Sign up here to receive the daily news briefing in your inbox every morning with exclusive insight from the BrexitCentral team The chaotic day which saw Theresa May insist the crucial Brexit vote was going ahead… until it wasn’t The message from No 10 could not have been clearer. As Michael Gove had confirmed on the radio in the morning, the vote on the Brexit deal was definitely “going ahead as planned”. At 11.07am on Monday, the Prime Minister’s spokesman was eager to quash speculation of the vote being delayed, telling journalists who asked whether Theresa May was confident of winning the vote a bold “yes”. Half an hour later, Mrs May was telling her Cabinet the exact opposite. She had “listened to colleagues” and decided it would be “in the best interests of the country” to go back to Brussels “immediately” to get a better deal. Rather than facing heavy defeat in Parliament, Mrs May had decided to seek a more “workable” solution that could command support from MPs. As ever when confronted with an intractable problem, she had decided to buy time hoping a solution will present itself, rather than grasping the nettle. Mrs May had been under pressure to delay the vote for a week; on Thursday she summoned nine Cabinet ministers to No 10 for a brainstorming session on what to do next, at which several ministers, including Julian Smith, the Chief Whip, urged her to pull the vote. – Telegraph (£) Theresa May postpones Brexit fight – Politico Brexit renegotiation is not an option, defiant Brussels tells Theresa May… European leaders last night warned Theresa May that they would not reopen negotiations on Britain’s withdrawal agreement and would step up preparations for a no-deal Brexit. Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, said the EU was prepared to discuss “how to facilitate” the UK’s ratification of the agreement but not the substance of the deal itself. Privately, EU diplomats said Brussels might be prepared to agree to a “clarification” of the withdrawal agreement either as a separate “political declaration” or a “letter of intent”. This could set out the ambition to ensure that the Irish backstop never came into effect but it would not be legally binding. “There is not much confidence that this would work but if she wants it, we are ready,” said a senior EU diplomat. One EU negotiator added: “She wants to tinker with the backstop. Not sure it will make a difference.” According to diplomatic sources, the government’s focus is on Article 184, a clause in the withdrawal treaty that commits the EU and UK to “use their best endeavours, in good faith. . . to take the necessary steps to negotiate expeditiously the agreements governing their future relationship”. – The Times (£) Theresa May scraps Brexit vote and vows to beg EU for a new deal – but they’ve already said they won’t renegotiate – The Sun EU insists it will not renegotiate deal as Guy Verhofstadt mocks Theresa May and says ‘I can’t follow anymore’ – Telegraph (£) Donald Tusk says the EU will not renegotiate the legal text of the Brexit deal after a humiliated May pulls crunch vote – Daily Mail …although EU leaders may offer ‘assurances’ EU leaders have told Theresa May they “will not renegotiate” her Brexit deal but are prepared to offer assurances that would help convince the House of Commons to approve the exit treaty. The public response, co-ordinated by Brussels, sets the stage for a flurry of diplomacy ahead of an EU summit on Thursday that will aim to save the Brexit package without actually amending its terms. Negotiators are looking at options for a supplementary declaration from EU27 leaders, including a possible target date, to provide the “further assurances” that the UK prime minister wants to allay “widespread and deep concern” in Westminster over the backstop plan to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland. Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, called a special EU27 meeting on Thursday to discuss Mrs May’s new demands. “We will not renegotiate the deal, including the backstop, but we are ready to discuss how to facilitate UK ratification,” Mr Tusk said in a tweet. “As time is running out, we will also discuss our preparedness for a no-deal scenario.” – FT (£) John Bercow accuses the Government of being ‘deeply discourteous’ over postponing the crunch vote John Bercow has accused the Government of being “deeply discourteous” after it postponed the meaningful vote on Theresa May’s Brexit deal. The Commons Speaker said it was “right” and “obvious” MPs should have been given a formal say on whether the vote should be delayed given the fact that they had already spent three days debating it. But the Government refused to comply with Mr Bercow’s wishes as they faced down the Commons Speaker and decided to act unilaterally to push the vote back. Mr Bercow suggested such a move was disrespectful to the House of Commons and immature. The showdown between the Government and Mr Bercow came just one week after he was at the heart of a constitutional crisis over the publication