May tells Commons there will be no transitional period without a deal Britain will not enter into a “no change” transition deal with the European Union unless an agreement can be struck on a future long-term relationship by this time next year, Theresa May suggested today. In remarks that will dismay those advocating a soft Brexit Mrs May told the House of Commons that her plan for a two-year implementation period had been put forward on the basis that it would be a “bridge” to a final deal. Asked by the former shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper whether that meant that if there were no long-term trade deal agreed by this time next year there “won’t be any transition deal at all”, Mrs May implied that that would be the case. – The Times (£) No Brexit transition period without final EU trade deal, Theresa May tells MPs – Guardian Theresa May issues fresh threat to leave EU without trade deal – Telegraph (£) May says ‘important progress’ made at EU summit – BBC Theresa May is right to say ‘no deal’ to Brussels if the EU pushes its luck too far – The Sun editorial Theresa May discovers the perfect answer to difficult Brexit questions – Isabel Hardman for The Spectator Juncker denies May “begged him for help” over Brexit dinner… European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Monday that “nothing is true” in a story that alleged U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May “begged” him for help on Brexit during a dinner last week. “Nothing is true in all of this. I had an excellent working dinner with Theresa May,” the Commission president told the BBC’s Adam Fleming. Asked if May had pleaded with him for help on Brexit, Juncker said “No, that’s not the style of British prime ministers.” Juncker also rubbished reports over the weekend in the Frankfurter Allgemeine that he called May “tired” and “despondent.” – Politico Juncker on German press reports about Theresa May meal – BBC Juncker: I am shocked by leaks – Guido Fawkes Martin Selmayr denies leaking details of Theresa May’s dinner – The Times (£) Brutal account of Theresa May’s dinner in full – Telegraph (£) EU chiefs say Theresa May dinner leaks intended to ‘undermine’ Brussels – Independent How leaked account of Brexit dinner with Jean-Claude Juncker undermined Theresa May yet again – Telegraph (£) Funny how everything Theresa May says to the EU mysteriously leaks out. Maybe she should return the favour – Asa Bennett for the Telegraph (£) Leaks from the EU Commission show that Juncker is getting worried – Mark Wallace for The i …as Merkel left ‘furious’ by Brexit leaks against May… Angela Merkel is “furious” over leaks from private Brexit talks amid fears that further hostility from Brussels may topple Theresa May, The Times has been told. The German chancellor expressed anger at reported leaks from a dinner last week between Mrs May and Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, it is understood. A German newspaper suggested on Sunday that the prime minister “begged” for help on Brexit, seeming “anxious, despondent and discouraged”. The article said that the meeting last Monday was like hearing “cries for help”.- The Times (£) Merkel ‘furious’ at Juncker leaks that could kill Brexit talks and destroy EU – Express How Angela Merkel came to hate Tories – The Times (£) …and Government embarks on second Brexit diplomatic charm offensive The U.K. will embark on a flurry of diplomatic activity in the two months before December’s European Council meeting, in a bid to influence Michel Barnier’s negotiating mandate for phase two of the Brexit talks. British negotiators are determined to avoid a repeat of the gridlock experienced during the first phase of negotiations, which failed to reach “sufficient progress” by October, with the result that phase two was delayed until December at the earliest, increasing the time pressure on the divorce talks, two senior figures familiar with plan said. – Politico Work on Brexit treaty has begun, says Michel Barnier, as he reveals plan to quit as EU negotiator Michel Barnier, the European Union’s chief negotiator, has revealed work has begun on the Brexit treaty and that he will quit before trade negotiations between the EU and UK are finished. Mr Barnier said he would step down in the Spring after the 29 March 2019 Brexit deadline but before the end of a proposed transition deal to allow further EU-UK trade talks. He conceded that the future UK-EU trading relationship was the “most important” thing in the negotiations but added that talks over it could take years. – Telegraph (£) ‘Now is the time to get on with it’: Foreign Secretary calls for progress from EU The Foreign Secretary has called on the UK’s European partners in the Brexit negotiations to “get on with it” after British businesses said a transition deal was required as quickly as possible. Boris Johnson said now it was time to press ahead after the remaining 27 member countries agreed to begin internal preparations for the next phase of talks at a summit last week. He said that a deal that benefited people and firms on both sides of the English Channel could be worked out if those taking part in the discussions “think very creatively and very positively”.