Trump remains the biggest obstacle in his administration’s messaging - NBC News

JAN 14 2018, 5:58 AM ET

Trump remains the biggest obstacle in his administration’s messaging

by VIVIAN SALAMA

WASHINGTON — Last summer, President Donald Trump publicly pinned much of the blame for his administration’s woes on its communications efforts.

The White House and his broader administration could do better at communicating his agenda in one unified voice, he conceded in a Fox News interview, giving himself a “C or a C plus” on messaging.

But Trump’s leaked remarks during an immigration meeting Thursday calling Africa a bunch of “shithole countries,” coupled with his contradictory tweets that same day about a House bill authorizing foreign surveillance on U.S. soil, underscored his administration’s continued struggle with public messaging nearly one year into his presidency.

Is Donald Trump a racist? President faces backlash over vulgar comments

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Is Donald Trump a racist? President faces backlash over vulgar comments 2:45

In using Twitter as a main vehicle for communicating — often unsupervised and free from the protocol that typically goes into official statements — Trump frequently undermines his staffers, contradicts their public statements and sends heated tweets that often derail efforts to stay on message.

Trump defends his use of Twitter, saying that it offers him a chance to communicate directly with the American people in an open and honest way. But the president, who often takes his cues from cable news — he frequently tags Fox News to his tweets — or from the last adviser to brief him, has proven that in many cases, his views are flexible and subject to influence.

The first year of his administration often saw conflicting messages on foreign policy matters from the White House and the State Department or the Department of Defense.

On subjects from North Korea, to Russia, to the president’s surprise call for a ban on transgender people in the military last summer, Trump’s tendency to tweet his mind has blindsided advisers and, in some cases, complicated or even upended administration policy.

“Typically the idea is ‘let’s sit down, work through the statement and deliver the statement,’ but Trump will come out with an initial reaction and there’s an understanding that he might modify that,” said David Winston, Republican strategist and president of the Winston Group.

“There has gradually been an understanding among the electorate that the conclusion might be different,” Winston said.

On Thursday, Trump contradicted himself in a pair of tweets sent nearly three hours apart, initially indicating he had serious concerns with the surveillance program that he claimed “may have been used, with the help of the discredited and phony Dossier, to so badly surveil and abuse the Trump Campaign by the previous administration.” With the House about to vote on the reauthorization of the FISA program, his comments set off a flurry of confusion.

Nearly two hours later —after an intervention from Chief of Staff John Kelly, according to three officials — a second tweet added: “With that being said, I have personally directed the fix to the unmasking process since taking office and today’s vote is about foreign surveillance of foreign bad guys on foreign land. We need it! Get smart!”

The House, as expected, voted to reauthorize the program.

Related: How a Trump tweet imperiled FISA surveillance legislation

Despite the contradictory messages that at times have left the administration backtracking, some strategists say his approach to messaging has at least been consistent in its own way.

“Usually you have administrations that are consistent across the board, but this administration is wildly inconsistent,” said Rebecca Katz, a Democratic strategist and former aide to Senator Harry Reid of Nevada. “But his messaging has actually been pretty consistent. It’s buzzwords like ‘Make America Great Again,’ ‘Crooked Hillary’ or ‘Fake News’.”

Katz added that much of the politics gets “lost in translation” with the electorate but his catchphrase approach to communicating his agenda has been effective.

Trump has worked to rein in his communications shop, but the road has been long and bumpy. Press Secretary Sean Spicer abruptly resigned in July after revelations that Trump had brought on fellow firebrand Anthony Scaramucci to be White House communications director.

“The ship is going in the right direction,” Scaramucci told journalists at his one and only White House press conference. “I think we've got to just radio signal the direction very, very clearly. I like the team — let me rephrase that — I love the team.”

But Scaramucci had enemies at the White House, and his decision to go on record and blast top White House staffers in on record quotes laced with expletives and vulgarities led Trump to remove him from the position only 11 days later.

