Today's Update From The Waugh Zone Is Titled `JUNE BUG'

* Paul Waugh

by Paul Waugh | Politics

Downing Street sounds increasingly confident of a decent deal on the EU and on a timetable it would like. But as the Cabinet meets this morning (and Political Cabinet beforehand, including Boris) there are growing signs of ministerial and party unease among Eurosceptics.

Scottish Secretary David Mundell has become the first Cabinet minister to publicly back a June referendum date, telling a Holyrood lobby press lunch there was a ‘strong argument’ to hold it that month. And Philip Hammond said it would be ‘very odd’ to hold the poll in September.

No wonder a few people feel like they and the country are being railroaded towards ‘Remain’. The Sun has a story about the PM’s Cabinet sub committee on Europe (which includes Javid, IDS and Theresa May) not having met for four months. A Cabinet source tells the paper the sidelining is “being seen by Sajid, Iain and Theresa as a lack of trust in them, which does nothing to hold the party together after the referendum as it will fall to them to help do that.” Add in the feeling that George Osborne is the real Foreign Secretary on EU matters and you have a combustible mix.

Although there seems to be progress on the PM’s ‘four baskets’, The Times reports on other unease about German plan to redefine workers in EU law. EU diplomats are ‘baffled’ over the plan could rewrite decades of case law without upsetting Eastern European nations. 

The Vote Leave and leave.eu campaigns are again at loggerheads, with accusations of racism and personality feuds in play. But at least a report in the Express suggests Eurosceps now have God on their side. It reveals the Church Commissioners believe that they and the CofE Pensions Board “are well positioned for any market re-pricing or uncertainty that may prevail prior to or after the referendum.” So, Brexit’s OK.

Brexit hero Chris Grayling is at the Press Gallery lunch today. Until recently, some hacks were reluctant to attend, but now the Commons Leader is box office. Will the normally cautious minister use his new-found boldness to give some candid answers to questions? Will he say how unhappy he is at the way Gove has seemed to trash his policies at the MoJ, as well as shift from the Euroscep camp to the 'loyal to George camp'...?

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* Paul Waugh is the Executive Editor, Politics, HuffPost UK.