Katy Balls

Some things never change. It's the end of the first week of the new term and the Conservatives are finishing it with a row about Brexit. Although there are several rows currently brewing on Brexit – from amendments to the EU (withdrawal) bill to David Davis's 'stability' – the one that is giving the Prime Minister the biggest headache involves a letter and a minister. The letter – thought to have been destined for the Sunday Telegraph – says that Britain should not pay into the EU budget during a transition period and must be able to sign trade deals straight after Brexit. These demands go further than current government policy and it has been circulated among Brexit-backing Tories, with dozens said to have signed it so far.

Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May spent their lunchtime talking about McDonalds. Unfortunately for the Prime Minister, it was McStrike, rather than a lunchtime order, that dominated her first PMQs since the summer recess. Asked to show support for those workers currently taking industrial action against the fast food giant, May would only say that it was a matter for McDonalds – before going on to attack Labour for not doing more to tackle zero hour contracts when they were in government. This felt evasive and allowed Corbyn to go on and pit her against the side of the workers when he asked about the government's diluted plans to crackdown on corporate excess. Although Corbyn asked several topical questions effectively, his problem was that he asked too many.

Although Damian Green has insisted Theresa May will lead the party into the next election, this hasn't stopped Jacob Rees-Mogg receiving the first 'official endorsement' for leader. Last night, Activate – the questionable attempt at a 'Tory momentum' – announced that it was backing the Moggster. Given that this grassroots movement is yet to take off, it's  unlikely to cause CCHQ much concern just yet. However, today's Conservative Home survey might. In a sign that Moggmentum isn't just confined to Facebook groups, Jacob Rees-Mogg has topped ConHome's Next Tory Leader survey of party members. A candidate by the name of 'other' comes a close second, while David Davis is now third favourite followed by Dominic Raab – a justice minister.

When Parliament returns tomorrow, Theresa May will come back to work to find her position a bit more secure than it was when she left for the summer break. With no obvious leadership challenger and her party vaguely united behind her, May looks safe in No 10 in the coming months – even if her claim that she could lead her party into another election looks dubious at best. It follows that talk has now turned to how she could shore up her position and assert her authority on her party. The Times reports that the prime minister and her allies are planning to use the threat of a reshuffle to further bolster her authority.

Spare a thought for David Davis over the bank holiday weekend. As revellers descend on Notting Hill Carnival on Monday, the Brexit Secretary will be at the negotiating table in Brussels for the third round of Brexit talks. With the EU 27 adamant that trade talks can only begin once progress has been made on the other issues, the focus will be on the Brexit 'divorce bill', the rights of EU nationals, and the Irish border. Given how uphill talks have been so far, the expectation in Whitehall is that this could be a bad-tempered outing for both sides. Michel Barnier – the EU’s chief negotiator – is expected to, once again, ask Davis to say how the UK proposes to calculate its financial obligations to the EU.

Ever since the snap election, Jeremy Corbyn has been in campaign mode – claiming Theresa May's minority government is on the verge of collapse and that there will be another election within months. Tomorrow, the Labour leader kicks off a summer tour of Scotland, which he claims 'holds the keys' to getting his party back in power: 'We have stayed on an election footing all summer, and nowhere is more important to delivering another Labour government than Scotland. The only way to deliver the truly radical change that Scotland needs is to back Labour in Scotland.' Much to the upset of the Nats, the 18 seats Corbyn will be targeting on the trip are all held by the SNP – rather than the common enemy of the Tories.

There are many ways to dampen down speculation surrounding one's leadership ambitions. However, writing an article headlined 'I do not plan to be PM, but here is how the Tories could lead better' isn't one of them. This is what Jacob Rees-Mogg did this morning for the Telegraph, thereby pouring petrol on reports over the weekend that he is 'sounding out' friends and considering throwing his hat into the ring to be the next leader. While one Tory MP, Heidi Allen, has already broken rank to say she would leave the party if Rees-Mogg were to become leader, many activists will hope the reports prove to be true. The Moggster – as he has come to be known – has developed a cult following, with Tory activists deeming him to be the Conservative answer to Corbyn.