Trump also replaced his original chief of staff, Reince Priebus, with ret. Gen. John Kelly, hoping to instill some discipline in a White House gone rogue. But even as Kelly has worked to curb leaks and help get the various government departments on the same page as the White House, time has proven that Trump will tweet what he wants, when he wants.

Trump has long held the belief that he is his most effective spokesman and believes a sign of loyalty is having supporters and aides come to his defense. His tendency to lash out at political adversaries on Twitter has also sent an undeniable message that he takes a “with us or against us” approach to governing.

“While the messaging points about the president and his agenda are all over the place, his frame is the same,” Katz said. “In some ways, he’s doing a lot better than the Democrats who rolled out their message a few months ago and then we haven’t heard anything about it since.”

Trump supporters still support him despite ***hole' comment because they believe in American exceptionalism - Independent

13/1/2018

***hole' comment because they believe in American exceptionalism

President will enjoy being the centre of attention again, and he will be convinced that his supporters are still on his side

David Usborne New York @dusborne

Hawaii ballistic missile text message alert was 'false alarm'

It’s not Donald Trump labelling other sovereign countries, including, it seems, every nation in Africa, as “s***holes” that is so disturbing so much as the knowledge that so many Americans out there think he’s right; that he’s speaking their minds as well as his own. And that he knows it.

Every time this happens you wonder if he’s finally gone too far. Whether even his most ardent fans will wake up and feel that same dreadful gagging sensation the rest of us do. Actually, we were asking it before he became President. When the tapes came out with him boasting about grabbing the genitals of women. When he smeared Mexicans as rapists and criminals.

Trump's racism is not a new trait. Recall how he strove to delegitimise Barack Obama by contending he couldn’t possibly be American because he didn’t seem to have a birth certificate to prove it and therefore had really come from Kenya. Or from some other you-know-what of a country.

Donald Trump refuses to answer press questions about ‘s***hole’ comment

And don’t forget the five black and Latino men accused of raping a white woman jogging in Central Park in 1989. Trump paid for full-page ads in four Gotham papers demanding the return of the death penalty. “Muggers and murderers,” he told the papers’ readers, “should be forced to suffer and, when they kill, they should be executed for their crimes.” He didn’t name the men, but he didn’t have to. The code was clear to all. He just had to pay $85,000 (£62,000) to get it out.

But here’s the worse part. After each of the so-called Central Park Five was exonerated thanks to new DNA technology and compensated financially by the city, Trump doubled down. “The fact that that case was settled with so much evidence against them is outrageous,” he told CNN in 2016. “And the woman, so badly injured, will never be the same.”

Running for President made taking out newspaper ads unnecessary. He had the attention of the entire country, and even before he started he was tapping out the same code again. He was the candidate for anyone who already felt that ethnic diversity was the main reason their lives weren’t what they wanted them to be. The ones who thought making America great again necessarily meant making it white again. Or as white as possible. It is, of course, a racist code. See it and you see why Trump beat Hillary Clinton when so few of us thought it possible.

And so it is now with Trump as President. In so far as he tries to encrypt his hateful messaging, he sometimes gets sloppy. That happened last August when he let slip that he thought both sides shared equal responsibility for the Charlottesville disturbances, the white supremacists snaking through town chanting Nazi slogans and the thousands who had come to stage a counter-protest against them. One of those, a woman called Heather Heyer, you recall, was run down and killed by a far-right sympathiser in his car, but still Trump thought both sides were to blame for it all.

Trump tried to claim he never said those things last week in the Oval Office. No one bought it and the battering of him wasn’t just by Democrats at home (and a few Republicans too, though not all of them). The outrage was global, in fact. Two things stood out: the use of “s***hole” to describe other nations, yes, but also his suggesting that if America must take in immigrants, why not from somewhere like Norway? You know, a whiter, more prosperous place.

