May plans fast-track bill to authorise Brexit…
“Theresa May will push a law triggering Brexit through the House of Commons in only five days if judges rule against the Government in next month’s court case. The Prime Minister and David Davis have drawn up plans which ensure that the process for leaving the EU in March 2019 is not blown off course. Mrs May said the public had spoken and there could be no attempt to ‘weasel out’ of the referendum verdict. The plans come as Brexit faces the another onslaught – with ex-prime ministers Tony Blair and John Major saying the process could be stopped or that a second poll should take place.” – Daily Mail
- Britons could buy EU citizenship under top negotiator’s plan – The Times (£)
- Jaguar offers Brexit boost with plans for 10,000 new jobs – Daily Mail
- Businesses brush off Brexit shock – The Times (£)
- German minister warns they need a trade deal with Britain – Daily Telegraph
- Verhofstadt is ‘mad about Britain’ – The Times (£)
- Balls would help with Brexit if May asked him – Daily Telegraph
- Irish Prime Minister says Brexit ‘impossible’ within two years – FT
- Brexit will save the NHS, claims cancer specialist – Daily Express
- Irish border issue must be settled before Brexit talks begin, next EU President says – Belfast Telegraph
Home Nations:
- Lord Advocate to tell Supreme Court the Scottish Parliament must vote on Article 50 – Daily Telegraph
- Wales casts doubt on Hammond’s blame game – FT
- Welsh First Minister rejects Sturgeon plan for separate Brexit deal – Daily Telegraph
- First Ministers clash over separate deal for Scotland – The Guardian
- Body blow to Scottish Government as Spain vows to block Sturgeon’s wrecking plans – The Sun
- First Minister and Irish Prime Minister hold discussions before Dublin trip – Belfast Telegraph
- Mundell calls for Scottish councils to be given more powers – The Scotsman
Comment:
- Germany needs a trade deal with Britain more than vice versa – Ben Wright, Daily Telegraph
- Five ways for Britain to prosper after Brexit – Dido Harding, FT
>Today: ToryDiary: How the Government can back Shapps’ Great Repeal Bill sunset clause
EU 2) Duncan Smith accuses Major of ‘dismissing democracy’
“Sir John Major has been accused by Iain Duncan Smith of an “absolute dismissal of democracy” after the former prime minister said there was a “perfectly credible” case for a second referendum. In his first intervention since the vote in June, Sir John said that Brexit must not be dictated by the “tyranny of the majority”. Mr Duncan Smith, who was one of the most hardline and awkward of the Euro rebels dubbed “b*****ds” by Mr Major when he was in office, hit out at the former Tory leader’s comments. Speaking at a private dinner, Sir John insisted that Parliament should make the final decision on any new deal with the EU and that the 48 per cent of people who voted for Remain should have their voice heard.” – Daily Telegraph
- Former Prime Minister savaged for die-hard Remain stance – Daily Express
- Bridgen slams MEPs trying to keep us in Europe – Daily Express
Comment:
- If Major likes referendums so much, why didn’t he offer one on Maastricht? – Asa Bennett, Daily Telegraph
- A second referendum makes sense if we ask the right questions – Simon Jenkins, The Guardian
- Why I trust Blair and Major, but not Sturgeon, on Brexit – Alan Cochrane, Daily Telegraph
Sketches:
- Sunny old Leadsom does her best to cheer up the Brexit moaners – Quentin Letts, Daily Mail
>Yesterday: ToryDiary: The remains of Remain
EU 3) Watson to attack the Liberal Democrats for trying to block the people’s will over Brexit
“Labour’s biggest heavyweight will today condemn the Lib Dems for playing politics by trying to “thwart the will” of the British people over the Referendum. In a tub-thumping speech, Labour Deputy Leader Tom Watson will savage “Brexit Denier” Tim Farron and say it’s understandable a party with just 8 MPs is trying to gain headlines, but the public would not forgive his actions. Mr Watson will tell the Labour First conference this afternoon that he understands that “there is anxiety in some quarters about the way a number of MPs have reacted to the vote to Leave. “I know some people feel that politicians who campaigned against Brexit are still trying to stop it happening, ignoring the clear decision the British people made back in June.” And he will warn that “those fears aren’t completely unfounded.”” – The Sun
- Clegg says Richmond by-election could stop hard Brexit – The Independent
- Darling warns that Brexit voters could form ‘angry Trump-like movement’ – The Independent
More Labour:
- Elderly peer dies after road accident outside Parliament – The Guardian
EU 4) Charles Moore: Brexit must not be part of May’s plan, it must be her whole plan
“Even before her first Cabinet meeting as Prime Minister, in July, Theresa May said “ … we will not allow the country to be defined by Brexit”… I think she made a mistake, which is becoming clearer over time. First, her aim is pointless, since the country under her administration will be defined by Brexit, whether she likes it or not. She will carry it off well or badly – or, just conceivably, not at all – and by that she will be judged. Second, Brexit is an enormous thing. You can’t imagine George Washington, having become first President of the United States in 1789, telling the American people that independence was great, but now it was time to talk just about taxes and infrastructure. He would have understood that his overarching task was to make the new Republic work.” – Daily Telegraph
- The human factor gave us both Brexit and Trump – Ian Jack, The Guardian
Editorial:
- The dream of Europe is shrinking – The Times (£)
- Brexit won’t be easy on either siade – The Guardian
>Today: Stuart Gardner in Comment: Do events in Lithuania signal the end for freedom of movement?
