Theresa May begins critical 48 hours with plea to EU leaders to ‘evolve’ their position… Theresa May will appeal to other EU leaders today to ditch “unacceptable demands”, including keeping Northern Ireland in the single market as the price of a Brexit trade deal. The prime minister is said to regard the next 48 hours as critical in persuading EU leaders to overrule the European Commission on the key issue of the Irish border. Mrs May will call on them to “evolve” their negotiations over a dinner in Salzburg today. She is expected to agree with Donald Tusk, the European Council president, that goodwill will be needed to avoid a disorderly Brexit. Her key message will be that London could never accept a “backstop” that resulted in Northern Ireland having different customs arrangements to the rest of the UK. The UK is not seeking to enjoy all the rights of EU membership without any of the obligations, Mrs May will say, an outcome she acknowledges would also be unacceptable. “What we are proposing is a fair arrangement that will work for the EU’s economy as well as for the UK’s without undermining the single market,” she is expected to say. “This would be balanced by a strong security relationship to keep all our citizens safe from threats at home and abroad.” Mr Tusk will appeal to other leaders to “take into account” the deep Tory divisions over Mrs May’s Chequers compromise that seeks to avoid a hard border in Ireland by committing Britain to remain aligned to EU rules. Speaking before the informal summit in Austria, Mr Tusk urged leaders to “act responsibly” to “avoid a catastrophe” in the shape of a no-deal Brexit. – The Times (£) At Theresa May’s showdown in Salzburg her pitch to the EU is clear: give me Chequers, or you get Corbyn – Peter Foster for the Telegraph (£) …as she insists her Brexit plan ‘delivers the freedoms people voted for’… Brexit will give Britain the “freedom to deliver the British dream”, Theresa May has said. In an exclusive interview with the Daily Express, the Prime Minister delivers her most optimistic vision yet of how breaking free of Brussels will benefit the whole the country. Mrs May said: “Brexit gives us the opportunity to build a better future and to help people to realise the British dream.” She also issued a stark warning that demands for a second EU referendum risks shattering trust in Westminster. The Prime Minister added: “We gave people the opportunity to make a choice. They made that choice.”If we as politicians want people to trust us, then we have to deliver for them on that.” – Express …but prepares to tell Brussels there will be no deal unless Irish Sea border demands are dumped… Theresa May will today warn other EU leaders there will be No Deal on Brexit unless the Irish Sea border demands are dumped. But the PM will get just ten minutes to argue her case. The meeting of the 28 national bosses in Salzburg is a key chance for her to unlock a stand-off with Commission negotiators by appealing directly to the 27 other national bosses. But, The Sun can reveal Mrs May’s bid to thrash out her Chequers plan for a trade deal with the group has been thwarted. Instead of a long debate with them – which was also pushed for by the host Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz – she will be given just 10 minutes to make a brief personal pitch. EU Council president Donald Tusk has shut down any debate with the table, insisting the others will discuss their response tomorrow without her. – The Sun …as Michel Barnier says the EU is ready to ‘improve’ its proposal… The EU is “ready to improve” its offer on the Irish border, Michel Barnier has said as he warned the “moment of truth” was nearing for Brexit negotiations. The UK and EU both want to avoid a hard border – meaning any physical infrastructure like cameras or guard posts – but can’t agree on how. The EU’s negotiator has now shifted his tone, saying he is ready to offer new proposals to help break the deadlock. It comes as Theresa May tries to win support for her plans from EU leaders. The UK prime minister will use a dinner in Salzburg on Wednesday to sell her strategy – the so-called Chequers plan – for future co-operation with the EU to the bloc’s 27 other leaders. – BBC News …although his fundamental stance does not appear to have changed While Barnier’s comments were clearly intended to reassure London and ease tensions, they do not necessarily indicate a fundamental shift in the EU position on the backstop, which is that Northern Ireland, in the strictest legal sense, must remain obligated to EU customs rules and other regulatory requirements even as the UK might adopt its own post-Brexit regimes. That position would not shift until it is superseded by a future free trade agreement or other deal between the EU and UK. Until