of Brexit legal advice which pitched ministers against MPs. That row was resolved after ministers were found in contempt of Parliament and the Government was forced to publish the advice. – Telegraph (£) Theresa May ignores Bercow plea to let Commons vote on delay – Express Yesterday’s events stoke fears that Brexit will be delayed Brexit could be delayed, senior Tories warned last night, after Theresa May postponed a Commons vote on her deal but refused to say when it would go ahead. The Prime Minister made the last-minute decision to pull today’s scheduled vote after accepting she was facing a catastrophic defeat if it went ahead. She told MPs she would “go boldly” back to Brussels to seek fresh assurances over the Irish backstop and would today begin a tour of European capitals to seek support from EU leaders. However the decision to delay the vote – after two Cabinet ministers were sent to tell the media it was going ahead – was met with confusion, anger and resentment. Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament’s chief negotiator, said he could no longer “follow” Mrs May’s intentions while Donald Tusk, European Council President, said negotiations could not be reopened. Mrs May appeared to be clinging to power by her fingertips last night after her own MPs said they could no longer trust her and that she was leading them to the “slaughter”. – Telegraph (£) Government spent £100,000 on Facebook adverts to promote the Brexit deal in week before the vote was pulled The government spent almost £100,000 on Facebook adverts to promote Theresa May’s Brexit deal in the week running up to her decision to pull the Commons vote. Figures released by the social media giant showed the government spent £96,684 on 11 adverts from December 2 to 8 as it became increasingly clear the prime minister faced defeat over her deal. It dwarfed the £50,000 the government spent on Brexit social media ads in the previous three months to November 20. Three videos, intending to explain the deal in terms of free trade, the economy and “controlling our borders”, cost between £10,000 and £50,000 each to promote, reaching between 500,000 and 1m Facebook users apiece. – Telegraph (£) May spent £100K on Facebook advertising before Brexit vote scrapped – Express Government spent £100k of taxpayers’ money on Facebook adverts to sell Theresa May’s doomed Brexit deal – Independent May set to call on Cabinet to step up preparations for no-deal exit next March Theresa May is expected to call a “No Deal” Cabinet for tomorrow amid growing concerns among ministers that preparations need to be ramped up with less than four months to go until exit day. The Prime minister told the Commons yesterday that as long as Parliament failed to agree a deal, the risk of an “accidental no-deal” would increase, and so the Government was stepping up its no-deal planning. It followed her phone call yesterday with Cabinet ministers who are understood to have voiced frustration at apparent foot-dragging by Number 10 over the consequences of a “No Deal” exit from the EU on March 29 next year. Principal among them has been Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay whose department had proposed that the end of November should be the trigger point at which No Deal planning should become the principal purpose of government regardless of whether there was a deal or not. – Telegraph (£) May rules out revoking Article 50 after ECJ ruling… Theresa May has dismissed the idea of abandoning Brexit after the European court of justice ruled that the UK could stop the article 50 process without seeking EU approval. The court in Luxembourg delighted remain campaigners by issuing an emergency ruling on Monday morning that, under EU law, the UK was able to unilaterally halt the article 50 process – fuelling renewed calls for a second referendum. Speaking to MPs later as she fought to defend her decision to delay a Commons vote on her deal, the prime minister admitted the ECJ’s ruling meant she was able to revoke article 50 – a decision her government had bitterly opposed. May was challenged by Liz Saville Roberts, a Plaid Cymru MP, who said the European court ruling meant it was in the prime minister’s gift to personally take Brexit off the table. – Guardian …which is not a carte blanche to cancel Brexit Ministers could not legally revoke notification to quit the EU without legislation despite the bloc’s top judges ruling yesterday that the UK government could unilaterally pull the plug. Legal experts said that the ruling from the Court of Justice of the EU would initially provide succour to those campaigning to remain in the union. However, they warned that the implications of the ruling were not a straightforward success for so-called Remainers. “If any UK government were to try and take advantage of the ruling and seek to withdraw the notification,” said Michael Gardner, a partner at Wedlake Bell, a London law firm, “they would be certain to come under legal challenge in the UK courts — unless act of parliament to that effect was