EU
The Sun has laid the PM’s deal on the line.
BRUSSELS hung Theresa May out to dry by breaking a promise to help her get the hated ‘backstop’ past Parliament – and vowing to leave Britain sweating on a deal over a “bleak midwinter.”
Leaders pulled the plug on a Christmas rescue mission after the PM failed to convince them she can get the Brexit deal through the Commons.
Tory Eurosceptics oppose the Brexit deal because Britain could fall into a ‘backstop’ tying us to EU customs rules if there’s no agreement on new trading arrangements by the end of 2020.
Diplomatic sources told The Sun they were dismayed when Theresa May repeatedly refused on Thursday night to guarantee their proposed compromises would win over Tory backbenchers and the Ulster unionists in the DUP.
In response Member States stripped out key pledges from their summit conclusions to send a message to MPs there will be no more compromises.
The Express reports there’s no room for negotiations.
EU GREENS President Ska Keller remarked “wiggle room” for the UK is very small in Brexit negotiations, and reaffirmed EU leaders “cannot retreat” from the “vital” Irish backstop.
Ska Keller warned the Brexit backstop is “absolutely vital” to protecting European Union interests, and therefore EU leaders cannot back down in renegotiations with the UK. The German MEP also spoke on whether Emmanuel Macron is seen as a weak figure in Europe, outlining how she hopes he will “find a different way forward”. Speaking live from Brussels, Ms Keller told France 24: “I think the wiggle room is indeed very small, because the EU27 cannot retreat from the backstop. That is absolutely vital to protect EU interests and principles, and to avoid the hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.
“The problem is that the UK, in the form of Theresa May, has never really said what they want instead, and so it’s very difficult to deal with that.”
Reuters says the negotiations will not be re-opened.
European Council President Donald Tusk said on Friday he had no mandate to reopen Brexit negotiations with Britain, while the head of the bloc’s executive, Jean-Claude Juncker, said he “admired” Prime Minister Theresa May.
Tusk and Juncker were speaking at a news conference after two days of talks at an EU summit that were dominated by the issue of Brexit and saw the other 27 national leaders of the bloc offer May only vague assurances over their Brexit deal.
“I have no mandate to organise any further negotiations. We have to exclude any further opening of the withdrawal agreement,” Tusk said. “But of course, we are staying here in Brussels and I’m always at the PM’s disposal.”
Juncker, captured by cameras earlier on Friday during an apparently heated exchange with May, said: “We have to bring down the temperature” around Brexit talks.
He said he did not mean to offend May and his comments describing the British position as “nebulous” referred to the broader state of the Brexit debate in the United Kingdom.
And the German chancellor was exasperated, according to the Telegraph,
Angela Merkel had heard enough. After a ten-minute presentation by Theresa May and a discussion in which she had used the time-worn phrase “Brexit means Brexit”, the German Chancellor was running out of patience.
“What else do you want?” the exasperated Mrs Merkel demanded of Mrs May, after the Prime Minister had failed to explain what it was she actually expected her counterparts to offer.
For Mrs May, the inquisition was a new experience; at previous summits she has made her pitch to a silent audience, then left the room so they could all dissect her pleas behind her back.
And, according to sources who witnessed Thursday night’s exchange, it was a deeply uncomfortable moment for Mrs May.
But Mrs May is fighting back, says the Mail.
Theresa May warned EU leaders yesterday that she would allow MPs to kill off her Brexit deal next week unless they agreed to consider further concessions on the Irish border issue.
The Prime Minister said Britain could be forced to leave the EU without a deal if they did not give ground.
Mrs May issued her dramatic ultimatum at a private meeting with German chancellor Angela Merkel, French president Emmanuel Macron, EU commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, EU Council president Donald Tusk and Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte.
She said that without the promise of help she would put her Brexit deal to a vote in the Commons next week.
But the bloc is delaying further, reports the Independent.
EU leaders will wait until the new year before unveiling their plan to save Theresa May’s Brexit deal amid fears that the political turmoil in the UK would jeopardise any announcement long before the deal is voted on.
The bloc plans to hold back its best cards until January, sending the prime minister back to Westminster on Friday with warm words and a written commitment to help her in her renewed attempt to get the plan through parliament.
The prime minister on Thursday night insisted to her counterparts that she would have the numbers in the Commons to pass the deal if they would only give her something to help it “over the line”.
EU holidays
We may have to pay to travel to the EU, says the Times.
British holidaymakers will have to pay to travel to EU countries after Brexit, the European Commission confirmed yesterday.
UK citizens will have to stump up €7 (just over £6) every three years to visit member states but will not need a visa. Instead they will have to apply for and buy an Etias (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) document. Although not launched yet, it is expected to come into force in 2021.
The Independent also has the story.
British travellers will have to pay €7 to visit the EU after Brexit, the European Commission has confirmed.
From 2021, UK citizens will have to pay the fee every three years to pre-register for an electronic visa waiver, a system similar to the Esta scheme used by the US.