But as I say, that’s not the worst part. I suspect first that Trump, in Mar-a-Lago for the weekend, is enjoying even this kerfuffle, however harsh the criticism of him. Because he is the centre of everyone’s attention again but also – and I suggest, more importantly – because he will be convinced that even this won’t be enough to make his supporters doubt him. In other words, when they are told that Trump referred to these countries as “s***holes” they thought, “right on”.

There is one family north of New York I occasionally canvas when we have eruptions like this, even though to do so is dangerous because they worship Trump and because our friendship is important to me. Here we were again. No, they could see nothing wrong this time either; Trump had not erred. Jarringly, they cited ads on TV from charities seeking help for children in the world’s most blighted regions, usually in Africa, as proof of the President’s point. The kids had flies buzzing about their heads, so these places must be sh**holes. How ironic. Advertising designed to kindle America’s generous spirit instead is encouraging it to turn its back.

This happens when a country raises its children on the myth of exceptionalism that says the United States is the only place on earth that has God’s blessing. The only place that matters. It happens in a country where exotic travel means crossing a state border for cheaper booze and where a passport is less important than a Sam’s Club membership card. It happens in a country where ignorance about the rest of the world is allowed to endure.

Above all it happens when a country elects a leader who instead of using his position to marshal its best instincts revels in doing the opposite. Trump may be right to think that far away from the opprobrium-filled parlours of New York and Washington there is a large segment of America that is on his side even in this controversy. But if he were even a slightly more decent man, if he were a better leader, he would recognise that as a very bad and sad thing, not a good one.

SINGAPORE IS WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE TOURIST SPOT ACCORDING TO NEW SURVEY - BUT IS IT 'FAKE NEWS'? - Independent

13/1/2018

SINGAPORE IS WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE TOURIST SPOT ACCORDING TO NEW SURVEY - BUT IS IT 'FAKE NEWS'?

Singapore tourist board has refuted the claims

City-state rejects findings of Post Office survey, which also asserts Tokyo has the cheapest wine in the world

SIMON CALDER TRAVEL CORRESPONDENT

@SimonCalder

Prices for British visitors to Singapore have risen by 65 per cent in a year in sterling terms, according to a Post Office survey, making It the world’s priciest holiday destination.

The city-state is easily the most expensive location of the 44 cities and resorts sampled for the annual Worldwide Holiday Costs Barometer. The survey compares the price of eight holiday commodities, including drinks, sunscreen and insect repellent.

Costs in Singapore totalled £154, nine per cent ahead of Dubai and Muscat in Oman, in joint second place at £141. Bulgaria was cheapest at £38.

The Post Office says the price of a meal for two with a bottle of house wine in Singapore has doubled in the course of a year, and now stands at £118. An equivalent meal in New York will cost £65, and only £33 in Tokyo.

These are the world’s most expensive cities

Tourism officials in Singapore rejected the survey’s finding, saying it did not represent a “like-for-like comparison” because a more expensive restaurant had been chosen.

A spokesperson for the Singapore Tourism Board told The Independent: “The cost of a meal and bottle of wine at the restaurant included in last year’s study – therefore offering a genuine year-on-year comparison – has not increased.

“Singapore enjoys a thriving culinary scene with something to suit foodies on every budget, from fine-dining at some of the world’s best restaurants, to its renowned hawker centres, where visitors can still purchase a Michelin-starred meal for under £5.”

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But the Post Office insisted its survey is sound. A spokesperson said: “We are confident that the price shown for Singapore is a fair representation of what UK visitors will find on average.”

Prices in Spain, the most popular overseas destination for British travellers, have risen by 42 per cent according to the report.

In the past year the pound has fallen by two per cent against the euro. Most of the rest of the rise in Spain is attributed to “the result of steep increases in the cost of eating out”. ABTA, the travel association, reports that its members sold nine per cent more holidays to Spain in 2017 compared with the previous year.

