Sign up here to receive the daily news briefing in your inbox every morning with exclusive insight from the BrexitCentral team David Davis to reject ‘Mad Max-style dystopia’ claims of Brexit in Vienna today… Britain will not be “plunged into a Mad Max-style world borrowed from dystopian fiction” after it leaves the EU, the Brexit secretary will say in a speech. David Davis will say fears about a “race to the bottom” in workers’ rights and environmental standards are “based on nothing”. He will argue for continued close co-operation between the UK and the EU on regulations and standards. This will help ensure “frictionless” trade, he will say. The Brexit secretary’s address to Austrian business leaders in Vienna is the latest in a series of speeches the UK government is calling “the road to Brexit” as it faces demands to spell out details of the future partnership it wants with the EU. – BBC News …as he insists mutual recognition of standards is possible without becoming a ‘vassal state’… The UK is hoping that a system of “mutual recognition” could be agreed that would continue to allow UK companies access to EU markets without becoming a “vassal state” where governments would have to cut and paste every new European regulation into British law. Mr Davis is expected to say that any eventual Brexit deal would cover “what to do when one of us wants to make changes to rules”, adding: “This will be a crucial part of ensuring our future economic partnership is as open, and trade remains as frictionless as possible.” – The Times (£) UK tells EU: play fair or we won’t pay our bill… Britain could refuse to pay its debts to the European Union after Brexit if Brussels reneges on its commitment to a future free-trade deal, according to three senior U.K. officials speaking on condition of anonymity. The proposal, which is likely to anger Brussels, is being considered in Whitehall as an emergency insurance measure to protect the U.K. from a significant political snag in the U.K.’s Brexit strategy. Under EU law, Brussels cannot agree a trade deal with the U.K. until it has left the bloc. However, this leaves the U.K. prime minister in the uncomfortable position of signing divorce papers — including committing to the “exit bill” — without a legal guarantee of what the new relationship will look like, something unpalatable to many MPs. – Politico …as Brussels claims Brexit could give British workers cancer Brussels has launched its own version of Project Fear by suggesting British workers will be at a higher risk of cancer as a result of Brexit. A European Commission briefing paper claims the UK could dilute health and safety laws in an attempt to “lower production costs”, which would result in “higher exposure to chemicals and carcinogens”. – Telegraph Farmers will get paid more cash for taking better care of their animals after Brexit, Michael Gove to tell NFU Farmers will be given bigger public subsidies for taking better care of their livestock under Government plans for a “green Brexit”, Michael Gove will say today. The Environment secretary will say that improved animal welfare standards will be one of the “public goods” which will attract more Government funding. Landowners who encouraged people to be more “connected” to the countryside and increased understanding of farming would also benefit from more funds. Mr Gove’s department has been waging a policy war with Labour over areas of environmental policy like fox hunting and animal sentience for several months. – Telegraph Ministers prepare to thrash out Brexit plan at Chequers on Thursday Theresa May plans to keep her cabinet ministers at Chequers on Thursday until they have outlined a Brexit plan that includes a high level of alignment between EU and UK rules… She will reassure Eurosceptic ministers, including foreign secretary Boris Johnson, that Britain should be able to move away from EU rules over time under a system of “managed divergence”. Mrs May’s allies say they expect the 11 members of the Brexit cabinet committee to agree the main points of the plan at Chequers, the prime minister’s country residence, on Thursday. Talks are expected to start in the afternoon, continue over dinner and last into the evening, ahead of a speech to be delivered by the prime minister next week setting out her latest proposals for the future relationship between the UK and the EU. – FT (£) What Theresa May must do when she thrashes out Brexit with her ministers at Chequers – Lord Hague for the Telegraph (£) Remain backer Damian Green dismisses Brexit “conspiracy theories” Theresa May’s former right-hand man has criticised colleagues “who won’t accept evidence” on Brexit, and suggested more of Whitehall’s economic forecasts should be published. Damian Green rejected “conspiracy theories” that there was a plot to thwart the Leave vote. And he acknowledged differences of opinion between ministers on Brexit. Meanwhile ex-Brexit Minister David Jones said the Treasury was trying to “drag out” and “soften” the UK’s exit. Mr Green, the former first secretary of state, was sacked in December after being found to have made “inaccurate and misleading” statements over what he knew about claims pornography was found on his office computer in 2008. – BBC News Theresa May’s ex-deputy warns UK is in danger of veering towards ‘faith-based’ Brexit – Evening Standard Anti-Brexit Renew party launched… Some 18 months after the EU referendum, there are still new groups being set up arguing the pros and cons of Brexit, suggesting some think the decision has not yet been settled for good. Daily Politics presenter Jo Coburn heard from James Torrance, a co-founder of Renew, a new anti-Brexit party as it was launching with a press conference, and from Dr Graham Gudgin, who is coordinating a new group of pro-Brexit academics to provide analysis in favour of leaving the EU. – BBC Daily Politics Campaigners to stop Brexit prepare six-week advertising blitz – FT (£) …but only a handful of people turn up The launch of a new anti-Brexit party began with not a bang but a whimper today, as just a handful of people