now, the EU has expressed deep skepticism that any proposal could work other than its version of the backstop, which effectively means keeping all of Northern Ireland within the EU customs territory while excluding the rest of the UK. – Politico Dominic Raab echoes May’s call for EU now to compromise Dominic Raab has walked into a row over his demand that the EU compromises in the Brexit talks, as the European council president, Donald Tusk, warned that the “catastrophe” of a no-deal scenario was “still quite possible”. In an interview with continental European newspapers, the UK’s Brexit secretary had said it was the EU’s time to move on its red lines, and that warm words would not suffice with so little time left until Brexit day. “We have shown a lot of flexibility and we have been very pragmatic,” Raab said. “So I think this is the moment to see that matched … The ball is a little bit in the other court now.” – Guardian Brexit should end EU citizens’ special access to UK, says Migration Advisory Committee Free movement from the EU should end after Brexit and the UK should embrace a Canada-style system in which there is no preferential access to the labour market for citizens of any other country, according to the government’s migration advisory committee (MAC). The report, which is intended to advise ministers on how to proceed after Brexit, concedes it may not be possible to achieve a country-neutral system because the UK may not have an entirely free hand in determining migration policy after the it leaves the EU because the final policy will be subject to exit negotiations.It concludes that if “immigration is not to be part of the negotiations with the EU, and the UK is deciding its migration system in isolation, we recommend moving to a system in which all immigration is managed with no preferential access to EU citizens”. It said the model would be similar to that used in Canada, which had “an open, welcoming approach to migration but no free movement agreement with any other country”.- Guardian Sir Vince Cable calls for Labour members to ‘wave him goodbye’ if Jeremy Corbyn doesn’t back another Brexit vote… Sir Vince Cable has called for Jeremy Corbyn’s removal as Labour leader if he fails to back a fresh Brexit referendum. The Liberal Democrat leader used his speech to the party’s conference to accuse Mr Corbyn of dodging the “biggest issue of the day” over Britain’s impending departure from the EU. He attacked Mr Corbyn for “letting down the many people in Labour’s heartland who now see Brexit for what it is”, while he also attacked the Labour leader for indulging “antisemitic bigots”. Sir Vince also made a direct appeal to Prime Minister Theresa May over a referendum on the final Brexit deal, urging her to “shock us all by displaying true leadership” to offer what he terms a “people’s vote”. – Sky News …as it is claimed Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer considered resigning after clash with Jeremy Corbyn over customs union Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, was pushed to the brink of resignation early this year after Jeremy Corbyn and his allies tried to kick his customs union plan into the long grass, senior Labour sources have told the Guardian. Labour’s Brexit policy has evolved over the past 18 months through a series of painstaking negotiations between key players at the top of the party, the most fraught of which came at a stormy meeting of the “Brexit subcommittee” early this year. Corbyn’s close allies ambushed Starmer with a paper which shelved the decision on joining a customs union, a policy he had been pushing privately for weeks.Several people present at the meeting told the Guardian the general feeling in the room was that Starmer was willing to resign rather than accept the proposals, numbered copies of which were handed out at the start of the meeting and retrieved at the end. – Guardian COMMENT Theresa May: No side can demand completely unacceptable from the other The commitments that we would make are that if UK companies provide services in the EU in the future, they will have to follow the same rules as domestic companies, so they will not undercut EU service providers. What we propose is therefore a fair regulation that would work for the EU economy as well as for the British without undermining the single market. In addition, there would be a strong security relationship to protect all our citizens against threats at home and abroad… With goodwill and determination on both sides, we can avoid a disorderly exit that would cause us all great difficulties and find new ways of working together. Whether we belong to the EU or not, we are part of the European family of states and must remain good friends who support each other in promoting prosperity and