Portugal is one-third more expensive, according to the survey, largely because the price of a meal out has risen by 64 per cent year on year.

Noel Josephides, chairman of Sunvil Holidays, said: “There is no doubt that prices have gone up in Portugal as in other EU destinations but a lot depends where these are being measured. If you are looking at honeypot areas like Lisbon, the Algarve and Porto then they would have risen proportionally more but to measure in exact percentages – well I am not sure. In the Alentejo a coffee costs only 60 cents.”

The survey says Oman has by far the most expensive filter coffee, costing £6.15 for a cup. But The Independent found that the largest coffee at one of the many branches of Costa in Muscat costs less than half as much, at £3.04.

Neighbouring Dubai has seen some unusual price cuts over the past year: the cost of insect repellent and sunscreen have halved. A Coke is now only £1.48; last year it was the most expensive in the world at £5.11.

Drinkers may be tempted to the Japanese capital by the Post Office’s assertion that the price of a beer has fallen to a mere 69p — one-sixth of the price a year ago.

The price of a large glass of wine in Tokyo has fallen to the same level, a drop of three-quarters in the past year, making it easily the cheapest worldwide. Noted wine-producing nations are far more expensive: travellers will pay £3.14 in South Africa, £4.50 in France and over £5 in Australia.

Australia is almost the land of the £10 pint, warns the Post Office, with a 330ml beer (just over half-a-pint) costing £4.79 in Darwin.

Dubai and Oman are still more expensive, at over £8 for a small beer. The Gulf nations also charge most for a glass of wine, at £9.50 and £10.25 respectively.

US must act now to ward off more Russian election meddling, report says - CNN

US must act now to ward off more Russian election meddling, report says

By Nicole Gaouette, CNN

Updated 2258 GMT (0658 HKT) January 10, 2018

Pelosi: US deserves fair Russia investigation

Pelosi: US deserves fair Russia investigation

The report was released by the senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee

It concludes the US has no "coherent, comprehensive and coordinated approach" to the threat

(CNN)The US will not be prepared to defend against possible Russian meddling in the 2018 midterm elections or the 2020 presidential contest unless it takes action now, according to a new report detailing the extent to which Moscow has tried to shape elections across Europe.

The report details Russia's arsenal of military invasions, disinformation campaigns and corruption, and its weaponization of energy resources, among other tools, and it demonstrates how Moscow's attacks have intensified in scale and complexity, hitting Britain, Germany and France, as well as Ukraine and smaller countries.

The report, released Wednesday by Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, the senior Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, draws from European experience to outline ways in which Russia's "malign influence operations" can be deterred.

Titled "Putin's Asymmetrical Assault on Democracy in Russia and Europe: Implications for U.S. National Security," it was researched and written by Cardin staff members who interviewed European ambassadors in the US and traveled to Europe to talk to government officials, NGOs and media groups about Russian interference in their countries.

Russia investigation a challenge for US-Moscow relations, Tillerson says

The report warns that unless the US acts to counter the threat soon, Moscow will grow only more aggressive. And it adds a crucial caveat, given President Donald Trump's repeated refusal to acknowledge US intelligence assessments that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.

'Trump has been negligent,' report says

"Without leadership from the President, any attempt to marshal such a response will be inherently weakened at the outset," it says. "President Trump has been negligent in acknowledging and responding to the threat to US national security posed by [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's meddling."

Cardin, speaking at the German Marshall Fund on Wednesday, said that, "we don't have a President yet to fully acknowledge what Russia did to the United States in the elections. When you have that ambiguity, you don't have the consistency, you don't have all the strategy to protect the country [coming] from the President."

"That," Cardin said, "compromises our national security."

The administration pushed back hard. "We are happy that Congress agrees with our Intelligence Community's assessment regarding the Russian threat," the National Security Council said in a statement. "This Administration has no higher priority than protecting the national security and public safety of the United States. Some of our efforts will be seen and some will not, but there will most certainly be consequences for those who seek to interfere with our elections. We look forward to Congress's participation while continuing the Administration's steadfast efforts to counter Russian malign activities and protect future elections."

