The bill that the United Kingdom has to pay for the separation from the European Union, the so-called Brexit, seems to be higher again. This is evident from a new Estimate from the UK Treasury Department.
The bill is now expected to rise to 42.5 billion pounds (just under 50 billion euros). This means that the obligations still to be met by the UK are around £5bn higher than last year.
The bill includes things like agreed payments to infrastructure projects and developing countries, as well as salaries and pensions for EU employees. The UK entered these projects as a member of the EU and will not suddenly get rid of them after Brexit. And so the British pay a bill to buy these things.
Boris Johnson’s government initially expected between £35bn and £39bn, but the bill is now estimated at £42.5bn, according to a senior official.
The fact that the bill is now higher is due to rising interest rates and high rates of inflation. As a result, pension obligations are higher. The official emphasizes that it is an obligation of several decades. As a result, things that now cause a higher estimate may fall back at a later time, thus lowering the bill again.
