Senior Tories urge May to call Brussels’ bluff over divorce bill

THERESA MAY is being urged by Cabinet colleagues to call Brussels’ bluff by drawing up plans to quit the EU without paying any divorce bill.

Senior Tories believe the Prime Minister should escalate her row with EU leaders by making clear that the UK is preparing for “no deal”.

The tactic is a way of exploiting what Whitehall figures see as a growing rift between Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, and the leaders of the 27 remaining EU countries.

The UK and the EU are locked in a stand-off over how much Britain should pay when it relinquishes its membership, due in March 2019.

Brussels is asking for as much as €100billion to cover promises the UK made as part of the EU budget. However Britain is refusing to give any formal estimate for the divorce bill until the EU proves the legal basis for its claims. The row is the key sticking point in negotiations and could undermine the UK’s hopes of moving on to talk about a future trade deal next month.

A Cabinet minister said: “We need to start working up plans for no deal so that the EU knows we could walk away without paying a single penny.”

The source added that Mr Barnier promised other EU countries they would not need to pay more after Britain’s departure and is politically exposed. It is hoped that the possibility of the UK not paying anything would raise concern among other EU coun- tries, who in turn would encourage Mr Barnier to change his stance.

The move reflects a wider hope in the UK Government that differences between the European Commision and the individual EU countries can be exploited to get a better Brexit deal.

It is hoped the Commission’s political desire to keep Europe united after Brexit – and therefore not allow an existing member to retain the benefits of membership – could be superseded by the EU countries’ hopes of retaining strong trade links.

UK officials have pushed Brussels to start “rolling” talks rather than negotiations every month, but the request has been rebuffed by the EU.

Theresa May, the Prime Minister, will become more involved in the process later this month when she gives a major Brexit speech in Europe.

‘We need to start… plans for no deal so the EU knows we could walk away without paying a single penny’