passed first”. Mr Gardner claimed that a valid Article 50 notice can only be served if it is done “in accordance with the constitutional requirements” of the state aiming to leave the EU. – The Times (£) Theresa May faces a fresh coup from furious Tory MPs as support for a no-confidence vote builds… Livid Tory MPs have vowed to mount a fresh coup to oust Theresa May after her Brexit deal stood on the verge of collapse. Party grandees are already looking at speeding up a snap leadership contest after she dramatically pulled the landmark Commons vote. The Prime Minister delayed it for fresh talks with Brussels but was warned by the EU it will not renegotiate the hated Irish backstop. Downing Street is braced for a no-confidence vote in the PM any time now. Mrs May yesterday became the first PM for at least 70 years to pause a vote on a major international treaty. Her move, demanded by ministers, sparked chaos which worsened when she signalled no new vote would be tabled until January 21. Members of the backbench European Research Group of Tory MPs banged the table in approval last night when told more letters for a no-confidence vote were submitted. Rebels are understood to be five short of the 48 needed to trigger a ballot on her future. The Sun can also reveal grandees are considering shortening a leadership contest to less than three weeks. Senior Tories who had previously refused to join an earlier coup were weighing up their actions. – The Sun …with ex-minister Crispin Blunt being the latest to go public in his call for her to go A former minister has revealed he has submitted a letter of no confidence in Theresa May’s leadership, bringing the total number of Conservative MPs to publicly come out against her to 26. Crispin Blunt said that he was speaking out after Mrs May’s decision to delay a Commons vote on her Brexit deal to spur on fellow Tory MPs. “I want to encourage those who are thinking about it; get it done,” he said. A number of other Tory MPs are thought to be preparing to write to Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the Conservative 1922 Committee and the only person who knows how many letters have been received. Only 48 are needed to trigger a no-confidence vote. Last month an attempted coup by Brexiteers stalled after 24 declared letters amid fears that Mrs May would win the vote leaving her safe from a challenge for a year. However, there has been speculation that the total number received was 42. – The Times (£) Jeremy Corbyn resists calls to launch a vote of no confidence in the Government… Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is resisting pressure from his MPs and other opposition parties to launch a vote of no confidence in Theresa May over fears that his party’s “fudged” position on Brexit would start to unravel. An array of smaller parties — the Scottish National party, the Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru, as well as the Greens — have urged Mr Corbyn to trigger a vote after Mrs May aborted the parliamentary vote on her Brexit deal. Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP first minister of Scotland, criticised the “disastrous and incompetent Brexit process” and reached out to Mr Corbyn on Twitter, saying: “So Jeremy Corbyn, if Labour — as official opposition — lodges motion of no confidence in this incompetent government tomorrow, the SNP will support and we can then work together to give people the chance to stop Brexit in another vote . . .how about it?” Caroline Lucas, leader of the Green party, said it was time to “end this chaos” with a vote of no confidence, adding: “What are you waiting for Jeremy Corbyn?” – FT (£) Jeremy Corbyn to defy calls from his own MPs to table no confidence vote in Government – Telegraph (£) …while a Labour MP sparks outrage by grabbing the Commons’ mace in protest at the Government’s behaviour A Labour MP “acted on the spur of the moment” when he picked up the ceremonial mace in protest at the Government’s handling of Brexit. Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Brighton Kemptown) said he was protesting because the Tories were riding “roughshod over the principle of parliamentary democracy” by pulling the “meaningful vote”. He was thrown out the House of Commons after he held the mace aloft and marched towards the Commons doors, where he was stopped by officials. Speaking from the Red Lion pub just outside Parliament, the Labour MP said he was frustrated by the Government unilaterally deciding to ditch a vote using a solitary whip to order the vote to be postponed. He said: “I thought, one person is shouting ‘tomorrow’ and literally hundreds of people are shouting ‘today’, and the will of Parliament is going to be ignored. – Telegraph (£) Labour MP suspended from Commons for stealing ceremonial mace in protest at vote delay – Independent Nicola Sturgeon plots Theresa May resignation as Scottish Tories split over Brexit Nicola Sturgeon has set about trying to engineer Theresa May’s resignation and the end of Brexit after the Prime Minister declared