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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Brexit divorce bill: Reality Check asks what's happening | Brexit divorce bill: Reality Check asks what's happening |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| We need to talk about the Brexit divorce bill, known officially as the financial settlement. | We need to talk about the Brexit divorce bill, known officially as the financial settlement. |
| Until "sufficient progress" is made in deciding how it should be calculated, Brexit negotiations between the EU and the UK won't move on to discuss the outlines of a future relationship covering trade, security and so on. | Until "sufficient progress" is made in deciding how it should be calculated, Brexit negotiations between the EU and the UK won't move on to discuss the outlines of a future relationship covering trade, security and so on. |
| What is the bill for? | What is the bill for? |
| The EU says the UK needs to settle its accounts before it leaves. It says the UK has made a variety of financial commitments that have to be settled as part of an overall withdrawal agreement. | The EU says the UK needs to settle its accounts before it leaves. It says the UK has made a variety of financial commitments that have to be settled as part of an overall withdrawal agreement. |
| The UK accepts that it has some obligations. And it has promised not to leave any other country out of pocket in the current EU budget period from 2014-20. | The UK accepts that it has some obligations. And it has promised not to leave any other country out of pocket in the current EU budget period from 2014-20. |
| But the devil lies in the detail. | But the devil lies in the detail. |
| So how much is it? | So how much is it? |
| That rather depends on who you ask. | That rather depends on who you ask. |
| OK, how much does the EU want? | OK, how much does the EU want? |
| Well, at this stage they don't want to put a figure on it. They recognise the political sensitivity of this issue in the UK. | Well, at this stage they don't want to put a figure on it. They recognise the political sensitivity of this issue in the UK. |
| What they do want is agreement on a fairly precise method for calculating the bill. In other words, an agreement on what should be included. | What they do want is agreement on a fairly precise method for calculating the bill. In other words, an agreement on what should be included. |
| And how much is the UK willing to pay? | And how much is the UK willing to pay? |
| Less than that. | Less than that. |
| The UK has already said it will pay budget contributions amounting to about £18bn (20bn euro) in 2019 and 2020. That meets its commitment to ensure that no other country is out of pocket in the current seven-year budget. | The UK has already said it will pay budget contributions amounting to about £18bn (20bn euro) in 2019 and 2020. That meets its commitment to ensure that no other country is out of pocket in the current seven-year budget. |
| It also coincides fairly neatly with the transition period it wants to be put in place for about two years after Brexit. If such a transition is agreed, the UK would be required to make budget contributions anyway, so this was a relatively easy offer to make. | It also coincides fairly neatly with the transition period it wants to be put in place for about two years after Brexit. If such a transition is agreed, the UK would be required to make budget contributions anyway, so this was a relatively easy offer to make. |
| The UK has also said it will "honour commitments" made during its membership of the EU, and it is going through the EU's suggestions line-by-line. | The UK has also said it will "honour commitments" made during its membership of the EU, and it is going through the EU's suggestions line-by-line. |
| There are several ways in which the bill could be reduced: | There are several ways in which the bill could be reduced: |
| When does this need to be sorted out? | When does this need to be sorted out? |
| As soon as possible. | As soon as possible. |
| The European Council President Donald Tusk said that he told Theresa May in their meeting today that progress needs to be made by the beginning of December at the latest. | |
| There have been hints that the UK is prepared to pay considerably more than it has offered so far in order to get talks moving. After all, far more money is at stake in the future of trade relations than in the size of the withdrawal agreement. | There have been hints that the UK is prepared to pay considerably more than it has offered so far in order to get talks moving. After all, far more money is at stake in the future of trade relations than in the size of the withdrawal agreement. |
| A lot depends on what Theresa May meant in her speech in Florence when she first said that the UK would "honour commitments" it made during its membership. That now needs to be discussed in detail between the two negotiating teams. | A lot depends on what Theresa May meant in her speech in Florence when she first said that the UK would "honour commitments" it made during its membership. That now needs to be discussed in detail between the two negotiating teams. |
| So the clock really is ticking? | So the clock really is ticking? |
| Yes. | Yes. |
| But in the end, the final decisions about the financial settlement will not be technical or legal ones. They will have to be political ones. | But in the end, the final decisions about the financial settlement will not be technical or legal ones. They will have to be political ones. |
| Read more from Reality Check | Read more from Reality Check |
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