LONDON — Britain’s move away from the European Union took a new twist Sunday as the new chief of exit negotiations suggested that Britain might not pay its $51 billion divorce bill if no trade agreement with the EU is reached.
Dominic Raab told the Sunday Telegraph that there must be “conditionality” between Britain making the hefty exit payment and its ability to create a new relationship with the EU.
“You can’t have one side fulfilling its side of the bargain and the other side not, or going slow, or failing to commit on its side,” he said.
Britain and the EU remain far apart on terms of a new trade setup. Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservative Party is also deeply split over what exit policy to support. Raab replaced David Davis, who resigned two weeks ago in protest against May’s plan for a “soft” departure from the bloc.
May has faced opposition from party colleagues who favor a complete break with the EU — a so-called “hard” exit — rather than May’s proposal, which calls for a “common rule book” with European nations that would govern trade in goods.
EU negotiator Michel Barnier is also lukewarm on May’s latest proposal, asking many questions about its viability.
Raab said he is still hopeful a deal can be concluded by October so the EU parliament and national parliaments of EU nations can ratify the deal before Britain leaves in March.
“Actually, the fact Michel Barnier is not blowing it out of the water but asking questions is a good, positive sign — that’s what we negotiate on,” Raab said, looking forward to more discussions Thursday in Brussels.
But former Prime Minister John Major warned that the hard-liners in his own Conservative Party are making the situation worse.
“The danger at the moment is that they will frustrate every move the government seeks to make and by accident, because nothing can be agreed, we will crash out without a deal,” he said on the BBC.