Brexit chief Davis scores a win over Hammond with immigrants curb

BREXIT Secretary David Davis has secured a vic tory over Chancellor Philip Hammond by persuading the Cabinet to endorse curbs on immigration, Tory MPs said today.

They claimed the key conclusion of y e s t e r d a y ’s special Cabinet at Chequers, that Britain would seek a “unique” deal with the EU and reject free movement rules, was a defeat for the Chancellor who is worried about trade and the City.

Allies of Mr Davis say he now wants to make a Commons statement setting out the next steps in the Brexit process, to send a powerful signal to other Cabinet ministers not to stray onto his turf. “He is in charge and it is now clear he has the Prime Minister’s authority behind him,” crowed an ally.

Mr Hammond was with Mrs May touring the Midlands this morning, promising that Britain was “open for business” as it leaves the EU.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was meanwhile embarking on a three-day tour for talks with ministers, starting with a summit in Potsdam near Berlin where he will meet Ukraine foreign minister Pavlo Klimkin, followed by a meeting in Vienna.

A campaign group today claimed the EU referendum was dogged by “glaring democratic defi c i enc i es” t hat l ef t voters in the dark.

The Electoral Reform Society called for a new body to “call out” politicians who make misleading claims during any future referendum. Its report found voters were increasingly turned off by bogus claims.

Katie Ghose, its chief executive, said: “This report shows without a shadow of a doubt j u s t h ow d i r e the EU referendum debate really was.

“There were glaring democratic deficiencies in the run-up to the vote, with the public f eel i ng t ot al ly illinformed.

“Both sides were viewed as highly negative by voters, while the top-down, personality-based nature of the debate failed to address major policies and issues, leaving the public in the dark.” Polls by the ERS showed the intervention of high-profile political figures such as President Obama “largely failed to engage or convince voters”.

David Cameron’s prominent role may have backfired, as 29 per cent of voters said he made them more likely to vote.

The polls said the only high-profile figures who persuaded voters of their position were Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage and Donald Trump, all antiestablishment, pro-Brexit figures.