Sign up here to receive the daily news briefing in your inbox every morning with exclusive insight from the BrexitCentral team Boris Johnson calls on the country to unite around an outward-looking Brexit vision… Boris Johnson has told his fellow Brexiteers they should not “gloat” about the UK’s departure from the EU, which he said was a cause for “hope not fear”. The foreign secretary urged people to “unite about what we all believe in”, an “outward-looking, confident” UK. Leaving the EU was not a “great V-sign from the cliffs of Dover”, he said. Mr Johnson also said the result cannot be reversed and that Britain should not be bound by EU rules after Brexit. And he questioned the economic benefits of being in the EU single market and customs union, which the government plans to leave. – BBC News …as he says that reversing the referendum result would be a ‘betrayal’ and a ‘disastrous mistake’ Reversing Brexit would be a “disastrous mistake” that would lead to “permanent and ineradicable feelings of betrayal,” Boris Johnson will warn in the first of a series of major speeches from U.K. government ministers on the country’s post-EU future. Amid renewed calls for the U.K. to rethink its exit from the EU, the foreign secretary, who was the most prominent figure in the campaign to leave, is expected on Wednesday to outline his fear that “some people are becoming ever more determined to stop Brexit.” – Politico Boris Johnson’s Brexit speech backed by City chiefs as sector renews calls for financial services deal – City A.M. Boris Johnson refuses to rule out resigning from Cabinet over Brexit – Sky News Boris Johnson: ‘Intolerable’ for UK not to take back lawmaking – Politico Guy Verhofstadt lashes out at Boris Johnson’s Brexit vision – PoliticsHome It needed saying because Leavers should not just sit back on the referendum victory – Quentin Letts for the Daily Mail Ultra-remainer hatred of Boris is bordering on the deranged – Iain Martin for Reaction Boris Johnson is a welcome, upbeat ambassador for Brexit – Telegraph editorial It’s about time the rest of the Cabinet were as keen as Boris Johnson in shedding us of EU shackles – The Sun editorial > On BrexitCentral: Full text and video of Boris Johnson’s Brexit speech > On BrexitCentral’s YouTube: Hugh Bennett discusses Boris Johnson’s Brexit speech and the Irish border > On BrexitCentral’s YouTube: Jacob Rees-Mogg on Boris’s speech and the transition period Jean-Claude Juncker denies claims that he wants an EU superstate The president of the European Commission has said claims he wants to create a European “superstate” are “total nonsense”. Jean-Claude Juncker said some Britons wrongly saw him as a “stupid, stubborn federalist”. He was responding to a speech about Brexit by UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. Mr Johnson said the EU wanted to create an “overarching European state” and that integration was deepening. – BBC News > On BrexitCentral’s YouTube: Hugh Bennett: People see the fundamental democratic deficit in the EU EU removes ‘punishment clause’ in draft Brexit transition agreement EU diplomats have removed a so-called “punishment clause” from a draft text of the arrangement for the Brexit transition period, the BBC understands. A footnote published by the European Commission last week suggested that the UK would lose access to elements of the European single market if it broke EU rules during the transition period. But officials have now promised new wording that makes reference to the EU’s standard infringement procedures. Brexit is scheduled for 29 March 2019. The two sides are set to begin negotiations next month on the terms of transition period after the UK’s departure, which the EU has said should last until 31 December 2020. – BBC News > On BrexitCentral: John Redwood MP: Do we really need a Transition period? EU reportedly wants power to raid financial firms in Britain after Brexit The European Union will demand the right to raid financial services firms in Britain after Brexit and hand its regulators sweeping new powers, as Brussels moves to shackle the City of London with red tape after the UK leaves the bloc. The three regulators, the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs), will be given extra resources, levied in large part from British-headquartered firms, under the plans to closely police enforcement and regulation of the City. – Telegraph (£) British sources deny claim that Theresa May and Michel Barnier fooled Brits to hide ‘real’ £90 billion Brexit bill Theresa May and Michel Barnier hoodwinked Britain with financial “acrobatics” to mask a true Brexit bill of £90 billion, smug EU chiefs boasted yesterday. Brexit negotiators allegedly performed “math acrobatics” to keep the public figure as low as possible to help Theresa May stave off a rebellion back home. UK negotiators were stunned after eurocrats briefed German media that the tab will actually reach £90 billion. Senior EU officials boasted that they managed to pull the wool over British taxpayers’ eyes with “mathematical acrobatics”. But British sources told The Sun that the figure of £35 billion to £40 billion agreed between the two sides before