After eight months of negotiations it looks like the first and easiest item of the three separation issues has been agreed, at least the newspapers are reporting it as so. But far from remaining secret, The Telegraph says 45-55 billion euro (HERE) and The Guardian 57 billion euro (HERE). Politico (HERE) say 55 billion.
It is being reported as a setback for the hard Brexiteers and it is. The said the EU should "whistle" for the money, we offered 20 billion, we then up this to 40 billion. Next an agreement is reported as close but the figure will never be known. Now we're told its 55 billion - so much for it bring kept secret!
Nigel Farage is calling it a £40 billion "sellout" of the British people (HERE). He says it will unite the British people in disgust and is already calling it a bad deal - this is just the first item settled! I suppose it's an attempt to deflect the blame since this is really all his doing. He has been a burden on taxpayers here and abroad for years and will continue to be so since the EU will pay him a pension out of the £40 billion. As the negotiations progress Farage will need to write many such articles. How it's all going horribly wrong because I'm not PM and Mrs May is so weak. Brexit is a disaster but I've washed my hands of it - that sort of thing.
Official sources are not confirming the settlement yet but it seems we are more or less there. The figure won't be secret but the total will never be officially confirmed and payments will be spread over decades so no one will notice it. This could have been agreed on the first day of negotiations back on 17th July and the time spent far more productively on the Irish border issue.
