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EU Says Britain Must Pay Brexit Divorce Bill, Deal or Not

Britain must pay its Brexit divorce bill even if it crashes out of the bloc without a deal, the European Union said Monday, warning that ties would be threatened if London failed to honor its commitments.

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — Britain must pay its Brexit divorce bill even if it crashes out of the bloc without a deal, the European Union said Monday, warning that ties would be threatened if London failed to honor its commitments.

The stern rebuff from Brussels came a day after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson again said that in the event of a no-deal Brexit on Oct. 31, Britain would be free from financial obligations to the bloc.

With the clock ticking and fears of no-deal growing, Johnson and EU Council President Donald Tusk clashed at the G7 in France on Saturday, with the British leader insisting the divorce deal must be changed.

Asked if the EU would take Britain to court to recover the money, a spokeswoman for the European Commission said that a future trade deal between Britain and the remaining 27 states could be under threat unless London paid up.

“As we have said many times before, all commitments that were taken by the 28 member states should be honored, and this is also and especially true in a no-deal scenario, where the United Kingdom would be expected to honor all commitments made during EU membership,” commission spokeswoman Mina Andreeva said.

"Rather than going into judicial action threat, I think it is important to make clear that settling accounts is essential to starting off a new relationship on the right foot, based on mutual trust."

Jean-Claude Piris, who was director of the EU Council's legal services for more than two decades, tweeted: "If the U.K. refuses to pay its debts to the EU, then the EU will not accept to negotiate a trade agreement with the U.K."

Johnson has repeatedly said that if Britain leaves without a deal it will not have to pay the $48 billion divorce bill agreed by his predecessor Theresa May.

He repeated the claim again Sunday, telling Britain's ITV broadcaster that the money would be "no longer, strictly speaking, owed" and his government would be left with "very substantial sums" to spend.

Downing Street has refused to say how much the UK would be prepared to pay, though a report in the Times newspaper on Monday quoted a figure of $8.56 billion.

The tough line from Brussels echoes comments by a French official last week who warned London against thinking "there's not a deal, so I won't pay," saying, "There's no magic wand that makes this bill disappear."

Johnson is adamant that the withdrawal agreement struck by May — rejected by Parliament three times — is dead in the water and changes must be made, particularly on the arrangements for the border between EU member Ireland and British-ruled Northern Ireland.

© Agence France-Presse

Categories / Economy, Government, International, Politics

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