security. – Theresa May MP for Die Welt Jacob Rees-Mogg: We have one chance to get Brexit right and ridding ourselves of Chequers will let us take it Chequers is the only option other than no deal, according to the Prime Minister. Chequers could be altered by a future Prime Minister, according to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. At the weekend Michael Gove said: “A future prime minister could always choose to alter the relationship between Britain and the European Union”. There is a clear inconsistency in these two views. If Chequers could be changed later, why not simply short-circuit the process and agree something lasting? But that contradicts Theresa May’s firmly stated position…The EU would have no incentive to renew talks once we have left on the basis of an agreed international treaty. The money would have been paid, the system set up and the caravan would have moved on. It is no wonder that even the thought of starting again has led Brussels to demand a binding legal agreement. Michel Barnier’s deputy Sabine Weyand was quoted as saying: “We will need credible political promises from the UK.” Even if the EU were willing to perpetuate this process, it is hard to believe there would be any political desire at home to keep negotiating. Opinion polls already show that most people want the matter concluded and many do not understand why it has taken so long. – Jacob Rees-Mogg MP for the Telegraph Nigel Farage: Immigration may become a bigger issue than ever when voters realise how little change they’ll get from Theresa May Today’s report by the Migration Advisory Committee is music to my ears. For the first time I can remember, an organisation with some official standing has acknowledged what I have warned of repeatedly: reckless mass immigration has hurt Britain. The MAC, which advises the government on its immigration policy, believes that allowing millions of people to come and live in the UK merely on the basis that they hold an EU passport has affected wages for the lower-paid and resulted in house price increases. One of its key recommendations is an end to preferential treatment for those from the European Economic Area. I hold no prejudice against anyone on the grounds of their nationality, their religion, or their race. I have never done so. But this double whammy of wage compression and a rampant property market should have been acted upon years ago. – Nigel Farage MEP for the Telegraph Henry Newman: Now the Government must promote Chequers – which, though not perfect, is at least practicable A crescendo of voices are attacking the Government, which is doing far too little to communicate its Brexit policy. A sizeable chunk of the Conservative Party is pretty furious with the Prime Minister for being insufficiently purist on Brexit; another part of the party thinks she is being too much so. Meanwhile, Labour play with the possibility of backing a second referendum (though will probably only do so in circumstances in which the party knows it cannot be delivered). Newspapers and broadcasters delight in the drama of No Deal planning, bombarding us with possible ramifications and predictions – some real and worrying, others far-fetched and fanciful. Yet one thing remains clear. Although Chequers is far from perfect, it nonetheless offers a realistic plan for leaving the EU and a framework for a close future partnership. For far, far too long the Government dithered and delayed crucial decisions. Having now belatedly agreed a plan, the Government is peculiarly lacklustre about defending it. – Henry Newman for Conservative Home James Forsyth: The unwelcome distraction waiting for the PM in Salzburg Theresa May heads to Salzburg to try and persuade the leaders of the EU27 of the merits of her Brexit plan. But there’ll be an unwelcome distraction for her in the morning. I understand that the European Commission will issue a reasoned opinion in the Olaf case, where the Commission accuses the UK of failing to prevent customs fraud on shoes and textiles imported from China and is demanding over two billion euros in lost revenue.The UK continues to contest this case, and I understand it has asked the Commission for more information on various points. But the timing of this reasoned opinion has raised eyebrows in government circles.