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UK's £1.7bn bill to EU 'halved' says Osborne Osborne says UK's £1.7bn bill to EU will be 'halved'
(35 minutes later)
The UK will only have to pay half of the £1.7bn budget surcharge demanded by the European Union, Chancellor George Osborne has said.The UK will only have to pay half of the £1.7bn budget surcharge demanded by the European Union, Chancellor George Osborne has said.
Speaking in Brussels, Mr Osborne said the UK would make two payments next year totalling £850m instead of £1.7bn in a lump sum by December.Speaking in Brussels, Mr Osborne said the UK would make two payments next year totalling £850m instead of £1.7bn in a lump sum by December.
He said the agreement was "far beyond what anyone expected us to achieve" and was a "result for Britain". This is because the UK's annual rebate will be offset against the sum due.
But BBC Political Editor Nick Robinson said the deal would be scrutinised. Mr Osborne said the agreement was a "result for Britain" and "far beyond what anyone expected us to achieve".
But BBC Political Editor Nick Robinson said the deal would be carefully scrutinised.
He said the Treasury was claiming to have cut the 2.1bn euro top-up charge, demanded by Brussels, in half by ensuring the UK's rebate applies to the payment.He said the Treasury was claiming to have cut the 2.1bn euro top-up charge, demanded by Brussels, in half by ensuring the UK's rebate applies to the payment.
Mr Osborne welcomed the agreement after a four-hour meeting of EU finance ministers in Brussels, in which he said it had also agreed that the UK would pay the additional sum in two interest-free instalments before September 2015. Instalments
"Instead of footing the bill, we have halved the bill and delayed the bill," he said. The surcharge follows an annual review of the economic performance of EU member states since 1995, which showed Britain had done better than previously thought.
"Instead of challenging the law, we have actually changed the law. It is a real result for Britain." The demand sparked anger across the political spectrum, with Prime Minister David Cameron insisting the UK would pay nothing by the December deadline and calling for the overall sum to be re-negotiated.
Mr Osborne welcomed the agreement after a four-hour meeting of EU finance ministers in Brussels, in which he said it had also agreed that the UK would pay the additional sum in two interest-free instalments in July and September 2015.
Analysis by BBC's Europe Editor Gavin Hewitt
How has the UK reached this figure of £850 million?
It has included the figure of the UK rebate which is calculated on the GNI figures.
The Treasury argues that it was not at all clear that the rebate would have been applied in full and they gained that assurance after intensive discussions with the Commission.
Others argue that the UK rebate for next year was never in doubt and that a rebate which the UK would have got anyway is, in effect, being used to reduce this surcharge payment.
It is the case that these figures were never discussed at the finance ministers meeting today so the announcement that the UK bill has been halved has been met with some surprise.
"Instead of footing the bill, we have halved the bill, we have delayed the bill, we will pay no interest on the bill, and if there are mistakes in the bill we will get our money back."
"We have also changed permanently the rules of the European Union so this never happens again.
"This is far beyond what anyone expected us to achieve and it's a result for Britain."
'Straw man'
Asked how this had been achieved, Mr Osborne said the UK's rebate would be applied in full to the surcharge next year.
The UK rebate is a system dating back to 1984, negotiated by Margaret Thatcher, that provides the UK with a refund on a part of its contribution to the EU budget. It is calculated on the basis of changes in national income.
It was meant to reflect the fact that the UK had a smaller agricultural sector than other nations at a time when most EU money went to farmers.
Conservative MEP Daniel Hannan suggested that the deal achieved by the Chancellor may not represent any reduction to the amount being demanded from the UK.
He said: "The EU sticks us with a bill. Ministers double it, apply the rebate, return to the original figure and claim victory. We're meant to cheer?
"Britain is worse off in absolute terms, but a straw man has been knocked down."