showed up. The rows of empty seats left Renew red-faced as they officially set up in Westminster this lunchtime. Inspired by French President Emmanuel Macron, who swept to victory with his movement En Marche! in 2017, the new grouping wants to convince MPs to vote down Theresa May’s Brexit deal. It said it would target pro-Leave MPs in constituencies with high levels of Remainers who live in their areas. More than 200 candidates have been lined up, but the party can’t seem to get enough together in a room. – The Sun Sacré bleu! Paris flounders in bid to lure City financiers A Parisian charm offensive, designed to lure financial businesses to France in the wake of Britain’s decision to leave the EU, appears to have floundered according to commercial property data obtained by City A.M. The figures, compiled by property giant JLL, show a dip in leasing activity by finance firms in Paris last year compared to 2016. Banks and other institutions signed leasing agreements for 127,000 square metres of space during 2017 in the French capital, down from the 188,000 square metres secured a year earlier. – City A.M. Dutch activate ‘hard Brexit’ plan… As the finance ministry calculates it takes between nine and 22 months to train a customs officer, the Dutch government has green-lighted immediate recruiting, training, tendering of contracts and organising of housing. Mr Snel wrote to Dutch MPs: “The divisions within the British Conservative Party and the remaining lack of clarity about the British input continue to impede the smooth running of the negotiations. “It is therefore clear that the scenario that the UK leaves the EU on 29 March 2019 without a withdrawal agreement and without a transitional period is still conceivable. – Sky News …as Ireland steps up plans to avoid market disruption from Brexit Ireland’s efforts to build infrastructure that will prevent its securities markets being upended by a hard Brexit were boosted after Euroclear announced plans to create a settlement system that does not rely on London. Euroclear, a Brussels-based company owned by some of the world’s largest banks, said that by next March it will create a securities depository for Irish equities that will ensure the trades can still be settled after the UK leaves the EU. Until now, Dublin has depended on Euroclear’s London-based operations to settle trading in shares and exchange traded funds on the Irish stock exchange. – FT (£) James Forsyth: In praise of the ‘brainy’ Brexit Brits Democratic debate functions best when it is accepted that there are people of good will and good arguments on both sides. In the Brexit debate, this sense has too often been missing. There’s plenty of blame for this to go round. To put it crudely, too many on the Leave side have been too quick to question the motives of those arguing the Remain case. While too many of those who backed the status quo have refused to accept that there are any credible arguments for leaving the EU. So the launch by two Cambridge academics, Robert Tombs and Graham Gudgin, of Briefings for Brexit is a welcome development. – James Forsyth for the Spectator > Melanie Phillips: Brexit bashing is just another form of bigotry Nearly 40 prominent economists, lawyers, philosophers, historians, scientists and policy experts have formed a “Brains for Brexit” campaign to counter claims that Leave voters are idiots and challenge the intellectual distortions in the argument. Yet some academics say they are too frightened of career-ending repercussions to join the group. Similar anxieties have been expressed by Artists 4 Brexit, a group of creatives and performers who think the arts will thrive outside the EU. They fear that if they “come out” they’ll be dropped from commissions or galleries. What views are so dangerous that Brexit supporters are too frightened to express them and feel the need to band together for protection if they do? Well, it’s their rabid support for democratic national sovereignty and their demented belief that global engagement is more progressive than regional protectionism. – Melanie Phillips for the Times (£) Philip Aldrick: The EU’s hard line on financial services reeks of hypocrisy Michel Barnier, the EU’s Brexit negotiator, could not have been clearer. “There is no place [for financial services],” he said in December about a future trade deal with Britain. “There is not a single trade agreement that is open to financial services. It doesn’t exist.” Technically, he was right. No trade deal incorporates a fully open arrangement on financial services. Not even the EU’s agreement with Canada, which includes financial services only in the narrowest sense — in areas of full alignment with Brussels’ rules. But Mr Barnier omitted one important detail. – The Times (£) Forget banks, the real victims of an EU power grab are asset managers – Juliet Samuel for the Telegraph (£) Comment in Brief Boeing proves protectionism doesn’t pay – Yaël Ossowski for Comment Central Political risk rises in Italy as anti-euro rebels flirt with real power – Ambrose Evans-Pritchard for the Telegraph (£) Wanted! Ideas to make Britain better after Brexit. Please get in touch – Iain Martin for Reaction How to make ‘Global Britain’ more than just an empty slogan – Dex Torricke-Barton for The Times (£) The EU is no friend of Irish independence – Mick Hume for Spiked Britain is inching towards a sensible post-Brexit security policy – Shashank Joshi for CapX A possible Cabinet Brexit compromise is brewing. It would mean staying in part of the Customs Union – Stephen Booth for ConservativeHome May needs an answer to the Irish question – before it scuppers Brexit – William Davison for CapX News in Brief Anti-migrant AfD become second largest party in Germany in shock poll – Express Farming businesses ‘could be wiped out after Brexit transition’ – Guardian May can publish impact assessment into her desired Brexit deal ‘right now’, Government insider says – Independent UK cities shut out of Brexit discussions, claim leaders – Guardian Poll suggests Brits have little appetite for deregulation – Guardian