Growing speculation that one or more Conservative MPs could quit the Party today

‘Sources told The Sun yesterday that talks were taking place between Chuka Umunna, Chris Leslie and a number of Tory backbenchers. And there were growing rumours last night that either Heidi Allen or Sarah Wollaston could announce they are leaving the Tories to join the ‘Independent Group’ as early as today before Prime Minister’s Questions. Neither would comment yesterday. Downing Street is understood to have axed a number of Ministerial speeches this week through fear of upsetting ‘Remainers’ who could quit the party to sit alongside the ‘Independents’.  One insider said: “No.10 is on high alert.”..Business Minister Richard Harrington – an ardent Europhile – yesterday said he “perfectly understands” why the Labour ‘Gang of Seven’ left.  Challenged whether he could join her said his battle was inside the Conservative Party.’ – The Sun

• Soubry is one of the names rumoured to be set to go – Daily Mail
• Sandbach says it won’t be her – The Sun
• Altmann says she might sign up – Daily Telegraph
• Beyond liking the EU and disliking their party leaders, they have little in common with the Labour Seven – FT
• We Tories must not repeat Labour’s mistake by driving MPs out of our party – Bob Seely, Daily Telegraph
• Could this be the end of two-party politics? – Peter Oborne, Daily Mail
• They could have got off to a strong start, if they hadn’t made it all about stopping Brexit – Allison Pearson, Daily Telegraph
• Remainers want to trap us in an undemocratic behemoth – Sir Bill Cash, The Times
• MPs fear a new party would tempt May into a snap election – The Guardian
• Umunna wants one formalised by the end of the year – The Guardian
• Farage’s Brexit Party has a better chance of disrupting the status quo – Daily Telegraph

>Yesterday: James Frayne’s column: What impact will the Independent Group have on the Conservative Party?

Ryan becomes eighth Labour MP to join the Independent Group

‘An eighth Labour MP has quit the party to join an independent breakaway group, accusing Jeremy Corbyn of “presiding over a culture of antisemitism and hatred of Israel”. Joan Ryan said that she could not “be part of a party that allows racism to flourish”. In an interview with The Times she said that Mr Corbyn, the Labour leader, had introduced antisemitism to the party and was “a danger”, comparing him to President Trump. Shortly before submitting her formal notice of resignation last night Ms Ryan, 63, who joined Labour in 1983 and was first elected the MP for Enfield North in 1997, said she considered the move to be a duty. “It’s obviously not a delight, it’s painful,” she said. “But it is a duty.”‘ – The Times

• Ryan: I couldn’t stand by – The Times
• Umunna, a man of ambiguous views and abilities – FT
• The numerous ideological dividing lines between these MPs and their former party – The Guardian
• The Jewish Labour Movement is considering separating from the Labour Party – The Sun
• Hatton’s Israel comments come to light – The Times
• The return of the old Trot highlights the party’s moral descent – The Times Leader
• Thousands protest against antisemitism in France – Daily Mail

Opinion

• I cried at the sight of Berger being hounded out of her party – Daniel Finkelstein, The Times
• We know what this group is against, but is it for anything? – Jade Frances Azim, The Times
• You can’t have a broad church when you are of different faiths – Rafael Behr, The Guardian
• I’m surprised there are only eight of them – Alan Cochrane, Daily Telegraph
• Corbyn dismisses desertions with an airy wave – Henry Deedes, Daily Mail
• His own worst enemy – John Crace, The Guardian
• If he wants Labour MPs to stay, he has a funny way of showing it – Michael Deacon, Daily Telegraph
• Hatton in, Berger out…what a bad exchange – Tom Harris, Daily Telegraph
• I helped expel Hatton – why are they letting him back in? – David Blunkett, Daily Telegraph
• A new low – Hannah Jane Parkinson, The Guardian

>Today: Daniel Hannan’s column: The Gang of Four caused a split. The Gang of Eight have caused only a splinter.

>Yesterday: LeftWatch: The moment will come for Umunna to face the voters of Streatham in a by-election. But not yet.

