'MPs could BLOCK it' Jacob Rees-Mogg warns EU Britain will not pay Brexit divorce bill
JACOB REES-MOGG railed against European Union chiefs demands for a large, multi-billion pound Brexit bill saying there is “no legal obligation” to pay the bloc any money if no deal is struck.
Rees-Mogg: UK has no legal obligation to pay 'divorce bill'
The Tory MP said if the UK quit the European Union without a deal, Theresa May could not pay any Brexit settlement fee without the backing of Parliament.
Speaking on TalkRADIO, Mr Rees-Mogg added MPs would not vote in favour of paying a divorce fee in the face of a ‘hard’ Brexit.
He said: “We have no legal obligation under international, EU or UK law to pay anything if we leave without a deal.
“That’s accepted and that was in the House of Lords report from March of this year.
We have no legal obligation under international, EU or UK law to pay anything if we leave without a deal
“That’s a very strong negotiating position and our reason to pay is not because we are nice, charitable people, though we are.
“It is if there is a legal obligation or we get something in return. If we get nothing in return and there is no legal obligation, then there ought not to be any money and the Government will not have support across the country if it pays out vast sums of money for nothing.
“If the EU doesn’t want to take negotiations further, well we need to be making preparations for a no deal exit in which circumstance we don’t pay them tens of billions of pounds.”
“I think the Government has to face the reality that without a deal it cannot hand over any money. It would have no legal basis for doing so.
“It would need to get an Act of Parliament through to authorise it and I don’t think people would vote for such an Act of Parliament.”
Euro MPs are privately stunned by how easily Britain “caved in” over Brussels’ demands for a £40 billion Brexit bill, a British MEP revealed today.
Ukip’s Jonathan Bullock told Express.co.uk colleagues had expressed “surprise” in conversations with him that the Government did not put up more of a fight.
During an interview in Brussels he said the collapse of opposition to the EU’s huge cash demands “doesn’t augur well” for future talks on trade.
Comedians mock EU's refusal to meet UK's Brexit demands
Earlier this week it was reported EU and UK negotiators had struck a deal on a figure of between £40-50bn, though both sides insist talks are still ongoing.
Mr Bullock accused the Government of “capitulating” over the Brexit bill out of desperation to persuade European leaders to trigger trade talks next month.
He said: “They are just rushing headlong to get into these trade talks. She’s so desperate to get to the talks as soon as possible she’s just throwing a lot more Danegeld at them. It’s moved from whistling for it to £40 billion.”