- Sky News > Watch: Boris tells EU: ‘Get on with it!’ Ian Paisley says Taoiseach is ‘throwing his weight around’ over Irish border DUP MP Ian Paisley has called on Leo Varadkar to start pulling his weight rather than “attempting to throw his weight around” on the Irish border issue after Brexit. Mr Paisley said the Taoiseach was potentially damaging his economy more than that of Northern Ireland, as he pressed Theresa May to raise the issue with her Irish counterpart. Mrs May said Britain would work with the Irish government and the European Union to ensure there was no return to the borders of the past. North Antrim MP Mr Paisley asked Mrs May: “Has the Prime Minister taken the opportunity to remind the Republic of Ireland’s Taoiseach that it is about time he started to pull his weight in the interests of the Republic of Ireland, rather than attempting to throw his weight around on the issue of the border? – Belfast Newsletter Ian Paisley on BrexitCentral today: Dublin is in denial about Brexit – Irish politicians urgently need to adopt a new Brexit strategy London won’t be replicated as a financial centre, says Bank of England deputy governor The Bank of England’s deputy governor for financial stability has expressed confidence in the City of London’s standing as a financial hub post-Brexit, saying he does not see its success being replicated on the continent. Sir Jon Cunliffe, a member of the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), told the Western Mail, that while some job moves may well take place, the capital’s financial centre crown was unlikely to be displaced. – City A.M. Luxembourg finance minister warns EU against strict Brexit approach letting the City of London ‘drift away’ – City A.M. Jeremy Corbyn tells PM her real fight is with ‘warring’ Tory factions, not EU… Jeremy Corbyn claimed it was “Groundhog Day” over Brexit before warning Theresa May her biggest battle is with the “warring” Tory factions rather than the EU. The Labour leader said the Prime Minister is “too weak” to do anything about it, adding this increases the prospect of “crashing out” with no deal. Mr Corbyn’s criticism came as Mrs May updated the Commons about the latest EU Council. Mr Corbyn told MPs: “I’m beginning to feel a very worrying sense of Groundhog Day here every time she gives us an update on the progress of negotiations. – PA .. as Welsh Labour leader Carwyn Jones tells May to stop ‘talking up’ no-deal The UK Government should stop talking up a Brexit no deal and instead get the negotiations back on track, Wales First Minister Carwyn Jones will say. Mr Jones said walking away from the negotiations would cause chaos and lasting damage to the UK’s economy and future security. His comments come just a day after Prime Minister Theresa May said it was her “mission” to negotiate a new post-Brexit partnership with the EU.Mrs May made it clear a no deal scenario was still an option as she insisted the Government was preparing for every eventuality. – PA London Mayor Sadiq Khan hints at supporting second referendum Sadiq Khan has said a second referendum on Brexit may be needed if Parliament rejects Theresa May’s deal with Brussels. The London Mayor suggested that if MPs and peers refused to back the agreement a “whole host of questions” would be raised. He also called for urgent action to secure a transitional deal, warning that businesses were not bluffing about plans to move overseas in the absence of clarity. Mr Khan, a prominent supporter of the Remain campaign, said the issue of a second referendum depended on the outcome of the parliamentary process. – Daily Mirror Tony Blair calls for a second vote on Brexit – The National Iain Duncan Smith: What a new migration policy might look like Too many engaged in the debate on migration seek to vilify the idea of controlling migration as anti-migrant, but it is not. It is simply a recognition that the pace and scale of migration in the past few years has been unprecedented, which has caused difficulties in a variety of communities. Despite some of the commentary, and the casual references to historic waves of migration coming to the UK, the reality is a little different. Over the centuries, migration was on a very small scale compared to the size of the population. Iain