Under cover of the Labour split, May is off to Brussels to try to resolve the backstop

‘The Prime Minister will travel to Brussels on Wednesday to meet Jean Claude-Juncker, the President of the European Commission, where she hopes to secure a breakthrough on a new Brexit deal. Downing Street is now concentrating efforts on agreeing a new legal text stating that the backstop, which would tie Britain to a Customs Union with the EU, cannot be “indefinite”. The legal “codicil”, which is being drawn up by Geoffrey Cox, the Attorney General, would impose a time-limit on the customs backstop but stop short of demands by Tory Eurosceptics to scrap it entirely. Last night there was growing speculation that the deal could be signed off by European leaders at an EU-Arab summit in Egypt this weekend, which the Prime Minister is now expected to attend. The Telegraph understands that Mrs May has asked Mr Cox to write to MPs once a deal is secured informing them that he has changed his legal advice on the backstop.’ – Daily Telegraph

• She has kept the ERG at bay, just, by holding out hope of Malthouse later on – The Times
• Or she has ditched Malthouse entirely, depending on whom you believe – FT
• Hunt tells Brussels that Labour’s split shows it cannot be relied upon – The Guardian
• Major alleges that ‘extremists’ are taking over the Conservative Party – The Times
• Sir John is wrong, Shapps argues – Daily Express
• She should alienate Tory Eurosceptics in order to win the vote – Anand Menon and Katy Hayward, The Times
• Barroso says Brussels can and should find a last minute compromise – Daily Mail
• Dodds criticises hard border scaremongering – Belfast Newsletter
• The UK must stand up for the City after Brexit – Jo Johnson, FT
• Le Pen and her allies are expected to make sizeable gains in the EU elections – Daily Mail
• Renzi says they won’t last – FT

>Today: ToryDiary: May’s off to Brussels and the game’s afoot

Honda boss says plant closure ‘is is not a Brexit-related issue’

‘The move comes amid a fall in demand for diesel cars and tighter emissions rules, with the firm saying the closure is also linked to the need to launch electric vehicles. Honda is also reacting after the EU and Japan struck a trade deal removing car export tariffs for both, meaning there is little need to base manufacturing in the EU. Experts including TV business editors Ed Conway and Simon Jack suggested this was likely to be the biggest factor, or among the biggest factors, in the closure. Some residents in Swindon blamed Brexit for the closure, but Honda Europe senior vice president Ian Howells insisted: ‘This is not a Brexit related issue for us.’ Mr Howells told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this morning: ‘These other changes which are now coming at us globally we have to now respond to.” – Daily Mail

• A betrayal of GB Plc – Andrew Pierce, Daily Mail
• And of Thatcher’s legacy – John Gapper, FT
• There’s far more to it than Brexit – Ross Clark, Daily Telegraph
• No Deal would be far worse, Clark warns – The Times
• Politicians have a duty to help us avoid it – Carolyn Fairbairn, The Times
• Hammond and Gove fight over who pays tariffs – The Times
• New protectionism is bad news – Patrick Minford, Daily Telegraph

Editorials

• Of course that’s partly what it’s about – The Guardian Leader
• Remainers are telling lies about Honda – The Sun Says
• The Government should fight back against such propaganda – Daily Telegraph Leader
• Uncertainty isn’t helping – The Times Leader
• More friction makes supply chains harder – FT Leader

>Yesterday:

• ToryDiary: If we were staying in the EU, would Honda still be leaving?
• WATCH: Clark – Brexit is a factor in slowing investment

Javid strips Begum of her British citizenship

‘ISIS bride Shamima Begum has been stripped of her British citizenship after showing no remorse for joining the terror group. An official Home Office letter breaking the shock news was delivered to Begum’s “disappointed” family earlier today…It’s not yet known how the ban will affect her newborn son Jerah – who is half British and half Dutch. The schoolgirl’s family have said they are “disappointed” by the Home Office’s decision, said their lawyer Tasnime Akunjee. “We are considering all legal avenues to challenge this decision,” he tweeted. Begum’s dual nationality – as both her parents are of Bangladeshi – reportedly cleared the way for today’s decision…Robert Halfon, who had spoken out against allowing Shamima to return, said in a tweet that Mr Javid had made “absolutely the right decision”.’ – The Sun

• Well done, The Saj – The Sun Says
• Shamima briefly united Britain, against her – Allison Pearson, Daily Telegraph
• She deserves to have the door slammed in her face – Sarah Vine, Daily Mail
• What’s the legal basis? – The Times
• Her family are considering a challenge to the decision – Daily Telegraph
• She might try to use her baby as a backdoor into Britain – Daily Mail
• Don’t martyr her – Robert Verkaik, The Guardian
• A wave of returning jihadi brides sees 150 children’s cases in the family courts – Daily Mail
• Those bereaved in the Manchester attack strongly oppose her being allowed into the country – Daily Mail
• Girls are more likely than boys to have self-radicalised, report finds – The Times
• In a way, we’re lucky Cameron didn’t manage to overthrow Assad – Con Coughlin, Daily Telegraph

>Yesterday: ToryDiary: Why an updated treason law would help to boost community cohesion Continue to all today’s Newslinks