Juncker will find me 'bloody difficult woman' in Brexit talks, says May

Meanwhile, Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform (CER) thinktank, revealed that commission officials are considering demanding billions more from the UK than was previously suggested. “Commission officials have told me that the amount being sought by the EU from Britain before Brexit goes ahead is likely to be significantly higher than the €60bn that has already been floated,” said the CER director.

He said the amount was being inflated because of a desire to charge the UK for “political commitments to spend money that is not yet legally binding – such as aid for Turkey – and all the contributions they would have made in the remaining two years of the current budget cycle”.