Tuesday’s crucial vote will be delayed. Senior Tory sources claimed David Mundell, the Scottish Secretary, attempted to dissuade the Prime Minister from postponing the vote as the Cabinet discussed its timing. After the delay was announced, the First Minister accused Mrs May of “political cowardice” and called for a motion of no confidence in the UK Government after the Commons vote on Brexit was delayed. The SNP leader insisted that a “different approach” was needed and said she believed “the time had come” for Labour to try and oust Mrs May, pledging the SNP’s support. – Telegraph (£) Sturgeon urges Corbyn to oust May with no confidence vote – The Times (£) Sturgeon calls on Corbyn to unite with SNP to bring down May as Brexit chaos hits – Express David Cameron ‘very concerned’ about Britain’s Brexit mess – but doesn’t regret calling EU referendum Former Prime Minister David Cameron has insisted he does not regret calling the referendum which led to Brexit. However Mr Cameron, who resigned the day after Britain voted to leave the European Union, admitted he was “very concerned” after Theresa May dramatically called off a Commons vote on her Brexit plan today. He told Sky News tonight: “Of course I don’t regret calling a referendum. I made a promise in the election to call a referendum and I called the referendum. Obviously I’m very concerned about what’s happening today but I do support the Prime Minister in her efforts to try and have a close relationship with the European Union, it’s the right thing to do and she has my full support.” Downing Street is braced for a no confidence in the PM’s leadership at any time now after her last minute U-turn on a Commons vote today. Rebels are now understood to be just five short of the 48 letters they need to trigger a ballot of Tory MPs on her future after at least two more letters were sent in yesterday. – The Sun Expats lose in bid for High Court review of the 2016 referendum Four expatriates have lost their legal fight for a High Court judicial review into whether the result of the 2016 referendum should be declared invalid because overspending breaches by the Leave campaign. Carole-Anne Richards, 52, a British-born business consultant who lives in Turin, Italy and three others asked the High Court for permission for a judicial review last week. They argued that the High Court should hear the judicial review and should declare that the 2016 Referendum result was void because of overspending in the Leave campaign in the run-up to the 2016 Brexit vote which breached electoral rules. On Monday, Mr Justice Ouseley refused the campaigners permission for the right for a judicial review after hearing arguments last week. – FT (£) Nigel Dodds: If Theresa May was actually listening, she would know that backstop ‘assurances’ are not enough We take no pleasure from this position. We want an orderly exit from the European Union and we want stable government for the United Kingdom. Yesterday, however, summed up the chaos which has been the hallmark of this Prime Minister. Despite our warnings, she trundled along towards an historic defeat on the Withdrawal Agreement. Then at the last minute she backed away from a vote. Wednesday 14 November was arguably the high-water mark for the Withdrawal Agreement when the Prime Minister received the backing of Cabinet for the deal. That support, however, only came after a five-hour marathon meeting. Since then there have been Cabinet resignations and an almost daily series of MPs announcing that they cannot back the deal. It has been clear for several weeks now that the Withdrawal Agreement did not have the support of the House of Commons and clear for many days that it was facing heavy defeat. Some of us used the last two weeks to argue that the Prime Minister needed to look beyond the current Withdrawal Agreement and seek a better deal. We were ignored by Downing Street. – Nigel Dodds MP for the Telegraph (£) Owen Paterson: The Irish backstop can be solved – so Brexit can focus on trade By pulling the vote at the 11th hour, the Government has acknowledged that the backstop proposal is completely unacceptable. But rather than simply seeking “reassurances” on this issue, the Government needs to consider more boldly possible alternative arrangements that might command Parliament’s support. Donald Tusk offered just such an alternative in March: a wide-ranging, zero-tariff trade agreement. That deal foundered on the question of the Northern Ireland border, but existing techniques and processes can resolve this. This view is endorsed by Clecat, the professional customs body. It recommends we acknowledge the present state of customs technology, using procedures based on intelligence and risk management available in current EU law. These are currently used to manage the border which already exists – for VAT, tax, currency, excise and security – and can form the foundation for continued seamless trade. From my October meeting with Michel Barnier, I know that a willingness exists on the EU side to explore these possibilities