The administration points to its sanctions on Russia, decision to send arms to Ukraine, closure of Russian diplomatic properties, pursuit of Russian and Russia-linked cyber criminals, and work to secure election infrastructure, among other steps.

Even so, Cardin's report says that the US has no "coherent, comprehensive and coordinated approach to the Kremlin's malign influence operations, either abroad or at home."

The report calls for Trump to establish a high-level inter-agency group to coordinate US policy in response to the Russian government's operations. It also calls on the President to present Congress with a comprehensive strategy that deals with all aspects of Russia's disruptive tactics.

Fusion co-founder: Dossier author feared Trump was being blackmailed

Fusion co-founder: Dossier author feared Trump was being blackmailed 03:05

It calls on social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter to be held more accountable for acting as a "key conduit of disinformation campaigns that undermine democracies." It urges a new sanctions designation for "state hybrid threat actors" — countries that use traditional and nontraditional means, like cyberwarfare, to destabilize other nations.

The report demands a more personal targeting of Putin's "personal corruption and wealth stored abroad," recommending that the US "take steps with our European allies to cut off Mr. Putin and his inner circle from the international financial system."

It also stresses the need to help European allies reduce their dependence on Russian energy supplies.

Cardin is releasing the report as FBI and congressional probes into the Trump campaign's ties to Russia continue and relations between Washington and Moscow have entered a deep chill, despite Trump's oft-stated desire for a closer relationship with Russia and Putin.

The Trump-Russia investigation, from the beginning

Cardin said the so-called "minority report" wasn't written with Republicans because they had other priorities when his staff started researching last January and February but that it had a lot of Republican input. "Our report is not partisan — at all," he said.

"We kept them engaged and informed as we went through the process," Cardin said. "So this is not an effort to exclude one party. In fact, much of what is in this report was with the assistance of Republican members."

A spokeswoman for Sen. Bob Corker, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said Cardin had kept the Tennessee Republican informed about the report. Under Corker, the committee has conducted oversight and helped expand sanctions against Russia for its "continued aggression, including its brazen cyber-attacks and interference in elections," Micah Johnson said. No further committee activity is planned at this time, she added.

The Russian Embassy did not respond to requests for comment.

Democratic aides said the report is not meant as a dive into Russia's meddling into the 2016 US election, given the multiple investigations on the issue. As the first government report to outline the scale and scope of Putin's efforts, it's meant to lay down a marker and warn that 2016 wasn't unique, they said.

Trouble ahead

It comes a few weeks before a deadline for the administration to announce secondary sanctions against companies and individuals who do business with Russian intelligence and military entities. The State Department missed its first deadline on those sanctions, and lawmakers are watching closely to see whether the administration complies promptly.

At more than 200 pages with over 1,000 footnotes, the report takes an unsparing look at Putin's approach to rivals and perceived threats going back decades and ends in December 2017. It predicts potential trouble ahead.

"If the United States fails to work with urgency to address this complex and growing threat, the regime in Moscow will become further emboldened," the report says. "It will continue to develop and refine its arsenal to use on democracies around the world, including against US elections in 2018 and 2020."

While the US has what the report calls "a patchwork" of offices and programs working on efforts that could help counter Russia's election interference, it doesn't have the coordinated approach that the report calls for: a "fusion" center that brings different elements of government together to address the threat, much like the National Counterterrorism Center.

Mueller interview offers risks, rewards for Trump

Mueller interview offers risks, rewards for Trump 05:30

The report points to Europe to provide a road map for the US going forward. "We can learn from Europe," a Democratic aide said.

The UK has made a point of publicly chastising the Russian government for its meddling in democracies, and it has moved to strengthen cybersecurity and electoral processes, the report notes.

