Has Osborne halved the EU’s £1.7bn bill?
George Osborne: It seems he can save money when he wants to.
The UK will only have to pay half of the £1.7bn budget surcharge demanded by the European Union, according to George Osborne.
The EU itself has yet to make an announcement at the time of writing.
Osborne’s words came after a four-hour meeting of EU finance ministers in Brussels, in which he said it had also been agreed that the UK would pay the money in two interest-free instalments, totalling £850 million, before September 2015.
It seems the Treasury wants to claim it has cut the 2.1bn Euro top-up charge in half by ensuring the UK’s rebate applies to the payment.
But even the BBC’s Tory-supporting Political Editor, ‘Tricky’ Nick Robinson, said the deal would be scrutinised.
Follow me on Twitter: @MidWalesMike
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
commenting on the news as it happens!
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
well pinochio got us into this by his lying and his mates carney and rtu ids telling all well well the peasants now they are suffering through his lies jeff3
it’s simple Mike , as I understand it the ‘bill’ was based on the economy upto 2010/11. By screwing the economy he has effectively cut the amount due (as the payment is based on GDP)
Not so – see the latest article on the subject.
Two installments! no interest! no change then; paid in full. £1.7 billion. Hip hip hooray! and all that bull-shit from “Cameron.
Well, paid in full because our rebate is going to be taken as part of the payment.
Just read further articles on this issue does Cameroon and Gideon really expect Joe public to believe anything they say, Enough B******t Georgy boy we are are not all so stupid. Enough is enough start packing up at No 11 have a long holiday if you so wish, get it into your thick mallet the public are sick to death of you and your pocket lining cronies.