Brexit's financial reality sets in on the sidelines of Brussels EU summit
On the sidelines of the Brussels summit, the financial realities of leaving the European Union are beginning to sink in.
Friday 10 March 2017 02:55, UK
It is starting to seem rather real.
The talk on the sidelines of the Brussels summit was the much-dreaded EU exit bill that was reported by Sky News at the last EU summit in December.
At that time, an EU government minister said that liabilities of "tens of billions" of euros would have to be settled "as one of the first things" in the Article 50 negotiations.
I asked the of tens of billions of pounds and whether he could be our friend inside the EU27 and stop this bill.
He replied: "I am your friend and you are always welcome to Ireland.
"You know that when you sign on for contracts you commit yourself to participation and obviously the extent of that level of money will be determined.
"Mr Barnier is the leader of negotiation for the European Union and obviously Britain will have a say.
"That, no more than any other problem, will have to be faced and dealt with and will be dealt with."
Theresa May's closest ally in the EU27, the Taoiseach was confirming that liabilities for EU budgets and pensions were "contracts" that Britain has "committed" itself too.
Of course this is not a one-way negotiation.
Britain will say that a share of the EU's assets were accumulated after years of payments, including from UK taxpayers.
But from the perspective of Brexit Secretary David Davis, there was an alarming level of unity on the issue of this extraordinary bill potentially reaching £50bn.
At the summit Sandro Gozi, Italy's Europe minister, was asked about the £50bn figure.
He replied: "It's something like that, there isn't still an official calculation but it's clear the UK must fulfill its obligations."
And the Maltese PM, Joseph Muscat, the president of the Council of the European Union organising the first phase of Brexit talks, said that settling a mechanism for the UK's liabilities was a pre-requisite for trade talks.
Mr Muscat told Sky News: "That's not about slapping a bill or saying what a bill is all about.
"I'm not privy to the calculations being made, but at least having a mechanism that sees what is due from Britain to the EU, due from the EU to the UK, and checks and balances, and only after this can there be a discussion on future relationships."
Back home, Brexiteers such as ex-Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith argued that Mrs May should not "pay a damn thing".
Mrs May said that she would not be paying continued large payments - Britain will have a share of the assets too.
At the conference the European Commissions chief negotiator Michel Barnier bumped into Sky News while lost in the new EU Council building.
He is the man preparing the biggest bill in British history.
Mr Barnier stayed silent after we asked him how he could justify this £50bn figure, but gave away the smallest of smiles.
He is known for the occasional Twitter trolling of Boris Johnson's eccentricities, while his team cross Europe trying to keep the EU27 on the same page.
Soon enough the real deal-making starts. And we'll hear what he really thinks.