europe committee have called for a “bespoke solution” for Scotland in the UK’s Brexit deal. Committee members penned a report calling for a Scottish solution to be included in Article 50, the starting point of the Brexit process. Convener Joan McAlpine said Scotland’s majority vote to remain inside the EU and the single market should be reflected in the coming negotiations. However, Conservative members of the committee dissented over some points. Prime Minister Theresa May told the Scottish Tory conference in Glasgow that the UK government would be aiming for “a deal which works for all parts of the UK – England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – and for the United Kingdom as a whole”. – BBC News …as Scottish Secretary David Mundell says SNP should join ‘Team UK’ on Brexit deal David Mundell has made a plea to the Scottish Government to join “Team UK” to ensure the country gets the best deal from Brexit. The Scottish Secretary insisted the governments in London and Edinburgh have similar goals – even though First Minister Nicola Sturgeon wants to keep Scotland in the single market when the UK leaves the European Union. There are a whole range of areas where “Scotland’s two governments want the same outcomes as we leave the EU”, Mr Mundell said. These include reaching an agreement on the rights of EU citizens living and working in the UK, with the Scottish Secretary saying the Tories at Westminster want to “secure their right to stay as quickly as we can”. – Herald Scotland > Joe Ray on BrexitCentral today: Brexit has reframed the Scottish independence debate to the disadvantage of the SNP Ministers negotiating Brexit are studying six-point plan on how to obtain ‘glittering prizes’ available to UK outside of Europe Ministers are being told to set their sights on the “glittering prizes” up for grabs outside Europe. They should avoid getting tied up in “prolonged and fruitless” trade talks with EU leaders. The Cabinet is studying a six-point plan to set post-Brexit Britain on a bold new economic mission. It calls on them to avoid wasting time trying to persuade unyielding Eurocrats to give our firms access to the single market. And it lays out ways to “evangelise” bosses to the true benefits of life outside the EU. Lord Lamont believes the single market has become an excuse for intrusive law-making – and is urging Theresa May to implement a plan drawn up by business leaders. The former Tory Chancellor predicts Brexit will inspire a renewed global impetus for free trade which will boost living standards. He will tell a Westminster audience tomorrow: “There are great opportunities for Britain outside the EU. Glittering prizes, no doubt. “But how successful we are in seizing them depends on ourselves and our ability to adapt. In or out of the EU, no one owes us a living. Only we can make it a success.” – The Sun on Sunday UK warned it must ‘honour all financial obligations’ to EU European political leaders and diplomats have reacted furiously to the suggestion that Britain could leave the EU without paying a multibillion pound “divorce settlement”. The European commission, along with 27 EU member states, have settled on a sum of about €60bn (£52bn) that the UK would have to pay to fulfil the commitments it had signed up to as an EU member. In a report published on Saturday, the House of Lords EU financial affairs subcommittee argued that the British government would be on strong legal ground if it chose to leave the EU without paying anything, and suggesting that Brussels would have no realistic chance of getting any money. Responding to the development, the leader of the socialist group in the European parliament, Gianni Pittella, who will play a significant role in shaping the EU’s negotiating stance, accused the British prime minister of incompetence and a “bullying” attitude, warning Theresa May that her plans would soon hit reality. – The Observer Rising Euroscepticism ‘poses existential threat to EU’ Rising Euroscepticism and domestic political point-scoring pose an existential threat to the EU, according to the man tipped to replace Jean-Claude Juncker as president of the European commission. However, Britain’s decision to leave has helped dissuade some political leaders from continuing to attack the bloc, said Jyrki Katainen, a commission vice-president. Katainen suggested Britain’s EU referendum result had shown political leaders how dangerous it was to fuel anti-EU sentiment. “Brexit remedied this a bit,” he said. “Many governments saw that you can all of a sudden find you are in a place you never thought you can be – if you order something you most probably can get it.” The former prime minister of Finland said in an interview with the Guardian that it was now time for EU member states to take ownership of the European project. Constant attacks on Brussels by politicians engaging in party political point scoring could not go on, he said. – The Observer Alexander Downer: Australian border control explained – How the UK should manage immigration post-Brexit Every year the Australian government sets a target for the number of migrants we are going to receive. This year it is just under 200,000. Our overall target is then subdivided into three groups. First, we resettle a fixed number of refugees. Next year we’re resettling around 19,000. All refugees we accept are properly vetted so we can ensure we do not accidentally bring into Australia people who might be of concern to our security agencies or who might have been involved in organised crime. Secondly, we take a quota of people under our family migration scheme. Most are foreign nationals who marry Australians. Thirdly, we take what we call skilled migrants. Our government conducts assessments to determine the skills required to ensure our businesses continue to thrive. We use a points system that takes into account an individual’s age, language, qualifications and experience. The more highly qualified and experienced a person is, the more points they receive. – Australian High Commissioner in London, Alexander Downer, in the