Duncan Smith for ConservativeHome Douglas Carswell: Brexit is an opportunity for us to discover good leadership again A generation ago, the coffee in this country tasted terrible. Mochas and cappuccinos weren’t usually on the menu, ordering a skinny latte wasn’t an option. Ask for a coffee in many a London café, and you were given a cup of something bitter, tepid, and often instant. Today, of course, we no longer put up with bitter, tepid coffee. Any hipster coffee joint that tried to serve up instant would go under. Quality is now so important that some of the big chains are losing market share to a new generation of small independent coffee shops that serve only the best. Our expectations of what is acceptable have changed. Now that we know better, we will no longer tolerate that which we used to put up with. – Douglas Carswell for The i William Hague: A second Brexit referendum would tear this country apart. Remainers like me must accept that we lost Alastair Campbell was my bête noire when I was leader of the opposition, but I have always found him good company and respected his political instincts. Last week, however, I read his article in The Guardian, arguing that Brexit should be abandoned, with some disbelief. Theresa May, he suggested, should give a speech in which she would say it cannot be done without damage to the economy, living standards, public services and our standing in the world that she is not prepared to accept. She would publish legal advice saying she has the right to revoke the use of Article 50, do just that, and take the consequences. – William Hague for the Telegraph (£) Marta Vokshi: The European reaction to ‘No sufficient progress’ The Danish Prime Minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, took a more positive tone toward the Brexit negotiations saying, “I think the general assessment is that we have come far enough that we can now start preparing for the next round of negotiations with Britain.” Swedish EU minister Ann Linde told Dagens Nyhteter that the Danish government had ordered the National Board of Trade to prepare for an eventual free trade deal with the UK. A lot was read into the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel’s comments, when she said, “In contrast to how it is portrayed in the British press, my impression is that these talks are moving forward step by step…I have no doubt whatsoever [that the UK and EU can reach a deal], if we all have clear minds…The ball is not only in the UK’s court, but equally with us.” – Marta Vokshi for Open Europe Bill Wirtz: The EU’s war on competition This month, EU governments and the European Parliament signed off on substantial changes to the Union’s Common Agricultural Policy. In the so-called “Omnibus talks”, the EU’s three main institutions, together with representatives of producers agreed to grant essential privileges to farmers. The initial proposal by the EU Commissioner for Agriculture, the Irish politician Phil Hogan, had merely been a budgetary adjustment of the CAP that would have barely been worth mentioning. But what has been agreed is a far more troubling development. Farmers have effectively been given the right to form cartels. – Bill Wirtz for CapX Telegraph: Labour is playing a double game over Brexit In February, the House of Commons passed the legislation to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty and begin the process of Brexit by 494 votes to 122. At that point, even those MPs who disliked the use of a referendum to supplant the decision-making of Parliament had to accept that all the constitutional hurdles had been negotiated. But in order for that vote to be fulfilled, to make the transition from EU member to independent nation a reality, it is necessary to put the necessary laws in place. The EU Withdrawal Bill, currently before Parliament, is designed to do just that. – Telegraph editorial (£) Brexit Comment in Brief Labour and the Tories, working together on Brexit? Dream on [sketch] – Michael Deacon for the Telegraph (£) Small business, Brexit and the budget – John Redwood’s Diary Westminster’s hall of mirrors is about to shatter – Rachel Sylvester for The Times (£) Where Europe went wrong – Paul Taylor for Politico Brexit News in Brief Business lobby groups call for transition deal clarity – BBC Jacob Rees-Mogg shuts down caller who accused him of lying over ‘EU-funded CBI’ – The Sun Jacob Rees-Mogg claims ‘irresponsible’ government ‘wasn’t prepared’ for Brexit – Evening Standard I will sell my family home to finance UKIP, says new leader – Telegraph ‘Hundred migrants a week’ reach UK one year after Calais Jungle closure – The Times (£) $20bn of research cash at risk if UK turns its back on foreign workers, PwC warns – The Telegraph (£)