We must not pay over the odds when leaving the EU

AS THE dust settles on the Budget, the general consensus appears to be that the Chancellor did a good job. Against many expectations, he seems to have stabilised the Conservative Party at a tricky time, making enough concessions towards the young and worse-off in society while at the same time maintaining stable public finances.

But there is one concern: the Office for Budget Responsibility’s forecast that Brexit might cost £8billion more than was originally forecast. That must not be allowed to happen. The attitude of the EU ever since Brexit was announced was to grab a sum out of thin air and double it and these bullying tactics must not be allowed to prevail.

It is patently obvious that the EU project is in real trouble. Angela Merkel is paying for opening her country’s borders; across the continent one country after another is beginning to reject the idea of a federal Europe and demand that their own national identity be kept intact.

That turmoil puts us in a strong position. Indeed, a few days ago there were murmurs that the Government might be prepared to double its initial £20billion offer, murmurs that, in the wake of Mrs Merkel’s troubles, have gone remarkably quiet.

The Conservatives are beginning again to set the agenda after the public’s misguided summer flirtation with Jeremy Corbyn and his hard-Left bruisers. Don’t let them stumble now.