more fully. The meeting also confirmed that Mr Tusk’s offer is still on the table. The Government must return to that offer. By resolving the border question with existing techniques, we can immediately start negotiating an optimal, wide-ranging Free Trade Agreement. I have already presented the Government with a Trade Facilitation Chapter and new Border Protocol to catalyse this process. In parallel, we must intensify our preparations for exit on World Trade Organisation (WTO) terms. This is no cause for alarm, and those doubting this should look to the UK’s booming exports. – Owen Paterson MP for the Telegraph (£) Jack Doyle: How Macron’s backstop blackmail sabotaged May’s deal After a punishing day in the office, Theresa May likes to relax with a glass of Welsh whisky. After yesterday – after her very public and painful decision to postpone her Brexit vote – the Prime Minister could be forgiven for pouring herself a double. At breakfast yesterday, Environment Secretary Michael Gove said he was ‘100 per cent’ sure the vote was still on. By 11:30am Mrs May had calmly told a Cabinet conference call she was slamming on the brakes. The reason? The knotty issue of the Northern Ireland backstop and fears of a defeat on a scale of anything up to 150 votes. Last night her supporters laid at least part of the blame squarely on embattled French President Emmanuel Macron. Two weeks ago, on the Sunday of the EU Summit in Brussels when Mrs May’s deal was signed, No10 officials were cautiously optimistic. ‘We had a mountain to climb, but we thought we had some momentum and could get away from the backstop to start selling the deal on its merits – control of borders and protecting jobs,’ says one aide. But then came the Macron hand grenade. The French President – desperate to focus attention away from the riots at home – broke ranks. The UK would still have to give way on the hugely sensitive area of fishing, he warned, or facing being stuck in the Northern Ireland backstop in perpetuity. – Jack Doyle for the Daily Mail Nick Timothy: Theresa May’s delay of the Brexit vote shows what a mess she finds herself in Theresa May’s late decision to call off the Brexit vote shows what a massive mess she finds herself in. The clock is ticking. We are due to leave the EU on March 29 next year, deal or no deal — and Parliament cannot agree what to do. Some MPs want the PM to go back to Brussels and negotiate something better. Others want to negotiate a different deal altogether. Labour wants an election. Die-hard Remainers want another referendum. Many Leavers just want to get out without a deal. And Mrs May insists her deal is the right one, despite knowing it is so unpopular that she couldn’t put it to a vote in the Commons. Whoever gets their way, it is time to strap on our seatbelts and brace ourselves for an almighty crash. However things end, we are heading for multiple constitutional crises that risk smashing our political system to pieces. Yesterday Mrs May promised more assurances from Brussels about her deal’s so-called “backstop”, in which we will be trapped in a customs union with the EU, and Northern Ireland will be trapped inside the single market. – Nick Timothy for The Sun Asa Bennett: Theresa May’s panicky Brexit vote delay makes it hard for anyone to trust her Cabinet ministers could be forgiven for feeling surprised by Theresa May informing them this morning that she would “defer” the Commons vote on her Brexit deal in order to avoid a “notable” defeat. The Prime Minister had been adamant until today that the vote would happen tomorrow, with her ministers sent out to ram that home. “I don’t think there is any chance of pulling the vote,” Sajid Javid told the Today programme last Monday. “I just don’t see that happening.” The Home Secretary was not going out on a limb, as the Prime Minister herself was asked by the BBC later that week on Thursday whether the vote would be delayed and she said “no”. Her spokesman echoed that faithfully, declaring: “It’s categorically untrue that we are considering any change to the timetable.” For good measure, her third Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay told Andrew Marr over the weekend it was “100 per cent happening on Tuesday” and that it was “going ahead”. – Asa Bennett for the Telegraph (£) Gunnar Beck: Despite the ECJ’s best efforts, a second referendum is likely to remain a mirage Today the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that, when a Member State has notified the European Council of its intention to withdraw from the EU under Article 50 of the EU Treaty, as the UK has done, that Member State is free unilaterally to revoke that notification. That possibility exists for as long as a withdrawal agreement concluded between the EU and that Member State has not entered into force or, if no such agreement has been concluded, for as long as the two-year period from the date of the notification of the intention to withdraw from the EU, and any possible extension, has not expired. The ECJ’s in the Wightman case came as