A new Brexit row has erupted over how much the UK owes the EU as part of its “divorce bill”.
The latest EU accounts suggest the UK has to pay billions more than was originally planned – € 47.5 billion (£ 40.8 billion).
But Downing Street strongly rejected the revised net figure on Friday, insisting that the Departure The sum remains within the range of previous targets between 35 and 39 billion pounds.
Downing Street said the prime minister did not recognize the new figure listed by the EU
A spokesperson for No 10 has pledged to provide more details on the issue to Parliament in the coming weeks.
“We do not recognize this figure, it is an estimate produced by the EU for its own internal accounting purposes,” they said. “For example, it doesn’t reflect all the money owed to the UK, which reduces the amount we pay.
“Our estimate remains in the central range of £ 35bn to £ 39bn and we will release full details in parliament shortly.”
The bill covers spending commitments made during the UK’s nearly 50 years of membership in the EU.
The two sides agreed on how the amount would be calculated as part of the negotiations on the Withdrawal Agreement which allowed the UK to leave the EU.
However, while the methodology has been confirmed, an exact figure has not been.
European Commission, led by Ursula von der Leyen, says revised figure correct
In 2018, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimated that the so-called ‘divorce bill’ would cost the UK government £ 37.1 billion – but the figure that appeared in the latest Brussels accounts suggests the Kingdom United is at least £ 3 billion in debt. After.
The EU says the revised figure is “correct”.
“The report is final and the calculations have been made in accordance with the Withdrawal Agreement,” a spokesperson said.
“We have already informed the UK government of the payments to be made for the first part of this year and …
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2021-07-09 13:27:00
