Britain is willing to walk away without a deal, Theresa May warns EU leaders in Salzburg… Theresa May warned EU leaders on Wednesday night they must reach agreement on Brexit by November or the UK will walk away without a deal. Addressing the 27 other member states for the first time since her Chequers plan was revealed, the Prime Minister said there would be no delay to the Article 50 process and no second referendum. Speaking in Salzburg, Mrs May insisted that “delaying or extending these negotiations is not an option”, no matter how much leaders disliked her plan. She also told the EU to stop trying to force through an “impossible” solution for Northern Ireland, which would create a border in the Irish Sea. – Telegraph (£) Theresa May warns she is willing to force No Deal Brexit unless EU leaders compromise in next eight weeks – and insists she will not delay leaving or allow a second referendum – Daily Mail …as Donald Tusk says her Chequers plan will need to be ‘reworked’… Theresa May’s Chequers Brexit plan will have to “reworked” in key areas including on future trade relations and on the crucial question of the Irish border, European Council president Donald Tusk has said. But Mr Tusk, speaking ahead of an informal European Council meeting in Salzburg, said Mrs May’s compromise proposals did mark “a positive evolution of the UK’s approach” and showed a willingness to minimise the “negative impacts of Brexit”. He said that Brexit talks were now entering “a decisive phase” and that he wanted to see a deal in the autumn, confirming that he would convene a special summit in mid-November to try to broker an agreement. – FT (£) …and Jean-Claude Juncker says a deal is still ‘far away’… European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said on Wednesday that a Brexit deal with Britain was still “far away”, an EU official said. Juncker had been asked on arrival at a summit in Austria with British Prime Minister Theresa May about how close the sides were to concluding a deal which both say they hope to conclude in the coming two months. Officials on both sides say much of a withdrawal treaty is complete but there remain serious differences over trade terms and the Irish border which European Union officials have said could still lead to the talks breaking down altogether. – Reuters …while Theresa May’s Brexit plan opens a rift among EU leaders European leaders were divided last night before a critical meeting that will determine the future of Theresa May’s Brexit plans. Some EU countries are pressing for the leaders to engage with British proposals, which they see as a “positive” step towards reaching a deal. This group, which is led by the Netherlands and Belgium and backed by Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, is being challenged by the European Commission and the leaders of France and Germany, who are said to be unwilling to make the concessions demanded by the British. EU leaders are due to meet without Mrs May this afternoon to discuss their response to her Chequers proposal. – The Times (£) Chequers plan is ‘dead as a dodo’, says May loyalist who helped get her into Number 10… One of Theresa May’s most loyal allies has said her Chequers plan is “dead as a dodo” as he accused the Prime Minister of trying to “blackmail” her own MPs into supporting it. Former minister Sir Mike Penning, who helped to orchestrate her 2016 leadership campaign, said Mrs May was “deluded” if she thought she could persuade Tory Eurosceptics to vote in favour of any Brexit deal based on Chequers. It came as a secret memo circulated among Tory MPs suggesting backbenchers will force Mrs May from office in April, as soon as Britain has formally left the EU. – Telegraph (£) PM’s key ally Sir Mike Penning brands Chequers plan as ‘dead as a dodo’ – The Sun …while David Davis will today declare the proposal to be ‘devoid of democracy’… David Davis will accuse Theresa May of being “devoid of democracy” in his most blistering attack on her Chequers plan yet. Speaking in Munich, he will say the Prime Minister is a bigger menace to voters than Brussels by trying to railroad her compromise plan through the Cabinet and Commons. Likening her to the worst Eurocrats, he will hit out: “The EU is often correctly described as having a democratic deficit. But Chequers is devoid of democracy altogether.” Mr Davis dramatically walked out of Government in July after Mrs May sprung the soft Brexit plan on Ministers at her country house. He will add that “for me, the Chequers plan was always a non-starter,” and insist he will unveil his own “more ambitious” plans “shortly”. – The Sun …after the former Brexit Secretary predicted that talks will ‘re-set’ by November Former Brexit secretary David Davis said on Wednesday he expected negotiations between the UK and the EU to “re-set” as the deadline for agreeing a deal draws closer, and that there would be “other deals on the table” by November. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Mr Davis said both sides were “afraid of no deal” and would “get to a point where neither side can agree,” at which point there would have to be “some sort of re-set”… He said the EU tended to wait until the “last possible moment” before shifting its negotiating position, and would begin to soften its stance towards the UK in October or November. “It’s always when they’ve taken you to the cliff edge,” he said. “It will be November when it’s decided and I think there will be other deals on the table at that point.” – FT (£) EU to discuss ‘camouflaging’ Irish backstop to win UK approval.. European Union leaders will discuss how to “camouflage’’ its proposal for avoiding a hard border between the U.K. and Ireland after Brexit, to try to give Prime Minister Theresa May cover to compromise over the thorniest issue left in divorce talks with the bloc. The EU’s original proposal angered members of May’s Conservative Party and the Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party she relies on in Parliament. They say it would effectively allow the EU to annex Northern Ireland by keeping the region inside the bloc’s customs union and single market. So the EU is looking at both sections of the Brexit deal to make its so-called backstop plan more palatable, according to EU diplomats. – Bloomberg …as it is claimed May will accept checks between Northern Ireland and Great Britain in a major concession to avoid a no-deal Brexit Theresa May is set to make a major new compromise in Brexit talks in a bid to break the deadlock over the Irish border problem. Under proposals to be brought forward by the UK government, Britain is expected to accept some checks taking place between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.The plans are likely to spark angry reaction from Brexiteers and the DUP, on whom the PM relies for a Commons majority, who have said that they will not accept any checks or different treatment for Northern Ireland. – Independent Theresa May’s Chequers plan could take years to deliver, warns Lords EU Committee Theresa May’s blueprint for Brexit could take years to deliver, peers have warned. The PM’s Chequers plan relies on mechanisms that are complex and untested and will take years to implement, according to the Lords EU Committee. While Mrs May insists it is the only credible plan on the table, the parliamentary committee said there were still “significant questions” which needed to be resolved. In particular it pointed to concerns over the proposal for a “facilitated customs arrangement” (FCA) after Britain leaves the EU which lies at the heart of the plan. “With only six months before the UK’s scheduled exit from the EU, agreement on the principles underpinning any future customs arrangements has become a matter of urgency,” the committee said. – The Mirror Rejection of Theresa May’s Brexit plan could trigger second referendum, admits Treasury minister A Treasury minister has admitted that Theresa May could be forced to bow to mounting pressure for a fresh Brexit referendum if her plan is rejected – with the option to halt EU withdrawal “altogether”. Mel Stride delivered a huge boost to the campaign for a “People’s Vote” when he acknowledged: “There is a danger of that happening if Chequers doesn’t prevail”. The minister also said “we could end up not leaving the EU altogether” – suggesting the ballot paper for any further referendum would have to give voters the option to remain in the EU. – Independent ‘May is too gloomy’ and needs ‘to understand why people are scared of leaving the EU’, says Tory Deputy Chairman James Cleverly Conservative Party Deputy Chairman James Cleverly said the party “fundamentally forgot that people want to vote for something positive” at last year’s election. He added: “They want to be shown what the good life for them personally looks like.” And he urged Mrs May to speak to the whole country rather than just Brexiteers, warning they “have to understand why people are scared” about quitting the EU if they want to win again. He told The Spectator: “We can’t laugh at them and say: you’re snowflake hippie Remainers. We need to understand what they are concerned about.” – The Sun Dominic Raab accuses Labour of taking the UK ‘back to square one’ with plot to delay the Brexit process The Cabinet Minister formally wrote to Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer to demanded Labour “clarify” its position over a second Referendum. He said that a string of remarks from senior figures gave the impression that Labour wanted to suspend negotiations with the EU altogether. It came as it emerged 125 constituency Labour parties (CLPs) – one in five – were backing calls for a so-called People’s Vote. The huge support means a debate on a second Referendum is almost certain to take place at Labour party conference