The pre-authorisation fee will be waived for travellers under 18 and those over 70, which means it will apply to an estimated 40 million Britons.
The proposed Etias (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) will see citizens of 61 countries outside the Schengen area required to pre-register for visa-free travel.
But the news hasn’t gone down well, says the Mail.
News that British holidaymakers will be charged €7 to visit the EU after Brexit has sparked a furious social media reaction – prompting calls to charge Europeans for coming to the UK.
The backlash comes after an announcement that UK citizens will have to purchase a security check known as the European Travel Information and Authorization System when travelling to the continent.
Under the system, travellers would have to apply online by providing personal information and passport details, before noting the first country they are travelling to and answering background questions.
Art50
We’re going to leave on March 29 … aren’t we? The Mail reports:
Theresa May is facing calls from ministers to delay Brexit, it can be revealed today.
Amid cabinet divisions over how to break the deadlock, she has been warned there is ‘no way’ Britain will be ready to leave the EU on March 29 next year.
Downing Street has insisted there will be no extension to the two-year Article 50 process, but one minister last night said it was inevitable.
The politician told the Mail: ‘We are running out of time, we will have to extend Article 50.
‘Once we get through Christmas there will be less than 100 days to go and there is just no way we can get this deal through on time.
‘There are people talking about extending it by three months, or six months, it’s not clear what will happen but it does look like it will have to be extended.’
Mrs May will gather her Cabinet on Tuesday to discuss ramping up preparations for the possibility of a no-deal exit in the wake of the decision to postpone the Commons vote on the withdrawal agreement.
WTO rules
No deal is not a cliff edge, it’s a ‘get out of jail free’ reports Westmonster.
Conservative MPs who actually believe in Brexit (nearly all on the backbenches nowadays) are talking up the prospect of a No Deal outcome as delivering on the will of the people.
With Theresa May’s doomed deal having the backing of just 14% of Leave voters, pro-Brexit MPs now see No Deal as the best outcome.
Though much of the media have skirted over it, a Survation poll found that head-to-head, the public prefer No Deal to May’s £39 billion EU deal.
A source from the European Research Group of Brexiteer MPs has told The Telegraph that: “Even if she wins a meaningful vote, a bill still needs to get through Parliament and there will be many opportunities for rebels to disrupt it to ensure we get to March 29th without a deal.”
And a senior Brexiteer also told them: “We need to polish up the language around No Deal and turn it into something that sounds attractive rather than frightening.
“No Deal isn’t a cliff edge – it’s a get out of jail free card.”
But we must prepare, says the Sun.
CABINET Ministers will next week demand Theresa May make No Deal planning Whitehall’s top priority following her humiliation in Brussels.
A group of Brexit-backers at the PM’s top table want the PM to agree to divert resources from other budget and significantly “ramp up” preparations.
This would include more money on IT systems, customs and stockpiling.
One Cabinet Minister told The Sun: “It has to become our core planning assumption otherwise nothing is going to happen.
“We have to show we’re serious – and we have to prepare.”
The group is believed to include Home Secretary Sajid Javid, Treasury Chief Secretary Liz Truss, Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom and Penny Mordaunt, the International Development Secretary.
Ms Mordaunt on Wednesday urged the PM to put “crack on” with No Deal planning after surviving her no confidence vote.
But the call will pitch the Cabinet into a bitter civil war given pressure from both the Chancellor and Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd to give Parliament an ‘indicative vote’ over what Brexit path to choose.
Some members of the Cabinet have started planning, says the Telegraph.
Penny Mordaunt is expected to become the first Cabinet minister to unveil detailed plans for a “managed” no deal to slash the UK’s Brexit bill in a move that will fuel leadership speculation.
The International Development Secretary is set to unveil her own plans to unblock the Brexit logjam by agreeing the two-year transition period after Britain leaves the EU on March 29 to allow the UK to develop a ““maximum facilitation” scheme to trade with the European Union.
This would involve the UK continuing paying £10billion a year into the EU while plans are laid for an organised exit in early 2021.
And another Cabinet member claims there should be a cross-party consensus, reports BBC News.
MPs across the political divide should “abandon outrage” and attempt to “forge a consensus” over Brexit, Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd has said.
In the Daily Mail, Ms Rudd wrote: “Brexit is in danger of getting stuck.”
It comes after the PM’s bid to make her Brexit deal more acceptable to MPs suffered a blow when EU leaders said it was “not open for renegotiation”.
Meanwhile, ex-UKIP leader Nigel Farage has told the BBC that he thinks there might be another referendum.
Labour has said the withdrawal deal is now “dead in the water”.
MPs want to go home for Christmas, reports the Sun.
TORY rebels have threatened to go on STRIKE next week as party bosses order them to cut short their Christmas plans.
Government whips have told all MPs they must stay in Westminster next week instead of taking an early holiday, to counter any Labour dirty tricks.
But some Brexiteers are considering skipping key votes in a show of strength to prove they can still bring down Theresa May.
