EU’S chief exit negotiator on £72,000 more than UK’S Davis

THE European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator is earning up to £72,000 a year more than David Davis, his UK counterpart, The Daily Telegraph has learnt, sparking anger among politicians.

Michel Barnier is employed as an official by the European Commission. He has the status of director general in the EU’S civil service, which qualifies for an “AD15-AD16” pay grade of between €15,994.36 and €19,587.99 (about £18,000) a month. The top wage, which Mr Barnier, as a former commission vice-president, would be expected to earn, translates to a gross salary of £213,772.80 a year.

As a Cabinet minister, Mr Davis earns £141,505 a year, just under £12,000 a month and £72,267.80 less than Mr Barnier. Mr Barnier’s wages also dwarf the £149,440 paid to Theresa May. Unlike Mr Davis, Mr Barnier is not elected but appointed. The revelations sparked concern as the EU and UK began tense talks over the so-called “Brexit bill” in Brussels yesterday.

The European Commission would not confirm Mr Barnier’s exact salary, stating privacy concerns, only his pay grade. If Mr Barnier was still a commission vice-president he would be paid slightly more than now, €22,122.10 a month. Mr Davis and Mr Barnier met on Monday in Brussels for a press conference to begin four days of Brexit negotiations. Mr Barnier heaped pressure on Britain to publish a position paper on the “Brexit bill” and warned the EU would not talk trade until it did so. His comments were branded “ill-judged and unhelpful” by British sources.

Nigel Farage, the former Ukip leader, said: “Unless our government calls the Brexit bill bluff, the British taxpayer will be subsidising these ridiculously bloated wages for years to come. The situation is simply unacceptable.”

Meanwhile, more than 70 per cent of voters find a Brexit “exit bill” of £30 billion or more unacceptable, a poll says.

The survey of 1,972 adults by ICM Unlimited found that while 41 per cent thought an exit fee of up to £10billion “as a one-off or in instalments, as the UK’S contribution to spending commitments made by the EU when the UK was a member” was acceptable, 65 per cent felt £20billion was unacceptable, rising to 72 per cent for £30billion and 75 per cent for £40billion.