Labour wants to hand over £90billion divorce bill to the EU, Brexit Secretary says as he vows to take hard line
David Davis insisted that it is right to delay talks in order to scrutinise the divorce bill
LABOUR is prepared to roll over for the EU and pay a huge £90billion divorce bill, the Brexit Secretary claimed tonight.
David Davis insisted that Brexit talks are only going slowly because Britain is intent on going through the proposed bill “line by line” to make sure we pay no more than we owe.
The minister updated Parliament on the progress of negotiations this evening, days after EU envoy Michel Barnier blamed the UK for failing to reach agreement on key issues including the divorce bill.
Labour’s Keir Starmer urged Mr Davis to speed up the “slow process of progress” in talks by working harder to come to a deal with Eurocrats.
The Brexit Secretary replied: “Does the Labour Party want to pay €100billion in order to get progress in the next month, is that what it’s about? Because that’s what they’ve been saying.
“I hope the answer is no - but what we heard from the Shadow Brexit Secretary was a beautiful piece of lawyerly argument ignoring the simple fact that this tactic is a pressure tactic to make us pay.”
He also mocked Mr Starmer over Labour’s deep Brexit divisions, saying: “I only have to negotiate with Brussels - he has to negotiate with the entire front bench.”
Mr Davis was jeered by opposition MPs when he said that talks with the EU would inevitably be tricky.
He told the Commons: “Nobody has ever pretended this would be simple or easy. I've always said the negotiations will be tough, complex and at times confrontational - so it has proved.
"But we must not lose sight of our overarching aim - to build a deep and special new partnership with our closest neighbours and allies whilst also building a truly global Britain that can forge new relationships with the fastest growing economies around the world."
Labour backbenchers heckled Mr Davis - pointing out that previously he and other Tories have played down the potential difficulties of negotiating Brexit.
The minister insisted that the British approach has been "substantially more flexible and pragmatic" than the EU's.
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He reiterated his aim of completing the first stage of talks by October, but insisted that setting that deadline in stone would only help Brussels by panicking Britain into striking a substandard deal.
And he said that claims Brits will be unable to book flights to Europe after Brexit unless we get a comprehensive deal are only "scare stories".