Davis Threatens to Walk Away From Brexit Talks if U.K. Provoked

Brexit Secretary David Davis flatly rejected a reported bill of as much as 100 billion euros ($109 billion) from the European Union, and threatened to walk away from the bloc without a deal if provoked.

Britain would have no obligation to pay a Brexit bill if it leaves the EU without an accord, Davis said on BBC Radio 4’s “Today” program on Wednesday. While “nobody is looking for that outcome” since the goal is to reach an agreement with the EU, “we have to maintain the alternative option” of walking away, he said, as reported by Bloomberg agency. 

The threat illustrates the escalating rhetoric between London and Brussels before talks to leave the bloc even begin. Prime Minister Theresa May vowed on Tuesday she wouldn’t be pushed about in the talks, saying that European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker is learning she can be “bloody difficult.” Those comments were prompted by a report with alleged details of a dinner meeting between the leaders after which Juncker was said to be shocked by her approach to negotiating Brexit.

While the deteriorating tone on both sides may not bode well for the coming negotiations, the clash won’t necessarily hurt May’s chances as she seeks re-election on June 8 in a campaign defined by Brexit. It could help May’s Tories convince voters the U.K. needs what she calls her “strong and stable leadership” for the talks. May argues her main rival for power, opposition Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn, would be too “weak” to succeed at the negotiating table.

“I don’t suppose the British public at large has been terribly impressed by the operations of the last week, but I think that they will see very, very clearly they need a good, tough negotiator, and that’s what Theresa May is,” Davis told Radio 4.