Brexit Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds has accepted that Britain would have to make contributions to cover “the cost of administration” and pay its way in schemes that involve pooling resources — though always with a “careful analysis of value for money.”
But he’s also been clear that the U.K. “would not make a general contribution into the EU budget” as part of the reset.
To anyone who’s read a British newspaper recently, the context in Westminster is obvious. Later this month, Chancellor Rachel Reeves will deliver a painful government budget expected to be stuffed with tax rises and spending cuts.
With Reeves digging around behind the back of the sofa for spare change, the optics — and budgetary wisdom — of forking over billions to the EU would be open to question.
Taking care
There are even those on the EU side who are concerned that asking the U.K. to write so many cheques might have consequences for the cross-Channel relationship.
Last week, a minority of member states, including Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Ireland, launched a bid at an EU ambassadors meeting to tone down language on demands for British contributions to cohesion funds.