- James Forsyth for The Spectator Denis MacShane: If Labour are serious about calling a general election, they first need to back a final vote on the Brexit deal There is an alternative to a general election. And that would be for Thornberry to support – as the majority of Labour Party members now do – a people’s vote, given all the information we now have and the great fears for jobs, wages and investment in the event of any kind of Brexit. Repeating the shop-worn demands for an election doesn’t change the political weather. If Corbyn or Thornberry were to call for a serious examination of a people’s vote, either or both would be showing the kind of leadership that alters the terms of debate and puts Labour alongside progressive forces, as well as the growing voices in the UK economy and civil society who are now seriously worried about Brexit. And if Labour were to be seen as the architect of a people’s vote to stop Brexit, the party would then be in a powerful position to demand an election to remove an administration which has refused ever to question or challenge Brexit since June 2016. – Denis MacShane for the Independent Daniel Hannan: We no longer need to imagine a free trade deal with the USA – we’ve written one Global Britain took an important step forward yesterday. A draft UK-US trade agreement was launched at simultaneous events in London and Washington. The agreement was drawn up over several months by ten market-oriented organisations: the Institute of Economic Affairs, Centre for Policy Studies, Adam Smith Institute, Initiative for Free Trade and Politeia here, and Heritage, Cato, Manhattan, the Competitive Enterprise Institute and the American Enterprise Institute in the United States – the first time, as far as anyone can remember, that all those mighty foundations have worked together on the same project. I am typing these words in DC, having just spoken at the launch in the Senate. The treaty unveiled yesterday – and it is a full treaty, not just a proposal for what a treaty should contain – would be the most comprehensive ever signed. – Dan Hannan MEP for Conservative Home > On BrexitCentral today: Ted Bromund: There’s now a US-UK trade deal ready to be signed Owen Paterson MP: Brexit should allow us to work more closely with freedom-loving kindred spirits in the USA Kathy Gyngell: Immigration – Will someone in the Government listen? Yesterday The Times led its front page with the story, giving the apparently encouraging news that there would be no need for low-skilled workers after Brexit. It suggested, however, that this was ‘likely to be criticised by some business figures because it rejects the automatic need for a new route for low-skilled workers from the EU or around the world to come in after Brexit’. In other words that its recommendations were too restrictive. However Sir Andrew Green of the independent think tank MigrationWatch has arrived at a rather different conclusion: ‘This is a very technical report which seems blind to the impact of high levels of EU immigration on many communities in this country as a result of rapid population growth. With immigration adding one million to our population every three years this simply cannot go on. – Kathy Gyngell for Conservative Woman Ella Whelan: Now we know – the EU was lying about Ireland and Brussels whipped up fears about the Irish border to bash Brexit For months the European Union has been whipping up fears about what Brexit might do to Ireland. As soon as negotiations between Theresa May and EU leaders began, the Irish border was invoked as an unfixable problem. As far as the EU was concerned, there were two options: create a hard border in Ireland to accommodate the fact that the North would be outside of the EU and the South still inside it, and in the process give rise to the Troubles 2.0; or just give up on Brexit and keep Northern Ireland and ideally the whole UK inside the Customs Union….The EU cannot be trusted. It says one thing and means another. It has no qualms about stereotyping Irish citizens as gunmen in waiting, ready to be propelled into a new round of violence by any kind of trading disagreement. And it lies, too. As Kate Hoey told spiked in July: ‘They’re forgetting that there is a border there already… and if you stand at the border you will see, every now and again, vehicles being stopped on either side.’ The idea that Brexit would change everything in Ireland was always a fallacy. Technical, logical, sensible solutions to the Irish border question have long been available, but the EU chose to ignore them in order to bash Brexit. It exploited Irish history and Irish concerns to try to weaken British democracy. It sees nations as mere playthings in its power plays. The Irish border discussion is a reminder of the EU’s ruthlessness. – Ella Whelan for Spiked Comment in Brief The unlikely survival of May’s Chequers plan for Brexit – The Economist The Irish border and a second vote on the EU – The Times (£) Why independence and Brexit are not the same – Brian Monteith for the Edinburgh Evening News News in Brief Dramatic challenge issued to Lord who claims UK has turned on Brexit – Express Labour’s fraught path to MPs’ crucial Brexit vote – The Guardian Brexit: What does Germany’s media think? – BBC News