Anonymous uncommissioned leaked memo claims Government is struggling to manage Brexit Whitehall is working on more than 500 Brexit-related projects and could need to hire 30,000 extra civil servants, according to a leaked memo prepared for the Cabinet Office. Splits within the cabinet also mean that the government may need another six months to decide on its priorities, according to the assessment by a consultant working for the department – The Times (£) The report criticises Mrs May, who it says is “acquiring a reputation of drawing in decisions and details to settle matters herself” – an approach it describes as being “unlikely to be sustainable.”…[The] document also identifies cabinet splits between Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, Brexit Secretary David Davis and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox on one side, and Chancellor Philip Hammond and Business Secretary Greg Clark on the other. – BBC A government spokesman denied the existence of an official memo, which the Times said had been drafted by an outside consultant. The spokesman said: “This is not a government report and we don’t recognise the claims made in it. We are focused on getting on with the job of delivering Brexit and making a success of it.” It is understood not to have been seen by ministers or commissioned as an official report by the Cabinet Office. – The Guardian Theresa May insists a change is in the air and Britain can lead it In a speech to City leaders at Lord Mayor’s Banquet, the prime minister said the UK must rebuild trust in global free markets by ensuring they deliver prosperity for all. “If we believe, as I do, that liberalism and globalisation continue to offer the best future for our world, we must deal with the downsides and show that we can make these twin forces work for everyone.” May also used the speech to urge firms to cooperate with the government to ensure they “do business in the right way” adding that a minority have “gamed the system”. – ITV Britain needs to make globalisation work for everyone – Transcript of Theresa May’s Lord Mayor’s Banquet speech on CapX See key moments from Theresa May’s speech at the Lord Mayor’s dinner – Daily Mirror Theresa May touts UK as a post-Brexit pioneer – The Herald Britain needs a culture shift if it’s going to lead the world on free trade – Daniel Korski for City A.M. May urges change, but what kind? – Laura Kuenssberg for the BBC RBS chairman calls on Theresa May to draw up Brexit transitional plan The chairman of Royal Bank of Scotland has warned that banks could pull operations out of Britain unless Theresa May draws up transitional arrangements for the country’s exit from the EU. Sir Howard Davies said it would be damaging if there was no transitional plan and that banks would have to make decisions based on uncertainty….Davis said the government did not need to reveal its full negotiating position, but needed to reassure the City so Britain did not encounter a “jerky and sudden” departure from the EU. – The Guardian Government to invest £15bn to ‘future proof’ economy over Brexit – LBC Brexit minister pledges to make UK aviation a ‘major success story’ – Yorkshire Post London’s voice will be heard in monthly talks with Mayor – Evening Standard Downing Street rejects ‘third person’ role for Nigel Farage following Donald Trump victory The Prime Minister’s official spokeswoman said the Government already has “well-established” channels of communication with Mr Trump’s team. The spokeswoman said: “The president-elect talked about enjoying the same relationship Reagan and Thatcher did. I don’t remember there being any third person in that relationship.” – Daily Express Theresa May and Donald Trump: questions but no answers – Guardian View Farage ally claims that Trump’s new chief strategist Steve Bannon ‘will call Nigel Farage before Theresa May’ – Daily Telegraph (£) Theresa May plans Trump charm offensive after snub to Nigel Farage – The Guardian Theresa May should listen to Nigel Farage, because she needs all the help she can get – Telegraph View Trump will ignore Sturgeon and May should ignore Farage – Alan Cochrane for the Daily Telegraph (£) Brexit is ‘golden opportunity for London businesses’ Jasmine Whitbread, who will start at London First next month, said business chiefs had a unique moment to push their plans on the single market and immigration while things are in flux. [She said] “I’m a great believer that with challenge comes opportunity. In flux, things are changing. This is a golden opportunity for business not to wait to be invited but to get together and set out their proposals.”