Theresa May pledges to set out Brexit plan in White Paper – but won’t say when At Prime Minister’s Questions, Mrs May said: “I recognise that there is an appetite in this House to see that plan set out in a White paper. I can confirm to the House that our plan will be set out in a White Paper published in this House.”…However, she refused to be drawn on whether it would be put to Parliament ahead of the vote over the triggering of Article 50, only saying it would happen “in due course”. A spokesperson for Jeremy Corbyn said Labour would not frustrate the process and the party leader would ask MP’s to “ensure the triggering of Article 50 takes place”. However, Mr Corbyn’s team also said the White Paper should be brought to Parliament as part of the triggering process, within the March deadline set by the Government. – Sky News > WATCH via BrexitCentral’s YouTube channel: May confirms Government will publish Brexit White Paper Remain-supporting Tory MPs demand immediate publication of EU withdrawal plans following Theresa May U-turn – The Independent Jacob Rees-Mogg backs PM over Brexit criticism – Daily Express Government will publish Article 50 Bill today The announcement comes just over 24 hours after the Supreme Court ruled that Prime Minister Theresa May would need the approval of parliament to begin negotiations with the EU. Brexit secretary David Davis had yesterday hinted that legislation could be brought before parliament, “within days”, and now Downing Street has confirmed it put forward a Bill for a first reading [today]. – City AM It’s time for Remainers to accept it doesn’t matter who tries to block Brexit next… they’ll never win – Rod Liddle for The Sun Pro-Remain MPs will table dozens of amendments that some fear may sabotage Brexit – Sky News Jeremy Corbyn considers giving MPs freedom to vote against Brexit bill after front-bench rebellion – Daily Telegraph Brexit makes Parliament matter again. Is it ready? – James Forsyth for The Spectator AMs to give Article 50 view in Senedd vote – BBC May will vow to renew special relationship ahead of Trump meeting On Friday, Mrs May will be the first world leader to hold face-to-face talks with Mr Trump in the White House. Post-Brexit trade opportunities, security and intelligence co-operation and the future of Nato are likely to feature significantly in the talks. Mrs May has said her goal is to build on the historic relationship between the two nations, underpinned by their shared values and common interests. – BBC Theresa May pledges to put UK interests ‘first’ – The Herald The prime minister’s visit to Washington will be a chance to strengthen the most important transatlantic alliance – The Times editorial (£) Europe looms large over Trump-May talks – FT (£) Jeremy Corbyn has found a vulnerable spot on Theresa May and trade – Stephen Bush for the New Statesman’s Staggers blog EU can’t stop May from starting trade talks with Trump says Michel Barnier – Politico Theresa May and Donald Trump can make the world safer again – Nile Gardiner for the Daily Telegraph (£) Boomtime for steel and cars as Britain motors ahead of the G7 to become the fastest growing major economy in the developed world last year Britain was the fastest growing major economy in the developed world last year, official figures are likely to show today. Analysts believe the Office for National Statistics will reveal that the UK economy grew by around 2 per cent in 2016 – faster than G7 rivals the United States, Canada, Japan, Germany, France and Italy. Economists believe gross domestic product (GDP) data for October to December will show a resilient performance from the UK economy… Meanwhile, new figures yesterday showed that car production at a 17-year high and one of Britain’s leading steel makers back in profit. – Daily Mail Optimism at two-year high ahead of Brexit for UK manufacturers as domestic demand drives morale up A boom in domestic demand has boosted optimism among British manufacturers to increase at its fastest pace for two years ahead of Brexit, according to a survey of UK businesses. More than a quarter of manufacturing firms are optimistic for prospects for the year ahead, according to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), outweighing negative perceptions by the most since January 2015. In the third quarter of 2016 businesses had been heavily pessimistic about prospects, but strong demand and a devalued pound have boosted manufacturers in particular. – City AM Santander boss Ana Botin says London to remain Europe’s financial hub – Daily Telegraph British insurers ‘will be more competitive after Brexit’ – Daily Telegraph Investment in UK life sciences set to rise in 2017 despite Brexit Early stage investment into the UK’s most promising life sciences companies more than tripled last year, as the sector continued to grow and attract investors. And 2017 is shaping up to be another strong year, despite uncertainty in global financial markets and political changes. That’s according to speakers at this year’s Future of