PRIME Minister Theresa May has rubbished claims the UK would have to pay a hundred billion to leave the European Union.

She told The Argus “we don’t owe anything like that money, if we do at all”.

It comes after it was revealed by a national newspaper the EU was seeking a ‘divorce deal’ which could total up to 100 billion euro (£84.5bn).

Mrs May said: “First of all the figure you’ve quoted is a figure the EU have or certain people within the EU commission have suggested.
“We haven’t started formal negotiations yet, and of course there are those here in the UK like the House of Lords Committee who have said we don’t owe anything like that money - if we do owe anything at all.

“So it is going to be a tough negotiation.”

The report by the Financial Times claimed an estimate of the bill for the UK to leave had risen sharply from 60 billion euro to 100 billion euro (£50.7bn to £84.5 bn).

As yet, there are no official figures coming from either Brussels or the UK, although senior EU politicians have spoken publicly of a figure of about 60 billon euro (£50.7bn).

Her comments come after Mrs May visited The Argus offices as part of a whistle-stop tour around Sussex.

The Conservative leader spent around 45 minutes at our headquarters in Manchester Street, Brighton, granting an exclusive interview with our local government reporter Neil Vowles as well as meeting and greeting staff at the paper.

The PM has fired the starting gun on her re-election campaign by visiting marginal seats her party will have to fight fierce battles to hold on to on June 8.

Mrs May will be keen that Brighton Kemptown MP Simon Kirby will hold off Labour’s bid to win back the seat while Eastbourne’s Caroline Ansell and Lewes MP Maria Caulfield will defend small majorities from a resurgent Liberal Democrats in order to increase the majority she says is needed to allow her to negotiate the UK’s exit from the EU.

Mrs Mays said a vote for the Conservative Party was the only way for voters to guarantee a strong Brexit deal which will grow the economy.

She added: “If we are going to have the money we need in order to fund public services, we need of course to have a strong and growing economy.

“Getting the right Brexit deal is a key part of getting that strong and growing economy, as well as building it for the future.

“It’s only the conservative party, its only me and my team, who have got those plans and also if you are going to get the best Brexit deal you need to have a strong hand in negotiations.

“I believe we bring strong and stable leadership to take forward those negotiations and that’s why I say a vote for me and my local conservative candidates strengthens, a vote which will help me to get the best deal.

“The best deal on Brexit will help us to ensure we have a strong economy and that will enable us to deliver for public services.”