Government launches crackdown on corporate governance
“Sir Philip Green’s business empire could be subject to new rules on pay and board membership, under a corporate governance crackdown planned by Number Ten. The controversial tycoon’s empire – which includes Topshop and Miss Selfridge – is privately owned, so benefits from more relaxed rules and regulations. This is despite the fact this and other big privately owned companies employ tens of thousands of workers. Under Government plans due next week, large private companies would for the first time be subject to a formal code overseen by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC).” – Daily Mail
- Prime Minister scraps steep rises in fees for immigration and asylum tribunals – FT
Ministers 1) MPs unite behind ‘grown up’ Chancellor
“Expectations of Philip Hammond’s first Autumn Statement this week were so low that two long-serving Conservative MPs left the House of Commons as it started in order to enjoy a roast beef lunch. But while they were eating, Mr Hammond smoothly asserted himself over the Tory party that had so frequently rebelled against his predecessor, George Osborne. There were few ingenious money-grabbing ideas, little in the way of new departmental plans, and some worse than expected forecasts from the Office of Budget Responsibility. But even so, Conservative backbenchers – including those who fervently support Brexit and those who rebelled over welfare cuts – liked what they saw.” – FT
- Budget watchdog defends gloomy forecast – The Sun
- Backstage power struggles between 10 and 11 Downing Street – FT
Comment:
- Hammond’s foundations are too weak to build us out of the housing crisis – Dawn Foster, The Guardian
>Yesterday: ToryDiary: The Treasury is losing influence – and the Chancellor is content for it to happen
Ministers 2) Javid calls on minority communities to do more to tackle domestic violence
“Muslim Cabinet Minister Sajid Javid has called out the country’s ethnic minorities for failing to tackle domestic violence – saying: ‘It cannot continue.’ The Communities Secretary said while violence occurred in every neighbourhood, “black, Asian and ethnic women often face particular problems when they try and flee abusive partners”. He told the Sun: “Sometimes it’s a cultural issue. Sometimes it’s because people who are supposed to help instead fall back on cultural, ethnic and religious stereotypes. “What is certain is that it can’t go on.” The explosive intervention comes just days before a Government commissioned report is expected to say certain religious groups have failed to integrate into British ways of life.” – The Sun
Ministers 3) Lewis attacks Met over ‘shocking situation’ with child protection
“The policing minister condemned the Metropolitan police leadership yesterday for “shocking” failures that left children at risk of sexual abuse. Brandon Lewis, responding to revelations that three quarters of child protection and abuse cases were poorly handled by the force, expressed concern about the “shocking situation that no one in the senior management… even had a grip or responsibility”. The watchdog reported “inexcusably poor practice at every stage of a child’s interaction with the police”.” – The Times (£)
- Child sex abuse inquiry is failing us, claim victims’ groups – The TImes (£)
Shapps tables plan to let people dump phone contracts in bid to battle ‘not-spots’
“Millions of Brits will be able to dump their mobile phone supplier mid-contract under radical “not-spot” proposals being considered by the Government. The Sun can reveal a former Cabinet Minister has tabled a ‘phone freedom’ plan which would hand unprecedented power to consumers suffering from poor signal coverage… Under the idea, Brits would be able to switch provider without a penalty – and take their handset with them – if they are “consistently unable” to obtain use their phone at home or at work. The plan from Grant Shapps has been proposed as an amendment to the Digital Economy Bill being read in the Commons on Monday.” – The Sun
- Cameron’s marriage tax allowance branded a ‘total failure’ – The Times (£)
Rivals accused of dirty tricks in Richmond by-election
“The Richmond by-election has descended into a dirty tricks campaign, it has been alleged. The Liberal Democrats have been accused of sending out leaflets designed to look as if they are from Ukip, while Zac Goldsmith, the Conservative who triggered the contest when he resigned last month after the government approved the expansion of Heathrow airport, is said to have misled voters by claiming that he has the support of the Green MP Caroline Lucas. This is despite her party having decided not to stand but to support the Liberal Democrat candidate, Sarah Olney, 39.” – The Times (£)
Farage march cancelled over far right fears
“A plan for Nigel Farage to lead a 100,000-strong pro-Brexit march on the Supreme Court has been scrapped after concerns that it could be hijacked by the far right. Organisers of the protest had hoped that it would heap pressure on the court’s judges as they consider whether parliament should be given a vote over triggering the formal process for leaving the European Union. Mr Farage had been lined up to lead the march through central London to coincide with the start of the court case. Sources said yesterday that difficulties in organising the event at short notice and the danger of infiltration by the BNP and the English Defence League meant that it would not go ahead.” – The Times (£)
- Britain’s future will be defined by two starkly opposed figures: Farage and Farron – Nigel Jones, Daily Telegraph
- Liberal minds have snapped shut on both sides of the Atlantic – Janice Turner, The Times (£)
Castro dies
“Fidel Castro, the communist revolutionary who ruled Cuba for half a century, has died aged 90. His brother Raúl, who took over as president in 2008, made the announcement on television in the early hours of this morning. Mr Castro was president of Cuba from 1976 to 2008; his early tenure taking the world precariously close to nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. The former leader outlasted the terms of ten US presidents during his time in power, reputedly surviving countless CIA assassination plots in the process – including a plan load his cigar with explosives.” – The Times (£)
News in Brief:
- The 48 organisations which can see your entire browsing history – Daily Mail
- Hospital stays for malnutrition soar amidst elderly care crisis – The Times (£)
- Bulgarian Prime Minister orders mass deportations after rioting migrants trash camp – Daily Express
- Erdogan threatens to let three million refugees into Europe – FT
- Wisconsin set for election recount after Green Party files petition – Daily Telegraph
- Plot to move Clinton into the White House – Daily Express
- Norway rejects Snowden’s extradition lawsuit – The Independent
- Experts tell NHS to send patients private to avoid winter crisis – The Guardian
- Trump transition team mull asking Romney to apologise for insults so he can be Secretary of State – Daily Mail