07/11/2014

Chancellor In Brussels To Argue For Better Deal On Surcharge Demand

The Chancellor George Osborne is in Brussels to attend a meeting of EU finance ministers, to argue against the UK paying an additional £1.7 billion into the EU.

The European Union has demanded that Britain pay an additional £1.7bn into the union, saying that the condition of the UK economy means that the government can pay more.

However, the Prime Minister rejected the call and said that the UK would not make the payment.

The EU responded by warning that if the deadline for payment was missed the UK would face interest charges of around £3 million. And that interest charges would continue to rise as time went on.

Ahead of the talks Mr Osborne, told journalists: "The demand that Britain should pay £1.7bn by the 1 December is unacceptable. I wanted this on the agenda. It is on the agenda. I will make sure we get a better deal for Britain."

(MH/CD)

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