EU will dictate how much of our Brexit divorce bill Britain must pay every year as new bill revealed
Theresa May has been accused of handing the EU a 'blank cheque' because Brussels is set to decide how much of the Brexit divorce bill the UK must cough up every year
THE EU will tell Britain how much of our Brexit divorce bill we will have to cough up every year - keeping us bound by Brussels oversight for years to come.
Theresa May has been accused of handing the EU a "blank cheque" because Brussels is set to decide how much we will pay and when, as revealed in new Brexit papers.
This afternoon Dominic Raab published the details of the Withdrawal Agreement and Implementation Bill - which will enshrine our exit deal and future payments in law.
Deep in the small print it reads: "The EU will inform the UK of the required payment amounts during the transition process."
Furious ex-Brexit minister David Jones told the Daily Telegraph: "It would appear that they are now prepared to write a blank cheque or a series of blank cheques that the EU can continue presenting at their own discretion."
He said it was more proof that Mrs May's Brexit plans were "extinct" and won't fly with the British public.
It says in the bill today: "the EU will inform the UK of the required payments" which will be made either four or eight times per year. But it does say auditors could be drafted in to help with the process of making payments.
Mrs May has insisted we must honour previous financial obligations to get out of the bloc.
The Brexit divorce bill - of around £39billion - is the money Britain will pay to honour its financial obligations and bills after more than four decades in the EU.
It doesn't include any money that could be paid to the EU in future to try and secure access to other EU-wide agencies.
The bill today also revealed:
- Britain won't officially withdrawn from the EU until the end of the transition period in 2020 - even though we technically quit in March 2019
- Britain will continue to pay into the EU Budget until 2020 - and will have to pay a bumper bill of its share of all future plans it agrees to by the end of the same year
- UK courts will be able to take into account rulings from Euro judges for EIGHT years following the end of the transition period - but we can make the final decisions
Britain could negotiate more concessions to the EU, Raab admits
THERESA May could negotiate more Brexit concessions to Brussels, Dominic Raab has admitted.
The Brexit Secretary said today that Britain was still in talks with the EU over Brexit, and it "takes two sides" to do so.
He told a committee of MPs that he would continue to have "extended conversations, negotiations" with Michel Barnier over the next three months until a deal is set to be signed.
But he was keen to stress that it was a "serious substative offer" - not the final one.
"Obviously we will consider what Michel Barnier and the EU27 come up with," he added.
His words will infuriate Brexiteers like Owen Paterson and Andrea Leadsom - who have insisted that this must be the final offer made to the EU.
She told PoliticsHome: "In my view, it’s take this seriously or we are heading for no deal. The message to the EU has to be, ‘this is the final offer’."
Also in the session he insisted that he will "make sure there are adequate food supplies" in the case of a no-deal Brexit.
But he denied we should "wallow in pessimism" if that happened, vowing that Britain would thrive in the long-term no matter what.
We should not "cower in the corner, afraid of our own shadow,"; he said.
Mr Rabb also played down divisions between himself and the PM's aide Olly Robbins, saying there were "no tensions between us".
Brexit Secretary Mr Rabb said today's legislation was "another key milestone in the UK's path to leaving the EU".
And he again repeated warnings that we won't cough up for our divorce bill unless Brussels agrees to make a future deal with us after we quit.
He has insisted it is possible to secure the outlines of a trade deal with the EU in the next 12 weeks - if they soften their stance and compromise with us.
"There must be a firm commitment in the withdrawal agreement requiring the framework for the future relationship to be translated into legal text as soon as possible," Mr Raab told MPs today.
"And of course if one party fails to honour its side of that overall bargain, there will be consequences for the deal as a whole - and that includes the financial settlement."
But EU law will continue to have effect for years to come, it was officially confirmed.
The paper says: "During the implementation period, there will be common rules across the UK and the EU. This means that EU law will continue to have effect in the UK in the same way as now for this 21-month period."
The Bill won't be put through the House of Commons until MPs have voted on it later this year.
It will also cover what happens to EU citizens in the UK after we leave - and lays out plans for how UK citizens abroad will continue to secure their rights.
Mr Raab said changes would made to the Immigration Act of 1971 to register people who are currently here in the UK.
Anyone who comes to Britain in the transition period - scheduled to end in December 2020 - will be able to come here and can bring their families too.
I'm in charge! Theresa May confirms she's leading Brexit talks now - not Dominic Raab
THERESA May has confirmed she is in charge of the Brexit talks with the EU - not the Brexit Secretary.
In a statement released today, on the final day before MPs go off on their holidays, she said that she would be leading the talks from now on.
Previously the last Brexit Secretary David Davis presented himself as leading the negotiations.But after friction between the Brexit department and Number 10, the PM today asserted her authority over talks with Brussels.
Mrs May's statement today said: "I will lead the negotiations with the European Union, with the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union deputising on my behalf."
When Mr Raab took over as Mr Davis' replacement two weeks ago, it was revealed that his job would be "conducting negotiations in support of the Prime Minister".
But No 10 said Mrs May had "always been, from the outset, the lead negotiator".
Her statement also confirmed The Sun's story that No10 adviser Olly Robbins has stripped the Brexit Department of top 50 negotiating staff in a new Whitehall power grab.
It said a number of staff would go and work in the Brexit team, and a number of people will work on preparing for our exit will move to Dexu.
MOST READ IN POLITICS
Brexiteers are still angry about Mrs May's Chequers deal which will keep us tied to the EU with a "common rulebook".
She and her ministers are on a tour of European cities and the UK to try and sell her deal to other leaders, and the public.
But last week the EU's Michel Barnier trashed her plan - saying it could cause more fraud and lead to more red tape for businesses.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online politics team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours