Theresa May tells EU that ‘no deal is better than a bad deal for Britain’… Theresa May has warned the European Union that she is prepared to walk away from the negotiating table as she set out her blueprint for Brexit. In comments that were hailed by Eurosceptics, the Prime Minister told EU leaders that any attempt to “punish” Britain would be “an act of calamitous self-harm for the countries of Europe” that her Government will not accept. She said she would rather do “no deal” than one which is a “bad deal for Britain”. – Daily Telegraph EU could take economic hit to deter Brexit copycats – Sky News …as she confirms we’ll be quitting the single market… The final Brexit deal with the EU will mean the UK leaving the European single market, Theresa May has announced… She said: “Being out of the EU but a member of the single market would mean complying with the EU’s rules and regulations that implement those freedoms, without having a vote on what those rules and regulations are. It would mean accepting a role for the European Court of Justice that would see it still having direct legal authority in our country. It would to all intents and purposes mean not leaving the EU at all.” – Sky News Britons back exit from the EU single market – Sky News …and announces that the final deal will be put to parliamentary votes… In her most wide-ranging and important speech on Brexit to date, the Prime Minister said that both the House of Commons and House of Lords will be given the opportunity to vote on the final Brexit deal. Campaigners have called for such a Parliamentary approval since June’s referendum last year, arguing that many people did not know what exactly what they were voting for, only what they were voting against. – Business Insider …although David Davis says Britain will quit the EU even if MPs vote down the deal Brexit minister David Davis told MPs that votes in the Commons and Lords, promised in Mrs May’s speech, would be on the deal she secures and not on Brexit itself. “The referendum last year set in motion a circumstance where the UK is going to leave the European Union, and it won’t change that.” – Evening Standard May is open to a snap general election if Remain-leaning MPs veto Brexit – The Sun What was in the 12 point plan? Here is her 12-point plan in full – and which bits of it made us sit up and take notice – Daily Mirror On BrexitCentral: Full text of Theresa May’s speech Further coverage on BrexitCentral: Matthew Elliott: Theresa May gave us an inspiring vision of a global Britain Steve Baker MP: The country should now unite behind Theresa May’s clear and positive vision of post-Brexit Britain Dr Gerard Lyons: Theresa May could not have been clearer: Brexit really does mean Brexit The BrexitCentral Podcast: Darren Grimes talks to Matthew Elliott and Jonathan Isaby Pound rockets off back of Theresa May’s Brexit speech The currency, which had dipped to below $1.20 before the speech, rose to $1.22 after the announcement was made and then later rising to $1.23 – a jump of more than 2.7%. The value then settled down after the Conservative leader signalled the government’s intent to leave the European single market, but still showed gains off its initial boost. Yet, it still bounced back enough to be flat against the euro for the week in what could be its highest one day gain since 2008. – Metro No wonder the City cheered – Alex Brummer in the Daily Mail City figures give stoic welcome to May’s plans for EU single market exit – Daily Telegraph Business and industry react to May’s speech – BBC European shares steady as banks turns positive after May speech – Reuters Jeremy Corbyn says Theresa May wants to have her cake and eat it on Brexit In response to the Prime Minister’s keynote speech on her priorities for negotiating Britain’s future outside the EU, the Labour leader vowed to hold the government to account every step of the way. He promised Labour would unveil their vision for Brexit Britain soon. And he questioned why Mrs May outlined her plan at a press conference rather than in a speech to parliament. – Daily Mirror Sir Keir Starmer tells MPs that Theresa May’s plan is not ‘hard Brexit’ – The Independent Labour accuse Theresa May of ‘giving up on Britain’ – Daily Express Is giving both Houses of Parliament a vote a bold dare for Labour to “frustrate” things? – LabourList No real opposition from Labour to May’s Brexit speech – Katy Balls for The Spectator’s Coffee House blog If we want a proper movement against Brexit, Labour needs to split – James Moore for The Independent Burnham, O’Grady and Labour figures give their verdict on May’s big Brexit speech – LabourList If Jeremy Corbyn stays in the middle of the road on Brexit, he’ll be run over – Tom Harris in the Daily Telegraph (£) Indyref2 now ‘more likely’ says Nicola Sturgeon A second Scottish independence referendum is “even more likely” after Theresa May’s Brexit speech, Nicola Sturgeon has said. The Scottish First Minister accused the prime minister of pursuing the “entirely the wrong direction for the country”, as she blamed the “obsessions” of the Tory right wing for Mrs May’s “hard Brexit approach”. – ITV Sturgeon’s dilemma on second referendum – FT (£) No matter what Theresa May says, Nicola Sturgeon still wants a new independence vote – Alan Cochrane for the Daily Telegraph (£) PM’s extreme Brexit option is worrying, says Plaid Cymru MP – BBC Carwyn Jones insists the National Assembly will have to vote on the final Brexit deal – Wales Online The PM’s speech was about an ‘extreme version of Brexit’ says Tim Farron Tim Farron claimed she was saying “politicians can have a bit of democracy at the end of this process, but the people can’t.” And he told Daily Politics presenter Jo Coburn his party would vote against “anything that cuts the people out of this process”. – BBC The Brexit that Theresa May set out today is not what the people voted for; they deserve another say – Lib Dem peer Lord Ashdown for The Independent Ukip’s Suzanne Evans says May was “channelling UKIP” Ukip’s Suzanne Evans claim Theresa May was “channelling Ukip” policy as she outlined her Brexit strategy and warned she was still wary of an “establishment” attempt to delay or stop leaving the EU… Ms Evans told BBC Daily Politics she was delighted with the speech’s content and even suggested the Prime Minister may have borrowed some of her lines from Ukip policy. She said: “I was chuckling at some of it, to be honest, it seemed as if she was channelling Ukip. “There were various phrases there that I’ve used myself again and again, and I think her 12 priorities were all extremely sound, good priorities for a proper ‘clean’ or what some people called ‘hard’ Brexit – I overwhelmingly welcome the speech.” – Daily Express Brexit optimism has gone mainstream – UKIP MP Douglas Carswell German Foreign Minister welcomes clarity and assurances of continued constructive relationship German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier reacted positively to U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May’s speech outlining her Brexit priorities Wednesday, saying she had “finally delivered some clarity on British plans.” – Politico Ireland sees Brexit as chance to make itself heard louder in Europe – Politico Diplomats see reasons to be cheerful and fearful in May’s Brexit speech – The Guardian Newspapers in Europe mock UK and Theresa May over PM’s Brexit speech – Daily Telegraph Boris Johnson MP: Countries are queueing up to do free trade deals with us in leaving the EU, we are leaving the customs union in this essential sense: that the UK will be taking back control of its tariff schedules in Geneva. We will no longer be part of the common commercial policy, or bound by the Common External Tariff, and we will no longer have our trade policy run by the EU commission. That means – crucially – that we will be able to do new free trade deals with countries around the world. They are already queuing up. Under EU rules, we are not formally allowed to negotiate these new treaties until we leave. But there is nothing to say that ideas cannot be pencilled in. And to those who worry about hassle at borders, she explained that she wanted a customs agreement with the EU, so that we could regain international trading independence whilst ensuring that trade with the EU would remain frictionless. Again, that is not just in the interests of the UK, but of both sides. – Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson in the Daily Telegraph (£) Daniel Hannan MEP: Theresa May set out an uplifting vision of a global Britain post-Brexit – you’d never have thought she voted for Remain Mrs May was a sincere Remainer but is also a democrat. She unhesitatingly accepted the referendum result. She knew the worst possible thing would be for Britain to leave the EU sulkily or half-heartedly. Better to go back to first principles and find a deal that suits all sides. – Conservative MEP Daniel Hannan in The Sun Gisela Stuart MP: Labour should accept the result of the referendum and welcome Theresa May’s call for unity and ending divisions The Prime Minister was right to invoke the spirit of national responsibility and we should now come together, irrespective of how we voted in the referendum. Mrs May and the Brexit Secretary David Davis should also be commended, despite the fact they are Tories, for being clear they have no intention of undermining workers’ rights. – Labour’s Gisela Stuart MP in The Mirror Janet Daley: Theresa May just made Brussels an offer it cannot refuse That was one virtuoso performance. In the most defiantly, irresistibly optimistic terms Mrs May made the leaders of the EU an offer they couldn’t refuse. Or at least, they couldn’t refuse it without looking like mindlessly vindictive, self-harming lunatics. Who could say no to an offer so apparently rational, decent, and dedicated to the future success of the EU itself? Only crazy people, she implied – or a federation that was so terrified of the success that dropping out of membership might bring that it was prepared to damage its own future prosperity. – Janet Daley in the Daily Telegraph (£) Theresa May’s Brexit speech was historic and a game-changer for Britain and Brussels – The Sun Says Theresa May’s 12-step plan for Brexit is an honest attempt to bring what clarity she can to a complex process. Brussels would be wise to respond in kind – Times (£) editorial Theresa May’s Brexit plan is bold and ambitious – and it deserves to succeed – Daily Telegraph (£) editorial A reality check tinged with fantasy – Guardian editorial May makes absolutely, blindingly clear what Brexit means – and it’s impossible for her opponents to deny – Mark Wallace for ConservativeHome May outlined a prize that is worth pursuing – Shanker Singham of the Legatum Institute Theresa May’s Brexit plan is sensible, but will the EU have the sense to see that? – Philip Johnston in the Daily Telegraph (£) Theresa May prepares to play tough – Open Europe’s Stephen Booth for The Spectator’s Coffee House blog Fine speech – now call an election! – Peter Oborne in the Daily Mail Theresa May’s speech means the Brexit phony war may be ending – David Allen Green for the FT (£) May can think big all she likes. Britain’s about to find out just how small it is – Rafael Behr for The Guardian If Brexit is about British sovereignty, why didn’t Theresa May make her speech in Parliament? – A.C. Grayling for The Independent Theresa May’s speech is a template for EU reform – Daniele Capezzone for Reaction The Single Market isn’t all it’s cracked up to be – Michael Toner for the International Business Times Brexit news in brief Theresa May set to face heated PMQs on Brexit plans – ITV May to meet Wall Street chiefs for talks on ‘hard Brexit’ – Sky News Fury as four people mounting fresh High Court bid to block Brexit win the right from judge to stay anonymous – Daily Mail Last minute support from European Conservatives and Reformists wins European Parliament presidency for Italian centre-Right candidate Antonio Tajani – Politico I warned David Cameron his Brexit strategy was failing – Owen Jones interviews Nick Clegg for The Guardian Stop patronising the 52%; the Brexit vote was a rational act – Joseph Hackett for Reaction How to tell if businesses are using Brexit as an excuse for failure – Serina Sandhu for The i