Theresa May has declined to rule out continuing to pay significant sums into the EU budget after Brexit.
Asked about the issue in the Commons, the prime minister would only say that the government would be able to make decisions about how to spend taxpayers’ money after leaving the EU.
The Conservative MP Philip Davies urged her to make a pledge not to pay any money into the EU budget. He argued that even “contemplating that would be contemplating betraying what people voted for” in June.
May replied that Britain would live up to its obligations while it remained a member, adding: “When we leave the EU, people want to ensure that it is the British government that decides how taxpayer money is spent.”
The comments leave open the possibility – already hinted at by the Brexit secretary, David Davis – that the UK could pay in money in an attempt to retain access to the single market.
The subject is politically difficult for the foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, and other frontbenchers who told voters during the referendum campaign that Brexit would mean clawing back £350m a week to spend on the NHS.
May was also asked about reports that the EU would charge Britain a £50bn exit bill to leave the EU, and made no comment.
Giving a statement to the Commons about last week’s European Council meeting, May said she had told leaders that MPs had voted by almost six to one to support her timetable to invoke article 50 by the end of March.
She said the government would respect a supreme court decision on whether MPs must be given another vote on the issue through an act of parliament, but added that she was determined it would not change the timetable.
May reiterated her desire for a “smooth and orderly” Brexit, and said she had raised with the EU leaders her desire to protect European citizens already living in Britain – suggesting that it was the other countries stalling the process.
“It remains my objective that we give reassurance early on in the negotiations to EU citizens living in the UK and UK citizens living in EU that their right to stay in the place they have made the homes will be protected through our withdrawal. This is an issue I would like to agree quickly but clearly this requires an agreement with the rest of the EU,” she said.
Jeremy Corbyn said Britain was becoming increasingly isolated on a world stage and called on May to make a new year’s resolution to urgently improve relations with other European countries.
The Labour leader accused the government of a “shambolic” approach to Brexit that he said was becoming increasingly frustrating to other EU members, with contradictory frontbench claims about the need for transitional arrangements and how long a deal might take to complete.
Corbyn said most people could agree that 2016 had been a year of huge change for the UK and the rest of the world, “but with change has come a great deal of division”.
He urged May to commit to building better relations with European countries to help secure the “best deal for the people of Britain”, and heavily criticised the Brexit process so far.
“At the moment it is clear that on the international stage the prime minister and Britain are becoming increasingly isolated. And if we are to build a successful Britain after Brexit, it is more vital than ever that our relationship with our European partners remains strong, cordial and respectful,” he said.
“It is also clear through my own discussions, European leaders are becoming increasingly frustrated by her shambolic government and their contradictory approach to Brexit negotiations.”
Corbyn accused the frontbench of confusing people with mixed messages on Brexit. He contrasted the Brexit secretary, David Davis, saying a deal could be struck within 18 months with reports that Sir Ivan Rogers, the UK’s permanent representative to the EU, had said it could take 10 years.
He also pointed out that the chancellor, Philip Hammond, had clearly said a transitional deal was necessary, while the trade secretary, Liam Fox, suggested otherwise.
“The people of Britain deserve better than this confusion at the heart of government and confidence is being lost,” Corbyn said. “The government’s chaotic approach to Brexit risks causing enormous damage to the British economy now and in the long term.”