next week. Momentum – the hard-left ‘Corbynista’ campaign group – separately said it would not use its power to block a debate on Brexit from taking place. – The Sun Alastair Campbell says Labour should back a new Brexit referendum to ‘boost electoral standing’… Labour should throw its weight behind a public vote on the final Brexit deal if it wants to boost its electoral standing, Alastair Campbell has said. The former Labour spin doctor called on Jeremy Corbyn to listen to the views of party members, who he claimed were overwhelmingly for a People’s Vote and anti-Brexit. Brexit looks likely to dominate the party’s annual conference in Liverpool next week, as activists have submitted more than 150 motions on Britain’s exit from the European Union – including dozens asking for a general election or a public vote on the final deal. – Independent …as it emerges Momentum won’t block a second Brexit vote debate at Labour conference Momentum has said it will not block a debate on Brexit at the Labour conference, meaning the party could see members back a second referendum on the conference floor. Last year, Momentum steered its delegates to vote on other topics, including housing, the NHS and rail, to swerve a possible vote on single-market membership which could have exposed tensions between the Labour leadership and members. In Liverpool this year, that will not be repeated, Momentum’s national co-ordinator, Laura Parker, said. “Last year, the context was very different. Now, it’s absolutely inevitable there will be a discussion on conference floor, I can’t conceive there won’t be – we’re 200 days away,” she said. “Without a doubt, there has to be a debate.” – Guardian EU airports would be unable to cope with the safety risks of a no-deal Brexit, warns leaked memo European airports have privately warned that a “no-deal” Brexit would cause “major disruption and heightened safety risks”, Sky News has learned. At least six million passengers on UK-originating flights transferring in the continent would have to group through extra security and screening before embarking on their second journey. The claims come in a confidential memo sent by the Airports Council International – the EU airport lobby to Michel Barnier, Brussels’ chief Brexit negotiator. They demand “urgently” that the UK be allowed to stay as part of the “one-stop security” regime, which allows for the current free flow of transferring passengers. – Sky News Car industry warns over no-deal Brexit A “no-deal” Brexit risks harming the automotive industry on both sides of the Channel, car industry chiefs have told EU negotiators. Representatives from the UK automotive sector met with officials in Brussels on Wednesday to warn that failure to secure an agreement risks damaging what they describe as one of the bloc’s “most valuable economic assets”. Britain’s car industry has a turnover of £82bn a year alone, while the wider European car industry is worth about €1.3 trillion (£1.2 trillion) annually, with much of the output exported globally. About 3.4m people are employed in car manufacturing alone. – Telegraph (£) German MEP’s aide caught coming out of No. 10 with Brexit notes on a ‘general election’ and and another ‘public vote He held meetings with the PM ahead of her crunch Salzburg summit later today, where she will make a plea to EU leaders to drop their hardline demands on the Irish border. The notes, which are written in both Spanish and English, set out possible scenarios of what could happen with Brexit. The scribbles note a “general election” and “parliament votes for a public vote”. Mr Weber had meetings with Cabinet officer minister David Lidington and Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab, where our EU exit and Mrs May’s Chequers deal were discussed. The revealed papers also make note to “not knowing the truth” and “delay process”. Key Brexiteer Michael Gove is also mentioned, along with a reference to “bad options or no deal”. – The Sun A second Brexit vote? MEP’s aide snapped outside Downing Street with ‘public vote’ memo – Express Robert Peston: Will EU leaders chuck Chequers in Salzburg or down the line? I see no sign that EU leaders will ever sign up to the PM’s proposed common rule book for goods trade alone, or her two-tier tariff system via her Facilitated Customs Arrangement. So the question for them is one of presentation rather than substance: do they decide to kibosh Chequers now or in six months, to spare the PM’s blushes and because they think the House of Commons is more likely to vote for a “blind” or “jamboree bag” Brexit than a Chequers Brexit? My guess is they will conclude that ripping the heart out of the PM’s Chequers plan is simply too bad manners at this juncture – since they’ll fear the PM would never survive. – Robert Peston for The Spectator’s Coffee House blog Steve Baker: How can the EU negotiate when our own ministers are