No 10 Disputes EU’s New, Higher Figure for Brexit ‘Divorce Bill’

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is welcomed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen prior to a working dinner at the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Dec. 9, 2020. Olivier Hoslet/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

A fresh Brexit dispute has emerged over the size of the UK’s “divorce bill” after the European Union estimated it is now billions more than expected.

Downing Street on Friday rejected the new net figure that emerged in Brussels’ latest accounts of 47.5 billion euros (£40.8 billion). No. 10 insisted the figure Britain owes remains within the range of its previous estimates of between £35 billion and £39 billion.