Christmas still stands. – The Sun Labour will not be drawn into what they want from the EU post-Brexit Labour’s Yvette Cooper wouldn’t be drawn this morning on the Today programme on her party’s precise plans for Brexit. When pressed that the party didn’t know what they wanted, Cooper, who is also the chair of the home affairs committee, referred to what the committee was doing instead. She did add that the Labour party wanted the transition period to carry on as it was at the moment. – BBC News Clean Brexit could cost Ireland €5.5 billion over 2 years A hard Brexit could cost the Irish economy more €5.5 billion over the next two years, a government-commissioned report has said. A “soft” Brexit including a transition arrangement would cost less than €1.5 billion over the period, highlighting the importance to Ireland of the UK’s withdrawal talks with the EU. The study by Copenhagen Economics, which examined four possible scenarios, also warns that the UK will probably take at least five years to implement new trade agreements, complicating Irish efforts at contingency planning. Leo Varadkar said last night that a comprehensive free-trade deal with the UK would be the best way to avoid a hard border. – Times (£) David Cameron ‘apologised to EU chief Jean-Claude Juncker’ for trying to block him from top job David Cameron secretly apologised to Jean-Claude Juncker for trying to block him from becoming EU President, the Eurocrat said on Wednesday. Britain tried to block the famously thirsty ex-PM of Luxembourg from getting Brussels top job in 2014 – leaving bad blood on both sides. But last night Mr Juncker revealed how the former PM said sorry to him “many times” following his appointment in November 2014. His remarks, made at a press conference in Brussels, will prove a huge embarrassment for the ex Tory leader, who headed up the Remain camp. – The Sun EU Erasmus student scheme ‘inflexible’, says Cardiff University Vice Chancellor The UK should “consider seriously” setting up its own international student exchange programme to replace the EU’s scheme after Brexit, Cardiff University’s vice-chancellor has said. Prof Colin Riordan said he was “absolutely in favour” of students studying abroad. But he said the EU’s Erasmus+ programme was “relatively inflexible”. The UK government said access to future programmes would remain a matter for negotiations. The head of Cardiff University does not believe the UK should definitely leave Erasmus+ but said it would be “worthwhile” looking at other options. It was announced in December by the prime minister that the UK would continue to take part in the current scheme until it ends in 2020. – BBC News European Commission ponders budget options to make up for the loss of Britain’s billions The European Commission proposed on Wednesday a larger EU budget for 2021-2027, with new sources of revenue and cuts in cohesion spending to cover a hole left by Britain’s departure from the bloc, and said money should be linked to governments respecting the rule of law. The Commission presented several options that European Union leaders are to discuss on Feb. 23, before the EU executive presents a final proposal on May 2. The Commission wants an agreement from EU governments on the budget by May 2019. – Reuters Nick Timothy: A key Brexit opportunity is now in danger Chlorinated chicken, toxic toys and rapacious insurers extracting profits from the NHS. According to some, when Britain leaves the EU’s customs union, the dangers will be severe. This is, of course, ridiculous. With an independent trade policy, we will be free to reject any trade proposals we dislike, and able to strike deals that suit the specific needs of our economy. While Britain is the world’s second-largest services exporter, for example, services have never been important for EU trade negotiators. We will soon be able to prioritise services as well as goods in deals with the world’s fastest-growing economies: 90 per cent of future economic growth is forecast to come from outside Europe, with one third coming from China alone. Yet the EU has no trade agreement with China, nor with the United States. – Nick Timothy for the Telegraph James Forsyth: There can be no Brexit deal without Tory unity In a hung parliament, recess takes on a particular importance for the government. It is a chance for ministers to travel, free from the fear that they might be called back for a crunch vote at any moment. Explaining to your European hosts, for instance, that you have to cancel all meetings with them and go home now, or else the government might fall, doesn’t send quite the right message. Helpful though it is, recess will get ministers only so far. Those doing the rounds of European capitals this week still don’t have a detailed Brexit position to sell to their counterparts. This is a problem. Next month’s European Council meeting is expected to set out the Commission’s mandate for the next stage of the negotiations, which will cover any UK-EU trade deal. Once these guidelines have been agreed, getting them changed will be nigh-on impossible. – James Forsyth for the Spectator Martyn Rady: The Prime Minister should replace the negotiating team and follow Barnier’s tough-talking example As the Irishman said, ‘I wouldn’t be starting from here.’ Instead of deciding at the outset what Britain’s future relationship to the EU would be, other than the empty ‘Brexit is Brexit’, the UK has negotiated Micawber-style. It has ‘waited for something to turn up’ while piling on debts to Brussels—£40 billion at the last count plus a good deal more should the UK decide to pay for ‘market access’. The Government could have said in June 2016 that it wanted to remain in the European Economic Area or join EFTA, and used the narrow vote for Leave as justification for a half-way house. But that would have split the Conservatives and not answered calls for a halt to immigration, so it was deemed a political non-starter. – Martyn Rady for ConservativeHome Rod Liddle: Brexit isn’t about limping towards the exit – it’s about marching through the door to freedom Sometimes, watching our Government in action, I have doubts we will ever be free of the European Union. It’s like watching a troupe of dwarves wading neck-deep through treacle. The negotiations come and go, the embittered Remainers over here shriek with anger and the EU bureaucrats dribble out spite to the press. They say our Prime Minister is useless and David Davis is useless and nobody knows what’s going on. And our Prime Minister — who wanted to stay in the EU, remember — is always on the back foot, her party divided. We run the risk, then, of losing the argument. But at last there’s a reason to be cheerful. Our Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, has just made the best speech of his political career. – Rod Liddle for The Sun Daniel Hannan: Johnson – a Tigger among Eeyores – is right to restate the positive, uplifting vision of Brexit Boris has a vast personality and a fine way with words. A Tigger among Eeyores, he approaches Brexit in a spirit of boldness rather than of clingy timidity. There are opportunities to be grasped, but only once we stop trying to salvage every bit of the existing deal. You know what really is introverted and backward-looking? The dreich prospect of yet another referendum campaign. Let’s raise our eyes. There’s a whole world out there. – Daniel Hannan MEP for ConservativeHome Lee Rotheram: Whitehall needs a Brexit mission statement Delaying the triggering of Article 50 was meant to buy the government time. It would give Theresa May and her colleagues the chance to have a good look at the range of options that their European counterparts, including those occupying the increasingly hubristic top shelves of the Commission, were prepared to countenance. And so, it seemed fair to assume that the UK negotiators would enter into the talks with a clearly defined objective. But, thanks in part to a number of rather leaky government departments, it would seem that even now there is still no consensus across parts of Whitehall when it comes to what they are supposed to be delivering. Nevertheless, in two important speeches — at Lancaster House and in Florence — the Prime Minister did set out what is to be understood by “Brexit means Brexit”. Senior Cabinet figures are now going to make a series of key speeches developing this. This is not before time. – CapX Janet Daley: Detail be damned. Boris articulated a coherent vision for Brexit with real conviction For weeks – no, months – we in the commentariat have been demanding that somebody in the government outline a “vision” for the post-Brexit future. We understood (most of us did anyway) that the concrete details of the proposals could not be aired publicly while negotiations were underway. But we wanted some idea of the philosophical foundations, the moral justification and the economic logic on which this process was based. What was it all about on a larger historic scale? That was what Boris Johnson offered. Then the media piled in on him for not giving any concrete details. As one of those commentators who have been pestering for a “vision”, I am quite prepared to accept this speech on its own terms. And on those terms, it was excellent. There seemed to be real coherence and conviction and – always a Boris strong point – sound historical evidence for his case. – Janet Daley for the Telegraph (£) Brexit in brief Article 50 and the Athenians – Peter Jones for the Spectator Our leaders must show strength in the face of the EU’s belligerence – Telegraph (£) How fintech and e-commerce can profit from Brexit – Minute Hack The cult of youth undermines democracy – Brendan O’Neill for the Spectator We remain European despite the debate – Alastair Campbell for the Times (£) Time has run out for May’s Brexit immigration plan – Yvette Cooper MP for the Times (£) Voters oppose plans to put more peers in the House of Lords for key Brexit legislation – PoliticsHome Public unclear on Government’s plans for Brexit – BMG UK’s global reputation at stake if it breaks Brexit promises – Belfast Telegraph Dover could suffer ’20-mile permanent traffic jam’ after Brexit – Guardian Theresa May faces political crisis in Northern Ireland as DUP says there is ‘no prospect’ of power sharing deal and suggests return to direct rule – Telegraph (£)