Germany "pre-empted Kremlin interference in its national election with a strong warning of consequences, an agreement among political parties not to use bots or paid trolls, and close cyber cooperation between the government and political campaigns."

Spain has cracked down on Russia-based organized crime groups, while France has created a coordinated effort among government, political and media groups to dilute the impact of Russian hacking and smear campaigns.

Smaller countries such as the Nordic states have emphasized critical thinking and media literacy among their populations. Baltic nations have informed their publics of Russia's activities, toughened their defenses against cyberattacks and moved to reduce their energy dependence on Moscow.

This story has been updated.

CNN's Liz Stark and Caroline Kelly contributed to this report.

Toyota and Honda Are Recalling Another Million Cars to Fix Faulty Takata Airbags - TIME Business

Toyota and Honda Are Recalling Another Million Cars to Fix Faulty Takata Airbags Posted: 10 Jan 2018 04:16 AM PST DETROIT — Toyota and Honda are recalling more than 1 million additional vehicles in the U.S. to replace defective and potentially deadly Takata air bag inflators. The new recalls come after Takata revealed that another 3.3 million inflators are defective. The latest recalls are part of the largest series of automotive recalls in U.S. history, with 19 automakers having to recall up to 69 million inflators in 42 million vehicles. The problem brought a criminal conviction and fine against Takata and forced the Japanese company into bankruptcy protection. Takata’s inflators can explode with too much force and hurl shrapnel into the vehicle. At least 20 people have died worldwide and more than 280 have been hurt. Toyota says it’s recalling an additional 601,000 vehicles in the U.S. Owners will be notified by March and dealers will replace front passenger inflators or air bag assemblies. The recall covers: — Toyota Corolla, Toyota Matrix, Scion xB, Lexus IS 250 and 350 and Lexus IS-F from the 2009, 2010 and 2013 model years. — Toyota 4-Runner, Lexus IS 250C and 350C and Lexus GX 460 from the 2010 and 2013 model years. — Toyota Yaris and Lexus ES 350 from the 2009 and 2010 model years. — Toyota Sienna from the 2013 model year. Honda says it’s recalling an additional 465,000 vehicles and 960 Gold Wing motorcycles in the U.S. Honda plans to notify owners by late February. Owners can get replacement passenger front air bags starting immediately. The recall covers: — Acura RL and Honda Accord from the 2009-2012 model years. — Acura TSX, Honda Fit, Honda Ridgeline and Honda Pilot from the 2009-2013 model years. — Honda Civic, Honda CR-V, Honda Element from the 2009-2011 model years. — Honda Crosstour, Honda Insight and Acura ZDX from the 2010-2013 model years. — Acura TSX from the 2011-2013 model years. — Honda FCX Clarity and Honda Fit EV from the 2013 model year. — Gold Wing motorcycles with optional air bags from the 2009-2016 model years. Honda noted that there have been no air bag ruptures reported on any Honda motorcycles globally.

Our historic Brexit vote could now be reversed, admits Nigel Farage - Guardian

Our historic Brexit vote could now be reversed, admits Nigel Farage

Remainers ‘are making all the running’ and could swing a vote in parliament, former Ukip leader warns

Toby Helm and Michael Savage

Sun 14 Jan 2018 20.32 AEDT First published on Sun 14 Jan 2018 09.01 AEDT

Nigel Farage today makes a dramatic admission that the vote for Brexit could be overturned because Remainers have seized control of the argument over Britain’s future relationship with the EU.

The former Ukip leader told the Observer that he was becoming increasingly worried that the Leave camp had stopped fighting their corner, leaving a well-funded and organised Remain operation free to influence the political and public debate without challenge.

“The Remain side are making all the running,” said Farage. “They have a majority in parliament, and unless we get ourselves organised we could lose the historic victory that was Brexit.”

