Sign up here to receive the daily news briefing in your inbox every morning with exclusive insight from the BrexitCentral team Jean-Claude Juncker unveils vision for EU Army and warns Britain will ‘regret’ Brexit… Jean-Claude Juncker today called for an ever-more powerful European Union and warned that Britain would “regret Brexit”, in a defiant speech that was branded a blueprint for a United States of Europe. The plans push for “ever-closer union” on defence, asylum and foreign policy in a bigger, more powerful bloc under a new, directly elected EU president. A eurozone finance minister would be appointed, with every country to adopt the euro. Mr Juncker called for a special summit of the 27 remaining member states the day after Brexit in March 2019, in the Romanian city of Sibiu, to map out the future of the EU.- Telegraph (£) Jean-Claude Juncker has been accused of proposing “the blueprint for a United States of Europe” with vast centralised powers to be agreed at a special summit the day after Brexit. The European Commission president insisted that Britain would be quick to regret its decision to leave as he used his annual “state of the union” address to urge the EU to move on. Leaders of the Netherlands and Denmark warned that Mr Juncker was overreaching in response to Brexit with plans for a single and more powerful EU president and for Bulgaria and Romania to join the barrier-free Schengen travel zone.- The Times (£) …as he seeks to widen the Schengen zone… Leaders of the Netherlands and Denmark warned that Mr Juncker was overreaching in response to Brexit with plans for a single and more powerful EU president and for Bulgaria and Romania to join the barrier-free Schengen travel zone. The leader of the Conservatives in the European parliament accused the Luxembourger, 62, who will step down in 2019, of making a power grab. – The Times (£) …but Dutch PM says Juncker needs an optician over ‘one-president’ proposal The EU is known for creating presidencies, not eliminating them. But if European leaders saw any laudable efficiency in Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker’s proposal to combine his own job with that of Council President Donald Tusk, they didn’t exactly jump up cheering. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, responding generally to Juncker’s State of the European Union speech on Wednesday, called him “romantic” but lacking in pragmatism. “I am more someone who says: vision? Just go see an eye doctor,” Rutte told Dutch media. – Politico Boozy EU boss spells out eye-popping power grabs to ‘unite’ post-Brexit Europe – The Sun All-powerful president, EU-wide Euro, EU army – all without vote – Express UK will ‘soon regret’ leaving EU argues Juncker – BBC Juncker reveals plans for EU foreign takeovers – City A.M. Britain is better off out of Jean-Claude Juncker’s ‘EU superstate’ – Ross Clark for The Spectator Juncker’s speech revives Delors’ dream – David Charter for The Times (£) Jean-Claude Juncker fails to recognise that the EU is part of the problem, not the solution – economist Julian Jessop for the Telegraph (£) Jean-Claude Juncker’s plans are all the proof needed that Britain could never remain in the EU – Telegraph editorial (£) Juncker’s jaw-dropping plans prove Britain has made the right choice to quit the EU – The Sun Editorial Grandstanding Juncker – The Times editorial (£) State of the EU address is a propaganda-filled sham – Express editorial The state of the European Union – John Redwood’s Diary Jean-Claude Juncker shows why Britain is right to Brexit – Gerald Warner for Reaction Thank goodness we’re leaving – Nigel Farage for the Telegraph (£) > Hugh Bennett on BrexitCentral: Britain’s one Brexit regret should be that it won’t be there to stop Juncker’s mad integrationist plans >Watch on BrexitCentral’s Youtube: Juncker wants EU Army, merge EU presidents and make the planet great again Theresa May to make landmark Brexit speech in Florence on September 22 Theresa May will fly to Florence next week to set out her vision of post-Brexit Britain in her most important speech about the EU since January. Downing Street announced that the Prime Minister would speak in Italy on Friday, September 22 and had chosen the venue to show that Britain was “leaving the EU but not leaving Europe”. Mrs May is expected to give fresh details about the future relationship she wants with the EU, but will not talk about how much money the UK is prepared to pay for the so-called “divorce bill”. – Telegraph (£) Britain races towards top after record job numbers revealed Britain is on course to have the highest employment rate in the western world after a hiring spree that defied warnings of a Brexit slowdown. Employment surged to a record of 75.3 per cent of the working-age population as 379,000 more jobs were created in the year to July, the Office for National Statistics said. Among the advanced economies only Japan experienced faster improvement over the past 12 months. Mining, utility companies, the IT and communications sector and the hotel and restaurant trade reported the biggest increases in employment. Nearly 70 per cent of the new jobs went to women, and only 8 per cent were part-time.