suggesting we might chuck Chequers later? I’m appalled by the Government’s latest Chequers blunder. Ministers Michael Gove and Kit Malthouse have suggested a Chequers-based deal could be changed later. What signal does that send? Ministers are now telling EU negotiators that they don’t expect a Chequers-based muddle to last. It isn’t the permanent deal they want. A PM might change it. It’s only the Government’s approach “for now”. That is ridiculous. – Steve Baker MP for The Sun Ignore Michael Gove: there’ll be no chance to edit Chequers once the ink is dry – Brian Monteith for City A.M. Stewart Jackson: Refusing preferential access for EU citizens will not survive contact with the enemy in Brussels Whilst the government will explicitly say free movement has ended once we leave the EU, it’s pretty clear that further concessions will be demanded by the Commission in this area, not least because of the near-theological belief in the sanctity of the four freedoms including free movement, by the Germans and French in particular. Mrs May will find further capitulation almost impossible politically. A wise leader would surely mesh the MAC’s sensible recommendations with a new free trade agreement like Canada Plus even if that meant giving skilled EU workers with work offers some credits and a degree of preference. It would also complement the UK’s generous offer on citizens’ rights in the Withdrawal Agreement. – Stewart Jackson for The Times (£) Nick Timothy: We must stop trying to ‘manage’ immigration and simply cut it Before the Brexit referendum, two pro-immigration campaigners used Twitter to discuss free movement. “Whatever the outcome, it will be absurd to claim that people never get to have their say about immigration,” said one. The second declared: “Remain is a vote … for free movement. Leave for significant change. Clear choice and mandate.” – Nick Timothy for the Telegraph (£) Naomi Firsht: Young anti‑Brexit campaigners are wrong to think they matter more A new poll from YouGov has revealed that 18 to 20-year-olds, who were not old enough to vote during the 2016 referendum, would overwhelmingly back Remain. This has once again got Remainers gleefully tallying up how many Brexit voters will die each year… There is a nasty streak of ageism running through all of these youth-led campaign groups and their supporters. They have set up Brexit as a battle between young and old, and their message is that the young matter more. The sense of entitlement is breathtaking. Since the referendum, no episode of Question Time has been complete without a fresh-faced audience member telling us all how young they are and why that means they should decide everyone’s future for them. – Naomi Firsht for The Times (£) Edward Fennell: No-deal Brexit advice ‘useless’ It looks as if Theresa May has adopted the “just in time” approach to political crisis management over Brexit. The timing, for example, of last week’s technical advice by the government to business about the implications of a no-deal Brexit chimed perfectly with this week’s EU summit in Salzburg. Was it a wake-up call to business leaders, or a signal that Mrs May regards no deal as a serious possibility? – Edward Fennell for The Times (£) Leo McKinstry: We have already had the people’s vote – in 2016 During her wide-ranging interview with the Daily Express this week, the Prime Minister was scathingly dismissive about the campaign for another vote on Brexit. The referendum in 2016, she said, was “probably the biggest exercise in democracy in our country’s history. If we were to go back on that vote, it would destroy trust in politicians”. She is absolutely right. Contrary to the orchestrated wailing from the Remoaners, the referendum was the embodiment of popular democracy. The debate was intense, the turnout a record, the outcome decisive. Nor is there any real evidence that the public mood has changed since then, despite all the wishful thinking from the Brussels worshippers. – Express Brexit in Brief May’s ‘do what I say’ tactics on Brexit are undemocratic – Justine Greening MP for The Times (£) Parliament has a ‘golden moment’ to halt Brexit before it’s too late – Lord Adonis for The Guardian If Labour is serious about power it must back a people’s vote on Brexit – Polly Toynbee for The Guardian The British Left has always had a strange love affair with Right-wing austerity Europe – Ambrose Evans-Pritchard for the Telegraph (£) Could Article 50 be extended to allow for a second Brexit referendum? – Jess Sargeant, Alan Renwick and Meg Russell for Constitution Unit Theresa May singles out Sadiq Khan in brutal second referendum tirade – Express Theresa May urges EU crackdown on ‘travel agents’ for migrants – Guardian “People’s Vote” campaign claim there are ‘multiple opportunities’ for another Brexit referendum – BBC News Britain can still cancel Brexit declares peer who wrote Article 50 – Mirror