“Theresa May was today accused of betraying the referendum by effectively keeping us in the EU for another two years – as she made concessions on citizens’ rights, money and law in a bid to kickstart Brexit talks. The Prime Minister used a crucial speech in Florence to declare that Britain will cover the huge hole left in Brussels’ finances for another two years after we formally leave in 2019 – contributing potentially another 20 billion euros. She also said the European court could help enforce the rights of EU nationals – easing back a previous red line – and admitted that bringing in tougher immigration measures would take time, raising the possibility that free movement rules could essentially stay in place for longer. But Mrs May said in return for the ‘generous’ financial offer the UK must have full access to the single market during a two-year ‘transition’ period.” – Daily Mail
Analysis:
Sketches:
>Today: ToryDiary: May in Florence. She confirms that she wants an implementation phase. Having one is unavoidable – but also dangerous.
>Yesterday:
“A leading rating agency has downgraded Britain’s credit because of Brexit, prompting anger from Theresa May’s government. Moody’s downgraded Britain’s sovereign rating by one notch last night, to AA2, over what it called weakening public finances and rising debt. The decision embarrassed Mrs May hours after her keynote Brexit speech in Florence, although the decision to downgrade was made beforehand. Analysts at Moody’s blamed the “increasingly apparent challenges” since the vote to leave the European Union, and expressed scepticism over the government’s ability to cut costs. The downgrade could lead to the Treasury paying higher charges for borrowing.” – The Times
>Yesterday: Charlie Elphicke MP in Comment: How to get Ready on Day One for Brexit – deal or no deal
“It is fitting therefore that the Prime Minister chose Florence to set out in more detail how the UK can achieve our progression away from EU membership toward what she described as a new “deep and special partnership” between “a sovereign United Kingdom and a confident European Union, both free to chart their own course.” Fortunately, the work is well underway. We have UK position papers on a full spectrum of subjects. Diplomatically the talks have been incessant. While the public debate is often clouded by positioning and spin, the real talks have made substantial progress. This is no surprise – both sides have an interest in getting it right. The Prime Minister’s speech is not then the start of a negotiating process but a turning point.” – Daily Telegraph
Editorial:
“The transport secretary has refused to commit to an electric rail line across northern England, insisting that reliable 125mph journeys could be made by trains run partly on diesel. Chris Grayling said that the obsession over “how a train is powered” should end because full electrification was often too expensive, adding that claims of a north-south divide in funding Britain’s railways were a “myth”. The comments follow repeated criticism of Mr Grayling over rail services outside the capital from key figures such as Andy Burnham, the Manchester mayor, who warned that the north relied on “clapped out trains”.” – The Times
“Word of Tami’s embarrassing faux pas leaked out and inevitably he was ridiculed on Twitter. Most worryingly, he was accused of racism, bigotry and arrogant stereotyping. Kemi herself, though, was not remotely offended by his error. ‘I thought it was funny,’ she says. ‘It might have been a lazy assumption, but it certainly wasn’t racist.’ She says that after unpleasant comments appeared on social media about him, she stuck up for him. Explaining her reaction to the pernicious way such social media storms develop, she says: ‘We’re quick to complain about racism, sexism, homophobia, but it’s not as bad as people make out. If we’re going to be more cohesive, we have to be more relaxed about petty incidents and not find insult where none exists.’” – Daily Mail
“One of Mr Freeman’s targets is the annual party conferences taking place over the next fortnight, which he criticises as “very expensive, very corporate, very exclusive and normally conducted behind high-security fences”… Glastonbury may be rooted in Somerset but Mr Freeman’s big tent will travel. “We want this big tent to go around the country,” he says. “Our idea is that next year we would have two or three regional events like this. Imagine 20 or 30 marquees like this, imagine for example one on housing that is a demonstration of all the new models of housing that are coming – imagine if the very best of innovation was on site… and we, the politicians who get what they are doing, can listen and channel their ideas.”” – The Times
>Yesterday: ToryDiary: Freeman’s Ideas Festival launches today. Now it’s up and running, where will it go next?
“Ruth Davidson was under pressure last night to discipline a Tory councillor who has been struck from the teachers’ register after posting insulting tweets describing Nicola Sturgeon as a “drooling hag”. The Scottish Conservative leader was urged to “get her house in order” after it emerged yesterday that Kathleen Leslie, left, had agreed to be removed from the General Teaching Council for Scotland’s (GTCS) register… Ms Davidson has previously been praised after speaking out against the homophobic abuse she has suffered since becoming Tory leader in Scotland and has warned that growing levels of online hate could put women off a career in politics.” – The Scotsman
“Sadiq Khan was last night hit by a backlash from Uber customers worried about paying higher taxi fares. More than 400,000 signed a petition set up by the cab firm calling on the London Mayor to reverse the decision to ban it from the capital. MPs and social media users branded the move a ‘terrible mistake’ that could hurt consumers. Mr Khan endorsed Transport for London’s decision to end Uber’s licence due to worries about passenger safety. But the Labour politician faced immediate criticism from some – including many younger voters – who argued the taxi hailing app is cheaper and more convenient than getting a black cab.” – Daily Mail
Comment:
Editorial:
>Today: Diego Zuluaga in Comment: Khan and TfL’s war on Uber has baleful implications for post-Brexit Britain – not just Londoners
“Labour’s internal report on its general election campaign has been shelved after a row over the contents between Jeremy Corbyn’s office and staff in party headquarters, The Times understands. Rivalry between figures in the two camps flared up after the snap election in June. Recriminations have been hurled about pessimistic internal forecasts that Labour was in line to lose seats, which proved to be wide of the mark. Left-wing party figures have complained that the incorrect assumptions, based on data crunched by the party’s HQ, harmed Labour’s effectiveness in the build up to the ballot. They have argued that more accurate intelligence could have helped the party target its campaign better to win more than the 30 extra seats with which it ended up.” – The Times