- The Times (£) UK targets ‘bespoke’ deal with EU to protect City The UK government will aim for a “bespoke” deal with the EU to protect the City of London after Brexit, Chancellor Philip Hammond has said. Financial services are the UK’s most important export to the EU, he said. Mr Hammond warned Brussels would not be allowed to use Brexit to introduce “protectionist” measures designed to target the City. And he said a transitional period after the UK leaves would be “integral” to making a smooth Brexit…Mr Hammond sought to reassure the sector in a speech at the UK Finance annual dinner in the City of London, saying the UK would seek a “new paradigm” for trade in financial services with the EU. – BBC PM ex-inner circle adviser: City a “high priority” in Tory Brexit strategy – City A.M. Hammond gives first glimpse of govt’s Brexit position on City – City A.M. Concerns over chlorine-washed chicken could delay US trade deal, says Michael Gove Concern over chlorine-washed chicken could hold-up a post-Brexit UK-US trade deal, Environment Secretary Michael Gove has said. Giving evidence to the Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, Mr Gove said the Cabinet had agreed Britain would not relax its food or animal welfare standards in order to secure trade agreements after EU withdrawal. Environmental concern about a possible American trade deal has highlighted the widespread US process of washing chicken carcasses in chlorinated water, something the EU banned in 1997. – Telegraph (£) Brexit ministers are ‘brothers from another mother’, Michael Gove insists – The Sun Ringo Starr backs Brexit saying it’s a ‘great move’ Ringo Starr says Britain should get on with Brexit – because it’s a “great move”. The legendary Beatles drummer said it was crazy that people were suddenly questioning what should happen. And he told the BBC, Brexit was the right decision as it meant being “in control of your own country”. He said: “The people voted and they have to get on with it.“Suddenly, it’s like ‘Oh well, we don’t like that vote’. “But what do you mean you don’t like that vote, you had the vote, this is what won, let’s get on with it.” He added “I think it’s great move” before joking: “But don’t tell Bob Geldof!” The legendary Beatle revealed he voted Brexit last year – because the European Union was a “shambles”. – The Sun Brussels launches new assault on tech company profits A new tax for internet companies such as Facebook and Google is to be drawn up in Brussels amid frustration that tech companies can too easily shield profits from national governments. European countries would remain in charge of collecting a tax on online revenues but they would be backed by the threat of continent-wide sanctions. The plan was hatched by France and backed by Germany, Italy and Spain before being picked up by the European Commission for the whole of the EU. “Profits will be taxed where they were made,” said Jean-Claude Juncker, the commission president, in his annual address yesterday. The commission draws up EU laws. – The Times (£) Lords urge Government to contribute to EU budget to help rebuild after Irma The Lords EU Committee is urging the government to consider contributing to the EU budget to help British overseas territories rebuild after Hurricane Irma. The committee has warned that many of the UK’s overseas territories such as Aguilla and the British Virgin Islands are now in need of funds due to the destruction caused by storm. Hurricanes help boost Ashtead as equipment group reports profit growth Many of these territories do not receive overseas aid from the UK, the Lords committee said, but instead access the European Development Fund (EDF). – City A.M. Government should keep paying into EU budget to ‘clear negative atmosphere’ says pro-Brexit Tory MP A senior Brexit-supporting Conservative MP has urged the Government to keep paying into the EU budget after Britain leaves the union to “clear the negative atmosphere” between the two sides. Writing in The Telegraph Sir Edward Leigh, one of the party’s most respected backbenchers, says an additional two years of payments would help build goodwill and “alleviate the stressful tone” of the talks so far.. – Telegraph (£) The UK’s asset management industry has seen a boom since Brexit Total assets under management in the UK rocketed by 20 per cent last year to a record £6.9 trillion, according to the Investment Association (IA)’s first annual Asset Management Survey since the EU referendum took place. This compares to an average rise of eight per cent per year over the last 10 years, and means the UK remains the world’s second biggest asset management centre after the US. – City A.M. EU aims to begin trade talks with Australia as Britain remains in Customs Union The European Union moves to open formal talks with English-speaking members of the Commonwealth. European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker announced in Strasbourg on Wednesday that he was launching negotiations with Australia and New Zealand on a deal with the EU – giving the 27-nation bloc at least a year’s head start on UK negotiators. Mr Juncker said countries from around the world were “lining up at our door” to do trade deals with the EU and that other accords such as those with Mexico and parts of South America were also on the table. – Independent Tom Harris: If Theresa May hopes to upstage Jeremy Corbyn by talking about Brexit, her plan will backfire It can be argued that the point at which Gordon Brown transformed himself from political titan to inevitable loser was during the Conservative Party conference in October 2007. Consumed by hubris as a consequence of pretty uniform media praise of his premiership over the previous three months, the prime minister had let it be known that he was considering holding an early general election in order to validate the succession from Tony Blair. But his first of many missteps took place that week. – Tom Harris for the Telegraph (£) Asa Bennett: Jean-Claude Juncker can’t seriously regret Brexit – it has freed the EU to pursue its true agenda Jean-Claude Juncker addressed Britain’s departure in the same manner he might talk about a lover who had just left him: he expressed “regret” that they were leaving, but wanted them to know that he would thrive, rather than mope, in their absence.