Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Draft agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, what estimate he has made of the maximum amount of financial claims that the EU could make against the UK under the provisions in Article 136 and Article 140.

Under Article 143 (formerly Article 136) of the draft Withdrawal Agreement, the UK will stand behind a share of EU contingent liabilities related to financial operations up to withdrawal. These are reported in the Consolidated Fund accounts as having a remote probability of crystallising. The UK will receive a share of the pre-paid guarantee funds and reflows from these operations and, in the event of crystallisation, the UK will receive its share of any amounts recovered by the EU.

Under Article 147 (formerly Article 140), the UK will stand behind a share of EU contingent liabilities arising from legal cases related to the budget and linked policies and programmes up to the end of 2020. These are reported in the EU’s consolidated annual accounts of the European Union.