Britain will refuse to pay Brussels’ £50bn ‘divorce bill’ for kickstarting Brexit, insists David Davis as EU accused of acting like ‘playground bullies’
BRITAIN will refuse to pay Brussels its £50billion “divorce bill” in order to kickstart our EU exit, David Davis has insisted.
When Theresa May triggers Article 50 tomorrow and starts the two-year countdown to Brexit, the demands for cash will form one of the first stumbling blocks in the negotiations.
But the Brexit Secretary said although the UK would meet its obligations - he did not expect to see "that sort of money change hands".
When talks begin after Mrs May sends her formal letter to European Council president Donald Tusk, EU chiefs are expected to seek an early agreement on an exit fee.
This is meant to cover the UK's outstanding liabilities such as pensions and projects it has already pledged cash to.
European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has confirmed he expects the UK's "divorce bill" for Brexit will be around £50billion.
But on a BBC Question Time Brexit special, Mr Davis said: "The Prime Minister said we are coming to the end of the time when we are paying enormous sums to the EU.
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"We will, of course, meet our international obligations but we expect also our rights to be respected too.
"I don't think we are going to be seeing that sort of money change hands."
It came after one audience member said the UK should not have to pay the EU anything and said the country was being "bullied on the playground".
Mr Davis also insisted there are contingency plans in place in case the UK failed to secure a deal on future trading arrangements with the EU.
But he stressed a "comprehensive" agreement remained the Government's goal, despite reports about the Government being happy to leave talks without one.
And he also said immigration policy would be set by the "national interest" - meaning that "from time to time" the numbers of people coming to Britain could still increase.
Mr Davis also dismissed EU negotiator Michel Barnier's warnings the UK would not be able to import nuclear fuel and would face queues of lorries at Dover as trade ground to a halt because of the increased bureaucracy.
He was challenged on the show about his alleged desire for a trade deal that will provide the "exact same benefits" as membership of the single market and customs union.
The minister said: "I make no apology for being ambitious about what we achieve."