EU 1) Boris Johnson: Why I’m backing Brexit
“That is what we mean by loss of sovereignty – the inability of people to kick out, at elections, the men and women who control their lives. We are seeing an alienation of the people from the power they should hold, and I am sure this is contributing to the sense of disengagement, the apathy, the view that politicians are “all the same” and can change nothing, and to the rise of extremist parties.” – Daily Telegraph
Comment:
- Thank God the blonde bomber is on our side – Kelvin Mackenzie, The Sun
- Be in no doubt, Mr Ambition wants the Prime Minister’s job – Andrew Pierce, Daily Mail
- Hurrah for Boris, glad you could join us – Charles Moore, Daily Telegraph
- You can’t have your EU cake and eat it, Boris – Michael White, The Guardian
- Delay gave Gove a head start in activists’ affections – Trevor Kavanagh, The Sun
- Leaving Europe would be a leap into the light – Matt Ridley, The Times (£)
- Cameron and the cynical lie which has festered for 45 years – Dominic Lawson, Daily Mail
- Quitting the EU would help, not hinder, our security – The Times (£)
- Now the beast of full-blooded Euroscepticism is unleashed – Matthew d’Ancona, The Guardian
- Did EU leaders pay too heavy a ransom to the British? – Wolfgang Münchau, FT
- You can’t sell freedom of movement to people who are insecure – Zoe Williams, The Guardian
Editorials:
- At last, we have voices to speak for England – Daily Mail
- The public needs Gove and Boris’s positive vision – The Times (£)
- ‘Safety in numbers in a dangerous world’ is a winning slogan – FT
>Today:
>Yesterday:
EU 2) The grassroots split on Europe could see the Tories implode
“The scale of the challenge facing David Cameron in keeping the Conservatives from imploding over Europe is underscored in a Guardian survey of constituency party members from across the country.While the focus since the Brussels deal has been on how the cabinet will split, the survey highlights the much deeper divide at grassroots level. It also records unhappiness with Cameron’s handling of the issue.” – The Guardian
- Half of Tory MPs will ignore Cameron and vote Leave – The Times (£)
- ‘Gang of Six’ now free to spread eurosceptic message – FT
- Gove and Grayling make the oddest allies – The Independent
- Free from the party line, ministers set out their arguments – The Guardian
- Whittingdale claims deal will force Government to break migration pledge – The Sun
- Duncan Smith warns that EU membership increases terror risk – Daily Mail
- Raab defends Galloway’s role at Brexit rally – The Times (£)
- Goldsmith becomes latest high-profile figure to abandon the Prime Minister – The Sun
Tory Comment:
- Reform? No, we’ve achieved nothing! – Iain Duncan Smith, Daily Mail
- Cameron has beaten the EU at it’s own game; that makes it worth staying – William Hague, Daily Telegraph
- Let’s not turn the EU vote into another circular firing squad – Andrew Mitchell, The Guardian
>Today:
>Yesterday:
EU 3) Cameron on the back foot as key policy threatened by court challenge
“The emergency brake on migrants’ benefits secured by David Cameron may be struck down by the European courts, EU negotiators believe. The measure, which will allow Britain to restrict the access of EU migrants access to in-work benefits for four years, is likely to be judged as illegal discrimination by the European Court of Justice, say legal experts.” – Daily Telegraph
- Emergency break could see pre-deadline surge in migration – Daily Mail
- Welfare restriction likely to face court challenge – Daily Telegraph
- The Prime Minister’s assertions don’t add up – Daily Mail
- We test the truth of Tory leader’s EU claims – The Sun
- Battle lines drawn over our right to pass our own laws – The Times (£)
- Prime Minister to make final appeal to the backbenches – The Independent
- Fury as Cameron describes British sovereignty as an illusion – Daily Mail
- Prime Minister hammers home EU business case – FT
Other Parties:
- Corbyn makes an unlikely ally as he helps fend off claims of establishment stitch-up – The Sun
- UKIP surge boosts Welsh appetite for Brexit – FT
- Keep out of Scotland, Sturgeon tells Cameron – The Times (£)
Campaign:
- How the Outs could win – FT
- Many exporters do not fear quitting – The Times (£)
- Big business backs push to keep Britain in – FT
- Military leaders to warn against Brexit – Daily Telegraph
- Pound pummelled by Brexit risk – FT
- How the European press saw Cameron’s reforms – The Independent
>Today: Eric Pickles MP in Comment: The Prime Minister has got Britain a good deal in Europe. Now let’s go and sell it.
>Yesterday: Video: WATCH: Cameron – “We’ll be better-off, stronger and safer in a reformed EU”
Is Osborne planning a raid on middle class pensions?
“George Osborne is planning a raid on middle-class pensioners by scrapping the tax-free lump sum, it was claimed yesterday. The Chancellor is said to be considering a £4 billion ‘tax bombshell’ which could hit millions of people.” – Daily Mail
- Chancellor ‘plans new pensions bombshell’ – The Times (£)
- Webb claims Treasury is plotting move which will hit hundreds of thousands – Daily Telegraph
- Treasury broke rules to make watchdog change it’s forecast – The Times (£)
Jones plans to distance Welsh Labour from Corbyn
“Welsh Labour will attempt to distance itself from the UK party and the infighting that has blighted Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership during its campaign to hang on to power in the Welsh assembly. Speaking to the Guardian as the party launched six pledges at its conference ahead of May’s assembly elections, the first minister and leader of Welsh Labour, Carwyn Jones, accepted that events in Westminster were bound to have an impact on the campaign.” – The Guardian
News in Brief:
- Junior doctors plan to escalate strikes – Daily Telegraph
- QC claims TTIP poses ‘real and serious risk’ to NHS – The Guardian
- Proposed law would criminalise Britons buying sex abroad – Daily Mail
- Meningitis jab petition signed by 700,000 – The Times (£)
- Trump claims to be most popular person ‘in history’ – The Sun
- FBI chief defends Apple hack request – FT