Theresa May to offer Brussels £20billion to kick start Brexit trade talks

THERESA May is preparing to offer up to £20billion more to Brussels in the first week of December to kick start Brexit trade talks, The Sun has learnt.

The additional money would come on top of the £18 billion the Prime Minister said she will pay to secure a transitional deal in her Florence speech in September.

Brexit bosses hope it will mean talks about the UK’s future relationship can finally be given the green light when all EU leaders meet on 14 December.

However Mrs May will not put an exact figure on her offer but instead give Brussels clear guidance on what spending commitments Britain is prepared to honour before leaving the bloc.

EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier has put a 14 day deadline on Britain last week to outline what they are prepared to pay as a controversial exit bill.

But Ministers and MPs now expect Downing Street to simply ignore that enforced time limit and instead set out plans early next month.

Crucially the move would come after the Finance Bill linked to next week’s Budget has passed the House of Commons in a bid to avoid angry Brexiteers hijacking the legislation in protest to large sums being sent to Brussels.

Outlining the payment plans in early December would give Brussels time to consider the offer and circulate their plan to other 27 EU states ahead of the next crunch EU Council meeting on 14 December.

Leaders will decide if “sufficient progress” has been made to move onto trade talks at that meeting — with the so called exit bill a major stumbling block in six months of talks so far.

Last night Brexit Department sources insisted that no final decision had been made about whether an offer would be made.

A Government spokesman added: “As we have always said, the financial settlement will only be resolved in the context of our future relationship”.

On Sunday Brexit boss David Davis insisted that taxpayers would not “want me to just come along and give away billions of pounds.”

He added: “So we are being very, very careful and it’s taking time, and we will take our time to get to the right answer.”

The concession plan came as Theresa May met with a close ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss Brexit.

The “constructive” No10 talks with MEP Manfred Weber kicked off a two week long charm offensives by Mrs May toward senior members of the European Parliament - including Nigel Farage - who have a veto over Britain’s final deal with Brussels.

After the talks, Herr Weber said the UK did not have to put a figure on the so-called exit bill but urged Mrs May to make clear which of its outstanding financial obligations to the EU it was prepared to accept.

He said: “When somebody is leaving the club then such a person or such a member state has to pay the open bill. That is what we are asking for - simply fairness, simply to do what you promised to do.”

“For the so-called sufficient progress question for the December council, the most important thing is not the figure.

“The most important thing is to clarify the commitments - the areas where Great Britain has to see its commitments,” he added.

Herr Weber later told a news conference that while he was "more optimistic" about the prospects for a deal there had still to be further progress before they could move to the second phase.

"I am more optimistic. There is progress and a will to see progress," he said.

"The atmosphere is positive but we need clear and concrete commitments to step into the second phase. For now the green light is not there."