BREXIT secretary David Davis has said that the cost of the UK leaving the European Union will not be known until at least October.
The EU wants Britain to pay its so-called ‘divorce bill’ in euros before talks over Britain’s future with the bloc can progress.
“We’re going to talk it through very, very carefully, so at this stage we’re not going to commit, there won’t be a number by October or November, whenever it is,” Mr David told Radio 4’s Today programme.
The EU has floated an exit figure of €60billion.
According to the Sunday Telegraph, Britain is prepared to pay up to €40billion as part of a deal to leave the EU - though that figure has not been confirmed by the British Government.
Mr Davis said any Brexit transition should be over by the date of the next general election, due by May 2022 at the latest.
March 2019 is supposed to be tBritain and Northern Ireland's eventual departure date under Article 50 guidelines, but Mr Davis isn't sure that it will proceed that quickly.
"It's got to be done by the election. I would say the most likely is something like two years, maybe a bit shorter," he said.
If a figure for the bill is agreed in October, that would leave just 18 months for the two parties to conclude their negotiations if March 2019 is to be the date of Brexit.
In other Brexit related news, the Prime Minister Theresa May is set to publish several position papers today outlining Britain’s ambitions for a post-Brexit future.
Among the offers on the table is continued free movement and work for Irish citizens in Britain, and a ‘digital’ Irish border monitored by drones and number plate interpreting technology.
