Johnson and EU leaders disagree over £39bn Brexit divorce bill
Britain and the EU fired warning shots to one another today as disagreements over a £39bn Brexit divorce bill threatened to jeopardise hopes of a trade deal between the two sides.
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Talks between Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU leaders ended today with a stand-off over payments that Britain could face in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
Speaking at the G7 summit in France, Johnson insisted that the £39bn divorce settlement would be “no longer strictly speaking owed” if Britain leaves the EU without a deal.
“It’s not a threat, it’s a simple statement of reality, that’s the way things are,” he told ITV.
Responding to the comments on Twitter, senior EU politician Guy Verhofstadt wrote: “If the UK doesn’t pay what is due, the EU will not negotiate a trade deal. After a ‘no deal’, this will be a first condition of any talks. Britain is better than this.”
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European Council President Donald Tusk warned on Saturday that Johnson risked being remembered as “Mr No Deal”, before the pair held talks today aimed at finding a deal before Downing Street’s 31 October deadline.