“Go whistle” comment causes tensions in Brexit negotiations

Boris Johnson

THE European Union has added further pressure on Britain to agree on a divorce bill after Boris Johnson tells EU leaders to “go whistle.”

With the next round of Brexit talks scheduled for next week EU negotiator Michel Barnier warned that he is “not hearing any whistling, just a clock ticking.”

Brexit secretary David Davis has yet to present a withdrawal fee proposal for Britain’s exit from the bloc.

EU officials have indicated that if the ongoing budget obligations continue to be ignored, they will not allow discussion surrounding issues such as a free trade deal.

“I don’t want to push anybody over the edge, but we have to find clear and sustainable solution,” Davis stated.

Following negotiations last October, Tory backbenchers insisted that the Prime Minister must not agree to pay for the divorce.

After British politicians had described the exit bill as a “ransom”, Barnier lashed out. He stated that the bill “is not a punishment” but “simply settling accounts.”

On Tuesday, Boris Johnson was questioned over his “go whistle” comment in the House of Commons and firmly replied: “I think that the sums I have seen are extortionate, so I think ‘go whistle’ is an entirely appropriate expression.”

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