On Thursday Farage angered many Brexiters, and many in Ukip, when he said he was coming round to the view that the country might need to hold a second referendum in order to close down the EU argument for good.

He said then that he believed such a vote would see the Brexit side win with a bigger majority than the one it achieved on 23 June 2016, when it triumphed by 52% to 48%. But, speaking on Friday, Farage appeared to change his tune, making clear that he was seriously worried that Brexit could be undone and reversed. The case for a complete break from the EU was no longer being made, even by pro-Brexit MPs in parliament, he said.

The Leave side is in danger of not even making the argument

Nigel Farage

Instead, the Remain camp was relentlessly putting out its message that a hard Brexit would be ruinous to the British economy and bad for the country, without people hearing the counter-argument that had secured Brexiters victory in the 2016 referendum campaign.

His latest intervention comes ahead of another vital week for the Brexit process in the House of Commons and as peers in the overwhelmingly pro-Remain House of Lords prepare to argue for retaining the closest possible links with the EU – and in some cases for a second referendum – when legislation reaches peers at the end of this month.

Farage said he now had a similar feeling to the one he had 20 years ago when Tony Blair appeared to be preparing the country for an eventual entry into the euro. “I think the Leave side is in danger of not even making the argument,” he said. “The Leave groups need to regather and regroup, because Remain is making all the arguments. After we won the referendum, we closed the doors and stopped making the argument.”

Last Monday Farage held a meeting in Brussels with the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, which, he said, left him convinced that the UK would not be offered the kind of deal that would be easy to sell as beneficial to the UK economy unless Leavers upped their game.

“We no longer have a majority in parliament. I think we would lose the vote in parliament,” Farage said.

Farage’s rallying call to Leavers reflects genuine alarm among hardline Brexit supporters that too many concessions have already been made to the Remain side of the Brexit argument by Theresa May’s government, and that more could follow.

The clock is ticking and the time for sitting on the fence is long gone

Chris Leslie MP

As negotiations continue in Brussels, and Brexit legislation passes through parliament, the government has already accepted the case for a two-year transition period in which the UK would effectively remain in the single market and customs union. Before Christmas, pro-EU Tory MPs sided with opposition MPs to defeat the government and ensure that MPs will have a “meaningful vote” on the eventual Brexit agreement struck with Brussels – meaning they have an effective veto.

Labour will back an amendment to the EU withdrawal bill demanding that a very detailed independent economic analysis of the effects of the eventual deal should be conducted after it is struck but before it is put to a vote of MPs.

While the Labour leadership is playing down the significance of the move, many MPs see it as a step towards their party backing permanent membership of the EU single market and customs union.

Labour MP Chris Leslie, a supporter of the pro-EU grouping Open Britain – one of those which Farage worries has become too influential – said: “The very least the Labour front bench should be supporting is a proper analysis of the dire economic consequences of leaving the single market and the customs union. The clock is ticking and the time for sitting on the fence is long gone. This should serve as a stepping stone to the party backing the position of staying in the single market and the customs union permanently.”

Conservatives have to start listening even more carefully

Ben Bradley

Anti-hard-Brexit Tories says their numbers have increased since May’s widely criticised government reshuffle, in which Remainer Justine Greening left the cabinet to sit with pro-EU Tories at prime minister’s questions.

Writing for the Observer, Ben Bradley, the 28-year-old Mansfield MP and newly appointed Tory vice-chair for youth, said the reshuffle marked a moment for the party to show it would become more responsive to the needs of young voters following its poor election result last June.

“Last year’s general election saw a surge in young people turning out to vote, with 18-to-24-year-olds voting in greater numbers than at any other time,” he writes. “Politicians – of all political stripes – have to start listening. The fact that most of the youth vote went to Labour in 2017 means that Conservatives have to start listening even more carefully.

“As a young person – brought up on the values of tolerance and respect – I want to ensure that people of my generation and younger are not scared to say that they are a Conservative.”