28 August
Theresa May has claimed that a no-deal Brexit “wouldn’t be the end of the world” as she downplayed a warning made by Philip Hammond last week that it would cost £80bn in extra borrowing.
May also referred to comments made by WTO boss Roberto Azevedo, declaring: “He said that it would not be a walk in the park but it wouldn’t be the end of the world.”
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Barnier anxious about May’s Chequers plan
The EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier reportedly fears that May’s Chequers plan to ditch EU regulations on services would save British businesses billions of pounds a year
Politico has obtained details of an internal briefing given by Barnier where he “quoted an EU study which estimated that if the UK was freed from just seven unspecified regulations, it would provide savings for British businesses of €6 billion a year”.
The site adds: “Barnier’s team were adamant that if the UK formally put forward the plan then it should boycott the talks altogether.”
EU no-deal plans similar to the UK’s
The EU’s plans for a no-deal Brexit are very similar to those drawn up by the UK and should avoid chaos at British ports, according to The Sun.
“The thinking is we’ll keep things as they are because the regulatory platform is the same,” a European Commission source told the paper. “This will stay in place for a few months, and then there’ll be a mad dash to get a new agreement in place. The EU doesn’t want 20-mile tailbacks.”
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Taking the low road: why the SNP is still standing strongTalking Point Party is on track for a fifth consecutive victory in May’s Holyrood election, despite controversies and plummeting support
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Is Britain turning into ‘Trump’s America’?Today’s Big Question Direction of UK politics reflects influence and funding from across the pond
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Behind the ‘Boriswave’: Farage plans to scrap indefinite leave to remainThe Explainer The problem of the post-Brexit immigration surge – and Reform’s radical solution
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Why can't France hold on to its prime ministers?Today's Big Question Spiralling debt, ageing population and cultural refusal to accept budget cuts – despite high welfare spending – have been turbocharged by Emmanuel Macron
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What difference will the 'historic' UK-Germany treaty make?Today's Big Question Europe's two biggest economies sign first treaty since WWII, underscoring 'triangle alliance' with France amid growing Russian threat and US distance
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Entente cordiale: will state visit help UK-French relations get over Brexit?Today's Big Question The King, a keen Francophile who has a warm relationship with Emmanuel Macron, will play a key role in state visit
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Is the G7 still relevant?Talking Point Donald Trump's early departure cast a shadow over this week's meeting of the world's major democracies
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Angela Rayner: Labour's next leader?Today's Big Question A leaked memo has sparked speculation that the deputy PM is positioning herself as the left-of-centre alternative to Keir Starmer