There are some things in life that you can always rely on: the sun will rise in the East, there will be showers in April, and the Conservatives will find a way to put off balancing the books. Although George Osborne – back when he was Chancellor – initially aimed to eliminate the structural deficit by 2015, it has since been pushed back time and time again. His successor Philip Hammond isn't much better, pushing paying off the deficit until the middle of the next decade, in the 2017 manifesto. At the time, I wrote that their record on the issue meant there was little reason to believe the Tories would even stick with the new date.

Ahead of the summer recess, there was concern among Tory high command that the long holiday could result in seven weeks of leadership plotting. But worried Mayites can rest easy as instead what's transpired instead is an endless free-for-all over the government's Brexit position. Every day hacks now take a comment from a minister on one aspect of Brexit and then try and work out whether or not the whole Cabinet agrees with them. Today it was the Prime Minister's spokesman who stepped up to the plate.

Although this week has seen a divergence of views in the Cabinet over Brexit (not to mention Labour's continuing Brexit confusion) on everything from chlorinated chicken to freedom of movement, there is one aspect of the negotiations that all ministers can agree on: the need for a transitional agreement. Speaking on the Today programme, the Chancellor confirmed that 'many things would look similar' the day after Brexit. The new Cabinet consensus for an implementation period while the UK moves towards a new relationship with the EU is something Philip Hammond has been lobbying for for some time. The expectation in Whitehall is that Theresa May will give a speech in September setting out in more detail the government’s view on Brexit and transition.

Another day, another mixed message from the government over its position on Brexit. This time it's immigration that has become the source of confusion after the Home Secretary and her minister appeared to come up with conflicting lines this morning. In an article for the Financial Times, Amber Rudd said she wanted to reassure businesses and EU nationals that 'we will ensure there is no “cliff edge” once we leave the bloc'. To do this, she said the flow of EU workers would continue for an 'implementation period' after Britain's exit. However, speaking on the Today programme, Brandon Lewis – the Home Office minister – appeared to take a more hardline approach. He said freedom of movement from the EU would end in Spring 2019.

Don't Liam Fox and Michael Gove know how to use Skype? Just as the Cabinet finally start to reach agreement on the nuts and bolts of the UK's Brexit negotiating position, a row has broken out across the Atlantic about chlorinated chicken. Much to Fox's frustration, his trip to Washington to begin US/UK trade talks has been dominated by chicken. After accusing the British press of being 'obsessed' by the issue of chlorinated chicken being a part of a trade deal, Fox has attempted to dampen down speculation on the issue.

As Theresa May sets off hiking in the Italian alps, CCHQ can take heart that – for a change – it's not Conservative in-fighting dominating the headlines. Instead, it's Labour's dubious election promises – thanks to Jeremy Corbyn's admission on the Andrew Marr show that his party has no plans to abolish pre-existing student debt. The reason this presents a problem for Labour is an interview Corbyn gave to NME magazine during the General Election campaign. Discussing tuition fees, the Labour leader said that on top of axing fees, he would 'deal with those already burdened with student debt’: 'I don’t see why those that had the historical misfortune to be at university during the £9,000 period should be burdened excessively.

This afternoon, David Davis and Michel Barnier gave a joint press conference to update hacks on the progress that's been made in the second instalment of Brexit talks. However, there wasn't all that much progress to report back on. Michel Barnier, the EU's chief negotiator, said there was a 'fundamental' split between the EU and the UK over how to guarantee the rights of EU nationals. The disagreement rests on whether citizens' rights should be backed by the Court of Justice of the European Union or the British courts. Barnier appeared to adopt a more hardline approach than before on the reasons for wanting the ECJ to rule on this – he said citizens had moved to the UK expecting this to be the case.