The Brexit divorce bill isn’t on the table yet but it’s already provoking plenty of debate – and quite a bit of anger. Figures bandied about have ranged from the tens of billions upwards, with some speculation the final demand could be as much as 100bn euros. Ministers have done their best to avoid being drawn on a figure which wouldn’t be acceptable, with David Davis coming closest by saying Britain will not pay 100bn. Now, Boris Johnson has waded in. The Foreign Secretary told the House of Commons that:
“I think that the sums that I have seen … seem to me to be extortionate and I think go whistle is an entirely appropriate expression.”
What seems clear from Boris’s remarks is that there is no chance of the government agreeing to a 12-figure bill (i.e. 100bn euros).
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