Britain closer to quitting EU | UK | News | Daily Express

Britain closer to quitting EU | UK | News | Daily Express:



Britain closer to quitting EU: £1.7billion bill row brings fresh calls for referendum
FURIOUS David Cameron last night conceded that Britain had been pushed closer to a European Union exit after receiving an eye-watering £1.7billion Brussels bill.


Red-faced with anger, the Prime Minister vowed to block payment of the “completely unacceptable” surcharge presented by EU officials in a surprise overhaul of national contributions.

“It is not acceptable, it is an appalling way to behave,” Mr Cameron said.

Calls for the UK to withdraw from the EU intensified yesterday following the cash demand, which will cost every family in the country £65.

And he admitted the latest insult to UK taxpayers - with the bill due to be paid by December 1st - was undermining his drive to keep Britain in the EU.

When pressed on the issue by the Daily Express he said: “It certainly doesn’t help, put it that way.”

As the row deepened, there was fresh pressure for the Prime Minister to accelerate his promised in-or-out referendum on Britain’s EU membership.

UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage warned that Mr Cameron was in “real political trouble”.

“Yes, it’s outrageous, but that’s how the European Union works,” he said.

“He’s in a very weak position. He can do nothing about this.

“And I think, really, he’s now being pushed into a position where, unless he brings forward his referendum promise, I think he’s in real political trouble.”

The poisonous row over cash contributions to EU coffers engulfed a summit of European leaders in Brussels yesterday.

Several were incandescent after a string of countries including Britain, Italy, Holland, Greece and Malta, were suddenly presented with extra bills to cover “adjustments” in their membership.

They were told they needed to pay more cash because their economies had performed better than forecast between 1995 and 2013.

Britain’s payment would raise the country’s annual EU contribution to £8.6billion.

But other countries including France and Germany were due cash back because their economies had under-performed.


http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/527196/EU-Brussels-David-Cameron