“The three cabinet ministers charged with delivering Britain’s exit from the European Union held a private summit to “clear the air” after weeks of leaks and simmering tensions over their respective responsibilities. On the eve of Theresa May’s return from holiday, Boris Johnson, David Davis and Liam Fox met without aides or civil servants yesterday morning on “neutral ground” in the Cabinet Office.” – The Times (£)
More EU:
Comment:
>Today:
“Theresa May has ordered a new crackdown on the numbers of non-EU workers and students coming into Britain in a dramatic new bid to cut sky-high immigration. Sources last night revealed the Prime Minister had charged new Home Secretary Amber Rudd with drawing up a new package of measures – across all visa routes.” – The Sun
More Tories:
>Yesterday:
“There is a tendency in Labour, predating Corbyn’s leadership but massively amplified by it, to map politics on an axis from stupidity to enlightenment with parallel lines on the graph showing a journey from right to left and indifference to enthusiasm. It follows that an increase in the exuberance of support for a retro-socialist candidate indicates real progress. But when you consider that most people see political fandom as a mark of eccentricity, a noisier fan club is likelier to indicate higher barriers separating the party from the rest of the country.” – The Guardian
“Owen Smith’s threat to block the start of formal EU exit talks threatens electoral suicide, Labour figures warned last night, while Jeremy Corbyn dismissed the move as “devious”. Mr Smith pledged yesterday that under his leadership Labour would seek to stop Brexit negotiations unless the government promised another vote on the final deal.” – The Times (£)
More Labour:
Comment:
Editorial:
>Yesterday:
“It would be a huge mistake to get lost in the minutiae of a new legal relationship with the EU and fail to rise to the bigger challenge of reaching a happy, rather than punitive, settlement with European leaders. Mrs May made a good start by visiting Berlin, Bratislava, Paris, Rome and Warsaw during the earliest days of her premiership but many Europeans, understandably, are far from friendly.” – The Times (£)
“John McDonnell is being investigated by parliamentary authorities over allegations that the shadow chancellor employed a left-wing aide “off the books” without declaring it. James Meadway, a former member of the Socialist Workers Party, was taken on by Mr McDonnell as a senior adviser, and his £30,000 salary was paid by the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA).” – The Times (£)
Comment:
>Yesterday: Rebecca Coulson’s column: Ten reflections on a Momentum rally
Editorial:
“Nigel Farage, the former leader of the UK Independence party who helped spearhead the Brexit campaign, urged Donald Trump supporters to stand up to the US political establishment, saying he would not vote for Hillary Clinton “if she paid me”. Sharing the stage with Mr Trump at a rally in Mississippi, Mr Farage said the lesson of Brexit was that “anything is possible if enough decent people are prepared to stand up against the establishment”. – FT