“We will always regret this,” the European Commission president emoted during his State of the Union address. It didn’t take much for his tone to turn sour while he addressed MEPs – some joshing from Ukippers in the audience prompted him to add: “I think you will regret it as well.”Break-ups rarely happen without peevish outbursts, and Mr Juncker clearly feels Britain’s one with the EU personally. – Asa Bennett for the Telegraph (£) Iain Martin: Barnier’s ambition will be useful to Britain A strange but positive side-effect of Brexit is that it is encouraging the British to take more of an interest, not less, in what is going on in Brussels. I am not suggesting that the machinations of the European Commission have replaced the weather or footballers’ pay as the number one topic of conversation in the nation’s pubs, but the outcome of the negotiations is of vital national importance. As those talks are being shaped by individuals such as Michel Barnier, the pivotal chief EU negotiator, it is in our interests to understand what he and those around him want out of the next few years. – Iain Martin for The Times (£) Brian Monteith: Corbyn’s cunning EU plan has ended in abject failure It was meant to be a cunning plan, but just like Baldrick, Jeremy Corbyn’s cunning plan was too clever by half. And he has now fallen flat on his face. A year ago, Labour was on the wrong side of history. Having campaigned to remain in the EU, Corbyn had seen the majority of Labour constituencies vote to leave. Labour had to adjust – and adjust quickly. First, Labour voted in favour of invoking Article 50, which began the formal Brexit process. It then went into the General Election with a commitment that aped the Conservatives’ Brexit plan to withdraw from the EU Single Market and Customs Union. – Brian Monteith for City A.M. Alexander Downer: Brexit could be a huge setback for the EU Losing the UK has the potential to be a huge setback for the EU. Britain is not only the bloc’s second-largest economy and net budgetary contributor, it has great global reach and influence. Without Britain, there is a risk that the EU becomes introverted, less global and less transatlantic in outlook. If that happens, then the west as a whole will be weakened — even if Britain becomes more “global” than it already is. This is not a prediction. It is a risk. And it is one that the EU and the UK must work to avoid. That is why countries outside Europe believe that the UK and the EU share equal responsibility for concluding a successful Brexit negotiation over the next 19 months. This is not just an economic question. The unity of the western world is at stake. – Australian High Commissioner to the UK, Alexander Downer, for the FT (£) Colonel Richard Kemp: Britain should be taking back control of its defence, not surrendering it to Brussels Nelson will be spinning on his column. Under plans the government has been working on for months, if we want to build another naval warship in the future we will have to go cap in hand to Brussels.When it comes to defence, it is becoming clear that Brexit does not mean Brexit. Judging by a paper released yesterday by the Department for Exiting the EU, which calls for a defence relationship with Brussels “closer than any third country”, the Government intends to surrender control of UK defence to the EU. – Colonel Richard Kemp for the Telegraph (£) Graeme Leach: Why is the UK is still bending over backwards to please Brussels? There is so much going on around Brexit, it is easy to lose track of important developments. One recent development in particular has received way too little attention. At the end of August, the government released its thoughts on a future customs model that purported to achieve the Holy Grail of Brexit, namely free and frictionless trade. The EU always reaches for more Europe First, UK exports to the EU would be tariff free. – Graeme Leach for City A.M. Brexit comment in brief Sell Democracy to the EU? No deal – Mick Hume for Spiked Why we must stand fast against a soft Brexit – George Maggs for ConservativeWoman The EU is pitching Ireland into battle against Brexit – Pauline Hadaway for Spiked Clarifying the position of EU nationals is now a matter of urgency – Ben Kelly for Reaction A short reply to Lord Bridges – John Redwood’s Diary Farewell to Edward du Cann, the courtly Eurosceptic who helped propel Thatcher to power – Daniel Hannan MEP for ConservativeHome Brexit news in brief Andy Burnham: Labour ignores Northern Brexit voters at its peril – Huffington Post Bank of England ‘will take action’ if banks’ Brexit moves pose risks – City A.M. CBI warns of cliff edge for £240bn data economy – City A.M. Norway solution ‘would put UK in single market but not under ECJ’ – Guardian Lords told EU Withdrawal Bill raises “major issues” for financial services – City A.M. Businesses are in a race against the clock to get ready for GDPR – City A.M.