Labour could table a formal vote of no-confidence in the Government next week – an option pushed by Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer.
If the Tories lost a confidence motion Mrs May would have to resign and Jeremy Corbyn would get two weeks to try and form his own Government – with a General Election triggered if he failed.
Labour Party
The prospect of a vote of no confidence in the government has been discussed says the Telegraph.
Jeremy Corbyn has been urged by Labour’s deputy leader and shadow Brexit secretary to table a vote of no confidence in the Government before Christmas, The Telegraph understands.
Sources close to Sir Keir Starmer and Tom Watson claim the pair are pushing the Labour leader to table the motion next Tuesday, warning that the Opposition has a “duty to put up a robust fight”.
A senior Labour whip is also understood to have held discussions with several backbench MPs regarding a vote on Tuesday, suggesting that Mr Corbyn could be bounced into calling one over the weekend.
BBC News claims Labour should ‘finish her off’.
With Theresa May on the ropes, Jeremy Corbyn is coming under pressure from other opposition parties – and some of his own MPs – to finish her off with the knockout blow of a no-confidence vote in the House of Commons.
Unlike the vote she has just survived this would give all 650 MPs – not just 317 Conservatives – a say over whether she should remain in power.
A no-confidence vote – won by a single vote – was how Margaret Thatcher removed Labour from power in 1979, triggering a general election that she won.
And the Morning Star has jumped onto the bandwagon.
THE “hopelessly divided” Conservative government cannot deliver Brexit and must be shown the door, Labour charged after Tory MPs held a confidence vote in Theresa May.
The vote shows that the government is “completely immobilised” at such a critical time for the country, Labour Party chairman Ian Lavery said.
And Labour MP Richard Burgon warned that changing the party’s leader wouldn’t make any difference anyway, noting: “Theresa May is a failing Prime Minister. However, the root cause of her failure is the fact she leads a hopelessly and bitterly divided party.”
DUP
The Irish leader has called on the PM to grow a pair, says Westmonster.
The DUP’s Leader, Arlene Foster, has issued a blistering statement this morning that calls for Theresa May to “stand up” to Brussels.
With May having pledged to deliver legal changes to the hated EU backstop, Foster is making the point that: “The Prime Minister has promised to get legally binding changes.
“The reaction by the EU is unsurprising. They are doing what they always do.
“The key question is whether the Prime Minister will stand up to them or whether she will roll over as has happened previously.
Second referendum
The PM has ruled out a second referendum, but will it happen? Our former leader claims in the Telegraph that it might.
Nigel Farage said he believes the UK may face a second referendum in the coming months and urged Brexit campaigners to “get ready for every situation”.
Speaking at the Leave Means Leave rally, the former Ukip leader said: “My message folks tonight is as much as I don’t want a second referendum it would be wrong of us on a Leave Means Leave platform not to get ready, not to be prepared for a worst case scenario.
“If I’m wrong, we’ve lost nothing. We’ve not got to move into a different gear. We’ve got to start forming branches and active groups all over this country.
And according to the Mail some Cabinet members are also considering it.
Five cabinet ministers are understood to be considering a second referendum if MPs cannot agree a deal in the next month.
Philip Hammond, David Gauke, Amber Rudd, Greg Clarke, and Theresa May‘s unofficial deputy David Lidington have all stepped up discussions on whether to offer another public vote on Brexit, The Times reported.
It comes as Amber Rudd calls for Tory MPs to reach across the aisle if necessary to avoid the country ‘crashing onto the rocks’ under a No Deal outcome.
Work and Pensions Secretary Ms Rudd said today that while she expects to be accused of ‘treachery’ from some quarters, she is unsure the Prime Minister’s deal will ever enjoy sufficient support from Conservative MPs to get through a deeply divided Parliament.
The Times says other options are also being considered.
A majority of the cabinet view Theresa May’s Brexit deal as dead and are openly discussing other options including a second referendum, The Times has learnt.
As the prime minister faced fresh humiliation in Brussels, most of her ministers have now concluded that there is little hope of her deal getting through parliament.
They are split, however, on the way forward, with rival groups planning to ambush Mrs May with opposing demands at a meeting next week. The cabinet has fractured into three camps, with one, composed of five ministers, including Amber Rudd, the work and pensions secretary, and Philip Hammond, the chancellor, leaning reluctantly towards backing a second referendum if all other options are exhausted.
Immigration
There’ll be an announcement next week about immigration from the EU reports the Telegraph.
EU migrants will have to earn at least £30,000 before they are allowed to come to Britain after Brexit under a crackdown due to be announced next week, The Telegraph understands.
Under the plans, which have prompted a Cabinet row, skilled migrants will be required to have a job offer and hit the minimum salary threshold before they are allowed to come to the UK on five-year-long visas.
Low-skilled migrants will be able to come to the UK on one-year visas on a “temporary” basis as long as they have jobs. Once their visas expire they will be required to leave the country and unable to apply to return until a “cooling off” period of a year has passed.
