Liam Fox looks towards the sunny world of Brexit Britain Britain must seize the “golden opportunity” provided by Brexit and not “fritter it away”, Liam Fox has told the Conservative conference. The UK was synonymous with free trade for centuries and must be so again, the international trade secretary said. – BBC Fox was very upbeat about the prospects for Britain’s trading future outside the EU. He was an enthusiastic campaigner for Leave, and so is very much part of the Boris Johnson camp of believing that sunlit uplands are close by: indeed, he blasted those ‘who try to portray the referendum as a sign of Britain looking inwards’. – The Spectator’s Coffee House blog “Let’s rise to this challenge, to our golden opportunity” of Brexit : Liam Fox’s conference speech in full – ConservativeHome UK manufacturers enjoy best quarter this year following Brexit vote UK manufacturing activity grew at the fastest pace in more than two years in September, as the weak pound helped the sector to cement its strongest quarter of growth this year, according to a closely watched survey. – Daily Telegraph As UK manufacturing output hits a two-year high, will Brexit rebalance the economy away from services? Brexit, albeit accidently, has given the UK economy, and the manufacturing sector in particular, exactly what it needed – a much more competitive exchange rate. By making it cheaper for foreigners to buy the things we make, it has created precisely the sorts of conditions policymakers have been praying for. – Damian Hind and Patrick Minford debate the question for City A.M. Pound falls but markets soar as Theresa May indicates Brexit date The pound has fallen to a three-year low against the euro after the Prime Minister announced when the UK will start the process of leaving the European Union. There was better news on the FTSE 100 Index, which climbed to a 16-month high following Theresa May’s announcement on Sunday. – Sky News Investors banish Brexit fears to pump more than £1bn into fund industry – The Times (£) Banks to miss out on special favours in May’s Brexit plans – Bloomberg Banks can make lemonade from Brexit lemons – Bloomberg Philip Hammond warns of post-Brexit ‘rollercoaster’ as he ditches plans to clear deficit Philip Hammond yesterday ditched George Osborne ’s plans to clear the deficit and braced Britain for a post-Brexit “rollercoaster”. In a sharp U-turn, the new Chancellor said keeping the economy afloat must now take precedence over his predecessor’s goal of achieving a surplus by 2020. – Daily Mirror Hammond soothes Brexit fears with EU funding promise – The Scotsman Hammond to spend his way out of Brexit fallout – The Guardian Hammond is wrong to assume an infrastructure splurge will boost growth – City A.M. Hammond said Brexit would make us poorer. Does he think we’ve forgotten? – Daily Telegraph Hammond is right to set a new economic course and ditch George Osborne’s constrictive budget targets – The Sun Says For Theresa May, Brexit success depends on social reform [Theresa May] will focus on what Chancellor Philip Hammond called “a dangerous divide opening up between those who believe they have a stake in the success of our economy and those who do not”. In an important passage of his speech, Mr Hammond said this would be the Government’s “central mission”, namely seeing “the benefits of economic growth shared more evenly across the regions”, in a dig at the previous government and their apparent sole focus on the Northern Powerhouse in Manchester. Social reform is Mrs May’s mission, and she will make clear at this conference that she sees it as crucial to the success of Brexit. – Sky News Britain will not wait for Brexit to cut migration, Amber Rudd to say Amber Rudd is expected to use her conference speech to announce plans to limit the number of non-EU migrants in a bid to cut the level of net migration in the run up Brexit. – Daily Telegraph UK has ‘no plans’ to make it easier for Australians to enter after Brexit – The Guardian Ruth Davidson at odds with May over Brexit stance on immigration – The Times (£) Jeremy Hunt: NHS will become ‘self-sufficient’ and no longer rely on foreign doctors The NHS will be “self-sufficient” within 10 years and not have to rely on foreign doctors, Jeremy Hunt will say on Tuesday. The Health Secretary will use his speech to the Conservative Party conference to announce plans to train up to 1,500 more doctors a year in England. – Daily Telegraph Companies will reap the rewards if they help make Brexit work for Britain But the shrewdest businesses have seen the opportunities Brexit presents. We have a government focused on “making Brexit work” and significant interest from media giants who encouraged their millions of readers to vote Leave….With leaving the EU top billing at the Conservative Party conference this week, Theresa May and chancellor Philip Hammond are on the lookout for businesses that will help them deliver on their pledge to “make Brexit work for Britain”. Companies that are willing to show they are backing this cause will see their efforts paid back in dividends. – City A.M. The Hokey Cokey Brexit: May warned don’t be in and out of the EU The Prime Minister has been warned against a “hokey cokey Brexit” as Tory former ministers outline their demands for negotiations with Brussels. Peter Lilley suggested it would be “foolish” to try to retain parts of the existing EU arrangements while also seeking to withdraw from others, claiming this would “tie our hands” when negotiating with the rest of the world. – Daily Express The great repeal bill: why you should keep an eye on the legal side of Brexit Overall, then, the great repeal bill won’t tell us what Brexit is. That will depend partly on which EU laws are repealed after Brexit day and what relations look like with the EU thereafter. But it is a significant part of the legal Brexit process so the British public should keep a close eye on developments to make sure the government is held to account. – The Conversation William Hague: How Theresa May can deliver the Goldilocks solution to Brexit: neither soft nor hard but the one that serves the country best As someone who was on the Remain side, I therefore find myself out of sympathy with any “soft” argument for delay and think the Prime Minister has got this early decision absolutely right. What she has said is neither soft nor hard but it is well-thought out and sensible. – William Hague in the Daily Telegraph Mark Wallace: May’s vision – not soft, not hard, just Brexit This doesn’t mean May is opting for “Hard Brexit”. Rather, it means the soft/hard distinction is bogus. As she made clear yesterday, she’s aiming for Britain to become a self-governing country which democratically decides its own policies, rules and laws. That isn’t Soft Brexit or Hard Brexit, it’s the only possible definition of Brexit which makes any coherent sense. – Mark Wallace for ConservativeHome Brian Monteith: Forget Hard or Soft – Theresa May is right to back a Clean Brexit – City A.M. As a British MEP, I welcome our coming abolition. But don’t let our talents be wasted afterwards When we stand down, our Party will be losing possibly its most diverse and representative group of elected politicians. There is a range of talents, cultures and experience there which I believe can continue to stand the Party in good stead as we strive to extend our reach. I hope it will not be wasted post-Brexit. – Amjad Bashir MEP on ConservativeHome Matthew Lynn: It’s fine for Europe to poach our businesses – but let’s poach some of theirs There has certainly been no shortage of European business centres taking advantage of anxiety over what Brexit might mean to try and woo some of our companies away….But two can surely play at that game? European cities are completely entitled to make a pitch to our business leaders. At the same time, however, we are completely entitled to make a pitch to theirs. After all, while there are advantages to being inside the EU,there are also quite a few to being out. – Matthew Lynn for the Daily Telegraph Ed Vaizey MP: Theresa May has played a blinder so far – but we need Labour opposition Of course, there is one thing astonishingly absent from this narrative. The Labour party. Last week they plunged into the abyss. At one of the most testing times for our country, the official opposition has left the field of play. That’s not good for the nation, and it’s not good for the governing party, which needs to be tested and needs to avoid turning in on itself. – Ed Vaizey MP for the International Business Times Dominic Grieve: Article 50 can’t be triggered unless parliament agrees I also worry at the continued insistence that the government has the right to trigger the Article 50 Brexit process without the approval of the House of Commons. This statement is entirely contrary to the constitutional principles that have evolved in the last century on major changes to international treaties. Irrespective of the outcome of the legal challenges to the lawfulness of such a process, it is a flagrant breach of an established constitutional convention, which in a country with no written constitution Conservatives have always stressed the importance of observing. – Dominic Grieve for The Times (£) Brexit comment in brief Labour peers will ensure the government answers to parliament over Brexit – Baronesses Smith and Hayter for The Times (£) Red Box website A sensible Brexit policy is the only way to save the Labour party – Matthew Ellery on Huffington Post Negotiating a Brexit passport to success for the City of London – Lord Flight on ConservativeHome Let’s show Japan that we can be even closer friends after Brexit – James Cleverly MP in the Daily Telegraph Philip Hammond and Theresa May are not a united partnership – but he’ll keep on dancing to her tune – Andrew Grice in The Independent Brexit: Will Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales benefit from new powers? – Christopher Howarth on ConservativeHome Brexit news in brief John Redwood urges Theresa May to take Britain out of the EU within seven months – Daily Mail Daniel Hannan MEP “thinking of becoming a teacher” after politics – Politico.eu It’s not just Hungary but all Europe that’s turning its back on refugee quotas – The Independent Brexit stands trial in Northern Ireland – Politico.eu Brexit ‘opportunity’ for Wales say top Tories – ITV Wales Brexit, Schmexit: Central Banks Increased British Pound Holdings During 2Q – Wall Street Journal The impact of Brexit on the MENA region – Middle East Monitor Cheeky Polish businessmen launch Brexit energy drinks ‘just for a laugh’…but they are selling like hotcakes – Daily Mirror And finally… How do you like your Brexit: hard, soft or scrambled? – Politico.eu