no surprise following a similar recommendation of the court’s senior legal adviser or advocate general last week. The post of advocate general is a peculiarity of the senior French legal system on which the Court of Justice is modelled. – Gunnar Beck for the Telegraph (£) Brian Monteith: Voting down May’s Brexit plan is about more than the backstop There is far more to worry about in the Prime Minister’s plans than just Northern Ireland, writes Brian Monteith It does look likely that the vote on the Prime Minister’s Withdrawal Agreement will go ahead tomorrow and will be heavily defeated. There is far more to worry about in the Prime Minister’s plans than just Northern Ireland, writes Brian Monteith It does look likely that the vote on the Prime Minister’s Withdrawal Agreement will go ahead tomorrow and will be heavily defeated. This behaviour should not be acceptable to anyone who supports democracy. The Withdrawal Agreement is completely and utterly owned by Theresa May. She has told everyone it is her deal or no deal – or even no Brexit. – Brian Monteith for The Scotsman Melanie Phillips: BBC bias helps to write off a no-deal Brexit The current agony over Brexit, which deepened further yesterday, is based on a simple proposition. The law states that on March 29, 2019, Britain will leave the EU. If the terms of separation aren’t agreed, the country must therefore leave with no deal. Most MPs, however, refuse to countenance this. So they are indulging in fantasies. One is that the EU may soften its position on the Ireland backstop. If so, they say, they would support Theresa May’s deal. Really? What about the rotten rest of it? Last Friday, the former head of MI6 Sir Richard Dearlove and the commander of British forces in the Falklands War, Major-General Julian Thompson, published a devastating critique. The deal, they said, “surrenders British national security by subordinating British defence forces to military EU control”. It would undermine membership of Nato, the defence and intelligence relationship with the US and the Five Eyes intelligence alliance. The two also supported leaving with no deal. “World Trade rules are to be welcomed, and there is nothing to fear in this.” – Melanie Phillips for The Times (£) Telegraph: Without binding undertakings from the EU, Mrs May has merely delayed the inevitable What a shambles. Today was meant to be the day of days for Brexit; but the reckoning has been put off until a date unknown, possibly in January. Theresa May was facing an overwhelming defeat in the Commons and, as she has often done in this tortured process, she has simply decided to delay matters in the hope that something will turn up, Micawber-style. Given the circumstances she has found herself in, largely of her own devising it must be said, perhaps she had no choice. She either crashed to a humiliating defeat now or rolled the dice once more in the hope of a better outcome. But it has confirmed the impression of a Government that has completely lost control of events. Ministers who one minute were saying the vote was going ahead were back on the airwaves after a Cabinet conference call to say the opposite. It makes them look weak, indecisive and mendacious. – Telegraph (£) editorial The Sun: Theresa May’s visit to Brussels won’t work as the EU is inclined to sit tight and hope Brexit collapses Chaos aside, Theresa May has chosen the only possible course, going back to Brussels for more. But we cannot see it working. And — to be blunt — this monumental shambles, this national embarrassment, is entirely of her making. It was obvious weeks ago that the DUP on whom her survival depends could not be bluffed. Nor could her Brexit-backing MPs. She tried to railroad the lot and failed. We are glad she delayed the vote. A massive Commons defeat would have weakened her yet further in EU eyes. But it will not be enough to secure “reassurances” from Brussels that the toxic Irish backstop, if it kicks in, will be only temporary. Under her deal we cannot legally escape its restrictive customs union nor the divide it creates between Britain and Northern Ireland. Mrs May wants MPs to trust an EU which treats us with contempt. But trust is gone. Only a binding text will do. Sadly, trust in the PM is all but gone too. She made a brave fist of defending her deal yesterday in dire circumstances. – The Sun says Brext in Brief Pulling the vote won’t be enough to save Theresa May’s Brexit deal – James Forsyth for The Spectator May Day – John Redwood’s Diary Now May has pulled tomorrow’s Brexit vote, here’s what we expect to happen next in Westminster – Chukka Umunna MP for the Independent For the sake of the country, the Prime Minister must step aside – Andrea Jenkyns MP for the Telegraph (£) The UK is not ready for any sort of Brexit – hence this appalling chaos – Tim Stanley for the Telegraph (£) We cannot continue to be led through Brexit by a mule flogging a dead horse – Allison Pearson for the Telegraph (£) ‘Britain was too arrogant!’ Gina Miller lashes out at Brexiteers over EU exit – Express