Bettel warns Britain could face £54bn Brexit divorce bill

Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel has said the UK could face a Brexit divorce bill of up to £54 billion (€60 billion).

He also warned Britain "might only begin to discover" the harsh reality of Brexit once it has left the European Union.

Speaking to The Mail on Sunday, Bettel said it was "now time for the European Union to make an analogy with the famous quote of Mrs Thatcher, 'We want our money back'".

In 1984, then British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, negotiated the UK Rebate -- an annual reimbursement of a part of the UK's contribution to the EU budget.

"Concerning the exit bill, it is important to underline that the British Government took this commitment in the past and needs to honour it," Bettel said. "It is not a penalty. The sum ranges between £36 billion and £54 billion."

Bettel described the fact that Britain wants to maintain a "deep" relationship with the EU despite its decision to leave as "confusing" and said the UK needs to be clear on the terms it wants to negotiate.

"Everybody is aware how serious this is," Bettel told The Mail on Sunday. "We need clarity and a detailed blueprint of the UK’s position."

He added that British Prime Minister Theresa May's attempt to negotiate a good Brexit deal could prove to be more difficult following June's snap election which left the Conservatives short of the number of seats needed to form its own majority.

(Heledd Pritchard, heledd.pritchard@wort.lu, +352 49 94 459)