Brexit divorce bill estimated at between £35bn and £39bn – live updates

Officials disclose expected amount Britain will have to pay to leave EU after May’s announcement of deal for talks to progress‘Sufficient progress’ in Brexit talks announced after May’s dash to Brussels 2.00pm GMT Ouch! MEPs are already dispelling claims that that the cost of withdrawing from the EU is likely to be less than £35bn (€40bn).MEPs reached by the Guardian are saying it is impossible “at this stage” to really evaluate the Brexit divorce bill, suggesting today’s optimism is premature.It’s very difficult to estimate what the bill will be when we don’t know what the long-term obligations of the UK will be, and whether there’ll be liquidation of European assets.The net contribution of the UK to the European budget is between €10bn and €12bn per year … right now, everyone is quoting a number that they want to hear but the impression that I – and those I talk to in Brussels – have is that it will definitely be more than €40bn. We are talking about a difference of €5bn or €10bn, which – in the grand scheme of things – is peanuts. 1.53pm GMT Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has released a more detailed statement responding to this morning’s deal on the first stage of Brexit negotiations.Describing the agreement as “a welcome step forward”, she signals a number of warnings to Theresa May, including the insistence that the Scottish government be “fully involved” in stage two negotiations on trade. Sturgeon says:The next phase will be significantly tougher and it is essential all the UK’s governments are now fully involved in the negotiations on the UK’s future relationship with the EU – something that has not happened to this point.We will be seeking clarity on how the UK government intends to deliver full alignment with the rules of the Single Market and Customs Union. And there is no doubt that the provisions relating to Northern Ireland raise major new questions over proposed UK-wide frameworks that are the subject of on going talks between the UK and Scottish governments.And I am absolutely clear that any special arrangements for Northern Ireland must now be available to other nations of the UK – the Scottish government will not accept any arrangements which risk putting Scotland at an economic disadvantage.We will be studying the details of the phase one agreement but we welcome the fact that finally there has been some movement to guarantee the rights of EU and UK citizens – although it is disgraceful that it has taken this long and there is still more to do in phase two.In addition it seems the UK could also now be paying around £50bn just for the right to negotiate an inferior trade deal than the one we have now. Continue reading…
Via: Brexit divorce bill estimated at between £35bn and £39bn – live updates