Healthcare Investor Forum, hosted by the London Stock Exchange (LSE). – Daily Telegraph Britain must stay open to scientists – Jeremy Farrar and Harpal Kumar for The Times Thunderer (£) Scots exports to UK massively greater than EU trade The value of being part of the UK single market is four times as lucrative to Scotland as being in the EU, official figures today show. And the increase in the exports to the rest of the UK has also been significantly higher in the past year….Today’s figures show that, in 2015, Scotland’s trade with England, Wales and Northern Ireland amounted to £49.8 billion. This compared to £12.3 billion for the EU internal market. – The Scotsman How a nod from Germany could trigger a second Scottish independence referendum – Julia Rampen for the New Statesman’s Staggers blog It’s thanks to you! Study of 26m tweets reveal key impact of ‘positive’ Brexit campaigners The optimistic nature of Twitter users backing Leave clashed jarringly with Remainer accounts, who focused more on what could go wrong when Britain leaves the European Union….A team headed by London School of Economics (LSE) professor Kenneth Benoit analysed 26m tweets sent by 3.6m users in the six months or so leading up to last June’s in-out vote….The professor said: “Sad language… was used by the Remain side: the dire and negative consequences of not advocating their side. Leave was looking, relatively speaking, to the future. Leave was much less tentative than Remain. The language of the Leave side was more about the future, about reward, less uncertain.” – Daily Express Gavin Haynes: Why giving Parliament the vote on Brexit kills a second referendum Parliament can, from time to time, throw one back to The People, treating them as a bit of a sounding board. Which is why the June 23rd vote was technically “advisory” rather than “binding”, which explains why Parliament needed to get involved the other side of it. If Parliament hadn’t been given a say, the stage would be ripe for the Lib Dems and maybe Labour to argue for chucking the question back to The People once any deal was done. But no longer. It’s up to them now. And the logic of that scenario still favours the same ol’ Brexit. – Gavin Haynes for Vice Remainers might celebrate the Supreme Court’s ruling, but it won’t help them one bit – Juliet Samuel for the Daily Telegraph (£) A reversal of the Brexit result would be a dramatic assertion of elite dominance – Henry Hill for Comment Central Oliver Ilott: A quick US trade deal will signal that the UK is easy prey The US-UK deal cannot be viewed in isolation – our first trade deal will set the tone for those that follow. This is the uncomfortable truth facing Theresa May. If she is prepared to accept American terms and signal that the UK is easy prey for other potential partners, then a US-UK deal could be wrapped up very quickly. If she wants a meaningful deal, one that boosts strategic UK industries and sets a strong precedent, she may have to wait. – Oliver Ilott for the Times Red Box (£) Peter Foster: Why Europe is cruising for a Brexit bust-up with Britain (Like all acrimonious divorces, it’s the money) It is this question – how to settle the bills – that British officials, including the departed Sir Ivan Rogers, truly fear could ‘blow up’ the Brexit talks before they even get going. The EU has made it known that it will demand €60 billion as a severance payment, a figure UK officials believe is both preposterous and politically unrealistic. Britain’s departure from the single market makes this somewhat easier. EU estimates were based in part on a presumption the UK would try and stay in the single market in some respects – but even so, the gulf between the two sides will be huge. – Peter Foster for the Daily Telegraph (£) Spain backs early trade talks in Brexit negotiations – FT (£) Politics dictates a quick-fire Brexit, but a compromise is more likely than you think- Mark Field MP for City AM Brexit comment in brief Theresa May’s opponents should join the Brexit debate – Daily Telegraph editorial May’s Brexit vision needs more dynamism – Iain Martin for The Times (£) A practical guide for establishing the UK’s independent position in the WTO as it leaves the EU – Julian Braithwaite for Reaction Brexit goes forth after Supreme Court decision – Matthew Ellery for The Commentator MPs may be voting for Brexit, but the Supreme Court ruling didn’t say our next government can’t reverse it – Geoffrey Robertson for The Independent Brexit news in brief Whitehall turf wars reportedly made work on Brexit ‘incoherent’ – The Times (£) Brexit-backing businesses agree that quitting the single market was always part of Brexit – Huffington Post Guy Verhofstadt tells us why Brexit is a ‘huge opportunity’ to ‘fix’ the EU – Business Insider Britain’s defense capabilities won’t suffer post-Brexit, says senior civil servant – Politico Gibraltar willing to ‘pay any price’ of Brexit to remain part of the UK and escape Spain’s clutches – The Sun Five on Brexit Island lifts WH Smith sales – The Guardian