Sunday Express Sunday Telegraph: Peers and nationalists must not be allowed to block Brexit Brexit is under attack from several directions. Of course many people do have legitimate concerns about what Brexit means for them and their families. But Theresa May must not let those issues be hijacked by politicians who want either to stop Brexit or use it tear apart what she has called “our precious Union”. Take the House of Lords. Last week they voted for an amendment to the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill to guarantee the rights of EU nationals living in the UK. The spirit of this demand, as we report today, has been picked up by the Commons Brexit committee. On paper it is laudable, but it also a smokescreen. Peers tinkered with a Commons-approved bill that was strictly about triggering Article 50 – and a fair agreement on the status of EU nationals can be thrashed out once that has happened. Meanwhile, the EU has made no guarantees about the status of British citizens, which suggests that it is perfectly happy to use them as pawns. – Sunday Telegraph editorial Phillip Inman: Sorry, Brexit doomsayers, the outlook is good on global growth Anyone who voted to stay in the EU should turn away now. There is disturbing news from far-off continents that could prove upsetting. The news is that Britain’s negotiations to leave the EU will take place against the backdrop of strong global growth. Such is the magnitude of this turnaround from the wobbles of 2015 that it could save the Tory administration from the inevitable cuts or extra borrowing that would follow a stagnating economy. We are not talking about a Trump-inspired dash for growth, although the US president is part of the story. The underpinnings for a year of high employment and solid wage growth across the globe are survey figures showing the largest improvement in worldwide manufacturing business conditions for more than five-and-a-half years. – Phillip Inman in The Observer Andrew MacLeod: Post-Brexit, Britain could become Europe’s trade door to the world – and it’s all down to China Next week Britain will host a Commonwealth Trade meeting in London. This is the time to start resetting the tone of Britain’s engagement with the world, post-Brexit. Pre-Brexit, many businesses from Commonwealth countries used Britain as a front door to Europe. The reasons for this were simple: there is a common language, a common legal system and Britain is inside the trading block. Soon Britain is to leave. What happens next? I did not support Brexit. Indeed I actively campaigned for Remain, however “Brexit means Brexit” and we must make this change work. To make Brexit work, we must now turn our minds to creating opportunities for post-Brexit Britain. Many have said that Britain can now “look outward” again and “re-engage” with the world. While Britain was neither inward-looking nor disengaged from the world, we must focus Britain in a global context, not just a European one. – Andrew MacLeod for The Independent Sunday Telegraph: Time to celebrate – Britain is thriving and its best days lie ahead Something strange has happened to Britain’s liberal establishment. The outcome of last year’s referendum rattled and confused many of its most eminent members. Donald Trump’s victory last November has added to their dismay and many now find it difficult not to despair about their lost consensus. Unfortunately, this is making it hard for parts of the elite to see the good that exists in Britain’s society and economy. All too often, nihilism, defeatism and even bitterness is the new prism through which they see the world. Most mornings last week, those who tuned into the BBC’s Today Programme would have been forgiven for thinking that the UK was on the brink of ruin. – Telegraph editorial Henry Hill: Why May will give battle to Sturgeon… after Brexit Like Gordon Brown in 2007, the First Minister has allowed speculation to reach the point where she lacks an easy escape route – at least, one that isn’t in the gift of her opponents. So unionists must face the possibility that, for all that reason and current polling suggest it’s not in the SNP’s interests to demand another vote, they will so demand one anyway. If this happens, it will probably end up being an extraordinary test for Theresa May, as she’ll also be negotiating Brexit and handling the fallout from this week’s Northern Irish elections, where Arlene Foster and the DUP have engineered a blow to (capital-U) Unionism that Sinn Fein haven’t managed since 1998. – Henry Hill for ConservativeHome Brexit comment in brief How epoch-defining developments in German and French politics will shape Brexit – Iain Martin for Reaction The UK does not have to pay a single Euro to exit the EU – and is making a very generous and friendly Brexit offer to the EU – John Redwood’s Diary Why May must not give up on Single Market membership – Josh Neidus for ConservativeHome The great British divide – David Goodhart for The Sunday Times Brexit news in brief Government accused of ignoring Britons’ rights in Europe after Brexit – The Observer Could Sinn Fein surge spurred by Brexit see Northern Ireland leave the UK? – Sky News And finally… Lib Dem ‘Brexit sleepover’ blocked by Parliament on health and safety grounds A Brexit “sleepover” planned by the Liberal Democrats for peers voting late has been blocked by Parliament on health and safety grounds. The party had ordered 90 camp beds for their Lords with votes on Brexit Bill changes due to go on throughout the night this month. The news made headlines with battles over the legislation to give the Prime Minister the right to start Brexit talks coming to a head. However parliamentary officials have vetoed the plan because it breaks strict fire regulations in the Palace of Westminster. Politicians are not allowed to sleep in their offices because it would be impossible to know how many people were in the building in case of an evacuation. A Lords spokesman said: “Due to fire and safety requirements Members are not permitted to sleep overnight in their offices.” – Sunday Telegraph