17/01/2017 The Papers

Welcome to our look ahead at the papers tomorrow. With me here Kate

McCann of the telegraph and Jay Watts of the Independent. Quick look

at the front pages. The FT have Theresa May's speech on our future

departure from the EU, saying the Prime Minister managed to ease

business fears of a so-called hard Brexit. I dominated by that speech.

Newspaper highlights her assertion Britain will quit the single market.

Metro says she played hard ball with the EU and warned it not to try to

punish Britain in the exit negotiations. The Express has the

same threat from the Prime Minister to abandon talks on a post Brexit

deal with the EU if there's any attempt to impose punitive terms.

The telegraph headlines her comment that no deal is better than a bad

deal. So, Kate, the papers on the whole are pretty warm reception for

Theresa May's speech. Yes, I don't think she could have hoped for

better today or tomorrow. This is also going to be the highest point

she's likely to reach in the two-year Brexit negotiation process,

because we've not started negotiating yet. So Theresa May's

setting out her hard ball as we've talked about. She's saying the EU

needs to listen up, we're not going to take no for an answer, this is

what we want. Underneath it all, there are softer tones saying we

don't want to see the EU ruined. We don't want lots more Brexit or other

countries to exit and we want you to be our friends. At the same time,

this is not a game. We're not playing around here, we're going to

drive a hard bargain and get a good deal for this country. All the

headlines are supportive. The comment that's quoted on the front

of the Telegraph, the plan represents a master class in common

sense. She'll be delighted with that. Yeah, absolutely, she will.

The front of the Telegraph that shows the challenge that newspapers

are facing. There was so much news today, so many points, so much

information on her negotiating stance. This is after woks and weeks

that we've been gagging for any small detail of what she's going to

do. Now she's thrown all this stuff out there. The news coverage has had

to focus on it and hasn't so much focussed on the unanswered

questions, there aren't many of them. If she's pleased with the

telegraph, she's going to be thrilled with the Daily Mail. Steel

of the new Iron Lady. I think this one will split opinion. It's very

1980s throw back. That's probably the intention here. If you look at

the tight face and the graphic. Theresa May basically dressed up

there as you say, Margaret Thatcher. It's all about her, this is her

moment. This is the toughest May is going to be able to be. Before we

start negotiating, before she has to start compromising and before the

country really starts to understand what Brexit means and like Joe says,

there are lots of questions. One of the big unanswered questions is

about the customs union. If you listen to what Theresa May said

today, on the one hand she's saying we will have a phased exit from the

EU. On the other she says there won't be a Troonational arrangement.

She says we won't remain a member of the single market but will have

access to the single market. We won't have a deal open to other

countries on the customs, but we will pick and choose the bits we

want. That's very difficult. We've skimmed the top line of the speech.

In the days to come we have to see what actually that really means. We

will, yeah. Metro, don't call me maybe. I don't know if that's a

reference to the Economist front page that called her Theresa Maybe.

This whole thing she couldn't make up her mind, what strategy she

wanted. Do you think she's answered her critics with this speech? I

think she may allow herself a sherry in Downing Street tonight. Is that

her tipple? Yeah, it must be. She's probably there with Philip -

Probably watching us! She's been accused of having no Brexit plan, of

not knowing what she's doing. Turns out today that she did have a very

clear idea of what she wanted. She talked about being disciplined,

about how the Europeans have been disciplined and it showed today that

she had a very clear message and she played the cards that she had very

well. I think her party will be very pleased with it. This is one day. It

was a good move in the chess game of politics. But the reality may kick

in. So some commentators saying this may the last moment of control she

has. What about the European reaction? In a sense, there was that

threat in a way, if you don't give ace deal, a -- give us a decent deal

there'll be no deal. Will they feel threatened? I think so. We'll see

more of that in the days to come. Aside from the stark language she

used, there were a number of references in the speech about the

UK's security powers and how much we contribute to things like Europol.

UK is the driving force behind that organisation, which protects the

whole of the EU from terrorism. There were a number of references in

her speech to if you don't give us a good deal, we might have to look

again at the security powers. Number Ten sources trying to play that down

tonight and say of course that's not a bargaining chip in. Reality, it's

one of our most powerful cards. I would be surprise today she doesn't

play it. The EU reaction will be muted at first. They want to see

what's going to come of this. They want to understand what it means. If

that issue is on the table, we'll see a fierce reaction to it. We're

going to be discussing the papers in much greater detail in the next

hour. For the moment, Kate, Joe, thank you very much indeed for being

with us. We will be back at 11. 30pm with a more detailed look at the

front pages. See you then.