Trump To UK: Don’t Pay EU Divorce Bill
U.S President Donald Trump advised UK to “walk away” from the Brexit talks if the European Union fails to give London what they want. He also said that UK should not pay the 39-billion-pound EU divorce bill.
“They’ve got to get it done,” Trump said in an interview with the Sunday Times newspaper ahead of his state visit to Britain beginning on Monday. “They have got to get the deal closed.”
“If they don’t get what they want, I would walk away. If you don’t get a fair deal, you walk away.”
He added, “If I were them, I wouldn’t pay 50 billion dollars. That is a tremendous number.”
The U.S President was referring to settlement of commitments made by the United Kingdom under the ongoing European multi-year budget (2014-2020) which also covers the transitional period provided for in the London-Brussels divorce agreement of November.
During the interview, Trump also mentioned that Conservatives should include Brexit party leader Nigel Farage in negotiations with Brussels considering his party topped the European parliament election last month.
“I really like Nigel. He has a lot to offer, he is a very smart person. They won’t bring him in but think how well they would do if they did. They just haven’t figured that out yet.” said the US president, before promising a free trade agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom as soon as London leaves the European Union.
“We have the potential to be an incredible business partner for the UK. We do not do much compared to what we could do with the United Kingdom … I think much more than with the European Union,” he said.
Trump reiterated that he would support whoever would take over Prime Minister Theresa May’s post.
The American President suggested that former foreign secretary Boris Johnson would be a good replacement for Theresa May. “Boris would do a very good job […] I think it would be excellent,” said the U.S President, ignoring no less than 13 other candidates who are currently in the running.
Of course, Johnson himself has not shied away from expressing his admiration for Trump.
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