What the papers say: Why we must prepare for a Brexit ‘no deal’

Theresa May’s ‘I’m in charge’ message she delivered to Parliament wasn’t only aimed at MPs – it was also directed at Brussels, says the Daily Telegraph. After all, there’s little doubt that Michel Barnier will have looked at Theresa May’s disastrous Tory party conference performance and have concluded ‘she is hanging onto power by her fingertips’. Surely he will have thought, says the paper, Britain’s PM is ‘not in a position to play tough’. If so, Brussels’ politicians would be wise to ‘think long and hard about what life might be like if the negotiations go wrong’. If Brexit goes wrong and the Tories are given the boot, ‘suddenly they would have a Marxist on their doorstep’ – just what other ‘centre-Right governments of Europe have been desperately fighting against’. Corbyn’s policies would do serious harm to ‘Europe’s economic stability’. They would also make it difficult to tell whether Britain would meet its defence commitments.