Brussels BLASTED: Massive Brexit divorce bill is an 'INSULT' to British people - economist
BRITAIN should not be forced to pay the “massive” Brexit divorce bill to get out of the European Union, think tank boss Richard Wellings said.
Richard Wellings, the Deputy Director at the Institute of Economic Affairs, launched a furious attack on the Brussels bloc and said its demand for a "huge" Brexit divorce bill would be an “insult” to British taxpayers.
EU officials have refused to progress on to trade talks until progress is made on the key Brexit issues - including the Brexit divorce bill, Irish border and citizens’ rights.
In an exclusive interview with the Express.co.uk, Mr Wellings said: “I think this huge bill is an insult to British taxpayers because they are being forced to pay in today’s money, hundreds of billions to the EU, over the years of membership.
“This is just an extra massive bill.”
Getty
I think this huge bill is an insult to British taxpayers
The UK has reportedly agreed that it has liabilities of around €90 billion with the European Union and will pay the bloc between €45 to €55 billion (£40 billion to £49 billion).
Mr Wellings said he had done research and had estimated the bill to be “much lower”, at a figure around €25- to €30 billion. He said: “Even that was a gesture of goodwill.
“It wasn’t something that Britain was legally forced to pay. So that would be to pay to the end of the current budget period to the end of 2020.”
A Department for Exiting the EU spokesman added: "Intensive talks between the UK and the European Commission continue to take place in Brussels this week as we seek to reach an agreement."
Theresa May has tried to accelerate negotiations to move the talks onto the second phase of negotiations before the European Council summit on December 14.
But Chancellor Philip Hammond claimed walking away from "obligations we have entered into" would be "inconceivable" whatever the outcome of the talks about the future relationship between the UK and Brussels.
After the hearing the claim, Brexiteer Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg described the remarks as "unacceptable".
He added: "Money is our leverage for a deal."
The UK has been given a deadline of Friday to resolve the key Brexit issues, as the UK Government said it is “optimistic” for an agreement over the Irish border.
