- FT editor Lionel Barber had lunch with EU chief Jean Claude Junker in 2017
- In Brussles the pair scoffed carpaccio and veal, paid for by EU taxpayers
- Europhile Barber allegedly told Junker Brexit bill should be around £52billion
- Yesterday deal was reached and bill was announced to be maximum of £39bn
- FT said claims were ‘nonsense’ and insisted that Juncker mentioned figure first
In March this year, Financial Times editor Lionel Barber sat down for lunch with EU chief Jean Claude Junker in his fancy Brussels dining room.
As the pair scoffed carpaccio and veal (paid for, of course, by EU taxpayers), they discussed a £52billion figure for Britain’s Brexit bill.
Yesterday the ‘divorce payment’ was announced to be a maximum of £39billion – £13billion less.
In March 2017, Financial Times editor Lionel Barber (left) sat down for lunch with EU chief Jean-Claude Junker in his fancy Brussels dining room
In his write-up of the lunch, Barber said that Juncker came up with he €60billion figure himself.
He wrote: ‘The exit bill for the UK will be at least €60bn and Britain’s departure will also change the balance of power in Europe, says Juncker.’
But a source told The Telegraph that Juncker was merely repeating the figure brought up by Barber, whose paper supported Britain staying in the EU.
The Telegraph’s Brussels correspondent claimed: ‘It’s possible that the FT handed the commission an advantage during the negotiations with its assessment of the bill.’
When contacted by MailOnline, the FT denied the claims and produced a transcript of the lunch which claimed to show that Juncker brought up the figure first.
A spokesman said: ‘These claims are nonsense. Jean-Claude Juncker used the €60bn estimate unprompted.
‘A month before Juncker’s Lunch with the FT, Austria’s chancellor used the 60bn figure on the record. It was the benchmark EU estimate for the Brexit bill.’
Juncker and Theresa May concluded the deal on the ‘divorce terms’ yesterday.
The European Commission president confirmed ‘sufficient progress’ had been made to open talks on a trade deal.
The agreement still has to be signed off by EU leaders at a summit in Brussels next week.
Juncker and Theresa May concluded yesterday’s deal over a breakfast of crusty bread, champagne and orange juice