. – Evening Standard Exporters battling on despite Brexit – Raconteur Europe’s finance chiefs stay positive despite Brexit woes – City A.M. Scotland’s parties are ready to unite and push for a ‘Soft Brexit’ Scotland’s government is set to ask opposition parties to unite and push for the UK to retain single-market membership after Brexit. Scottish economy secretary Keith Brown will lead a debate in the Scottish parliament on Tuesday seeking cross-party support for single-market access, which is a free trade agreement between countries within the European Union, as well as several others. – Business Insider SNP challenged over ‘meaningless’ Brexit single market demand – Daily Telegraph Britain to opt in to Europol The British government intends to “opt-in” to a new legal framework for EU policing agency Europol, Policing Minister Brandon Lewis told the U.K. parliament…“Europol provides a valuable service to the U.K. and opting in would enable us to maintain our current access to the agency, until we leave the EU, helping keep the people of Britain safe,” Lewis said. The U.K., a member of Europol since its foundation in 1998, chose to opt-in in 2014 when Britain negotiated the right to choose which EU justice and home affairs matters to be part of. – Politico Top UK Eurocrat demands Belgian citizenship for Brits The European Commission’s most senior British official wants “high-level action” and even “infringement action” taken against Belgium for not making it easy for British officials who want to continue living in Belgium and working for the EU institutions after Brexit to get Belgian citizenship. – Politico Those outside of the Schengen zone could be charged £10 to enter the EU – The Sun If you don’t want to leave the EU, you don’t have to – become an associate citizen – Charles Goerens for The Independent Miles Jacobson: We planned for Brexit at Football Manager. So why did no one else? Before the referendum, I made sure my business had a plan for all the possible outcomes. And, unlike our politicians, I was happy to go public with it….Media requests flew in. I ended up on the Daily Politics, explaining what we’d done to a Tory and Labour MP. Other politicians got in touch. And then I was invited by [the games industry trade body] Ukie to speak to a bunch of MPs behind closed doors. Why had a game developer seemingly put more preparation into this most important of decisions than our government? – Miles Jacobson in the Guardian Tom Slater: Farage is propagating the myth that Brexit = Trump Let’s cut the crap. Brexit does not equal Trump. The Brexit vote was about self-determination. It wasn’t about endorsing one individual, or one set of policies; it was about doing politics differently, about the people clawing back control from the technocratic elites in both Brussels and Whitehall. Trump’s election was a blow to the establishment. But it has only outsourced the bubbling, anti-establishment fervour to one individual – an authoritarian opportunist, at that. And seeing as Trump has already smashed the record for pre-inauguration rowbacks, there’s a good chance he won’t be the swamp-drainer many hoped. – Tom Slater for Spiked Brexit comment in brief Trump will aid us in leaving the EU – Christopher Howarth for ConservativeHome The path to Brexit remains an uncharted one – Anton Muscatelli for The Times (£) Forget Marmitegate, Brexit isn’t changing how we shop – Constance Watson for Reaction Why Brexit could be a catalyst for crowdfunding campaigns – Real Business The EU has bigger priorities than Brexit – Anand Menon for The Guardian EU membership must matter – Brigid Laffan for EurActiv One reason why it’s almost impossible for Italy to become the next country to leave the EU – Business Insider Brexit news in brief Aaron Banks moves to launch a competitor to UKIP – ConservativeHome EU backs greater military cooperation – Politico Germany advises US banks on moving offices from London to Frankfurt – The Independent Housing market is ‘robust’ despite some post-referendum wobbles – Daily Telegraph Look to China after Brexit, CBI advises UK universities – Times Higher Education Cameron makes £2,000 a minute for Brexit speech – The Times (£) MPs ask for evidence about whether hate crime has really gone up – Birmingham Mail Obama calls Merkel his ‘closest ally’ and slams Brexit – Daily Express BBC presenter ignores polling and tries to tell America that Brits regret voting for Brexit and Remain would win a second EU referendum – The Sun And finally… How Brexit and Trump will affect James Bond Bond’s geographical mobility is pivotal to mission success. And however good he is, he needs allies and access to the resources that they are able to mobilise. Take away those “assets” and Bond’s agency is degraded. So do these tumultuous times – with the possible end of the Anglo-American special relationship and UK-European co-operation – also mean the end of Bond as we know it? – The Conversation