UK to say divorce bill figure when it reaches deal with EU: Liam Fox
The United Kingdom can come up with a divorce bill figure only when a Brexit deal has been agreed with the European Union, trade minister Liam Fox says.
"I don't know what that number is but it's very clear that we could only have that final number as part of a final agreement, we would want to know what the end state is," Fox said on ITV's Peston on Sunday television program.
"Away from the hyperbole around the divorce bill there is actually a great deal of cooperation going on between us."
He also warned leaders not to believe Britain is bluffing over "a no deal", saying “I would prefer to have a deal.”
Fox also said that London is willing to offer the other 27 EU members "further assurance" on its divorce before the next summit in December.
The UK had previously expressed its willingness to pay up to 40 billion euros to the bloc as it wanted considerable progress on settling Britain’s liabilities before Brexit talks resumed.
Britain also said it would pay that amount to settle its accounts only if the EU considered it as part of a deal for future trading arrangements, according to a report by the Telegraph newspaper.
Earlier this month, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said that the two sides were stuck in a "disturbing deadlock” over the divorce bill.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Theresa May also acknowledged for the first time that she “recognized the difficulty the process was in.”
EU leaders have been increasingly frustrated about divisions in May's cabinet over Brexit, saying they were still unsure what the UK wants, even after five rounds of negotiations.
The slow progress of Brexit talks has fueled fears that May's government may collapse, or worse that London may fail to strike a withdrawal agreement with Brussels before its formal exit from the EU on March 29, 2019, which could cause economic and transport turmoil in the UK and EU.
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