MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Theresa May: Brexit bill “still in negotiations”; rules out paying “huge sums to the EU every year”

Mrs. May on a visit to Iraq in support of UK troops said negotiations with EU are still ongoing, and ruled out paying “huge sums of money to the EU every year”.

British Prime Minister Theresa May insisted on Wednesday there is still no agreement on the UK's Brexit bill despite reports British officials have committed up to £50bn to the EU. British newspapers reported on Tuesday that an agreement had been reached on the divorce bill and mentioned 50bn Euros.

 Mrs. May on a visit to Iraq in support of British troops said, “We are still in negotiations with the EU” and rules out paying “huge sums of money to the EU every year”.

“I set out in my Florence speech that nobody, none of the EU27, would need to worry about having to pay in more or receive less. For the current budget plan, I also said that we would honor our commitments and we are still in negotiations with the EU.

”I want to see us able to move forward together into the next stage of the talks when we can look in detail at the deep and special partnership we want to have with the EU once we leave.“

EU bosses have given Mrs. May until Monday to make a fresh offer on key divorce issues if she wants to reach the next phase of Brexit talks - on trade and a transition period - by Christmas.

The Prime Minister did not rule continuing to pay money to Brussels beyond the current EU budget period, which ends in 2020.

”I have said that we will honor our commitments, I have also said that there may be particular programs that we want to continue to be a part of,“ she said, and ”if that is the case then, of course, there may be a cost for us to be part of that“.

”But, I am very clear that we will not be giving huge sums of money every year to the EU because we are leaving the EU in March 2019.“

Mrs. May also suggested there might be no detail of the UK's financial settlement, even if it is agreed next month.

Leading Brexit ministers are believed to have insisted an increased cash offer must come with a guarantee on a trade deal in the second phase of Brexit talks.

The Prime Minister said: ”As the EU themselves have said, nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.“

Ahead of a crunch EU summit on 14/15 December, where EU27 leaders will decide whether to sanction the second phase of Brexit talks, Mrs. May added: ”I want to see us moving forward together. “There have been a number of positive reactions from other European leaders about the importance of these trade talks”