Tory Brexiteer Nadim Zahawi says the UK should pay into the EU budget to secure tariff-free Single Market trade
A leading Conservative Brexiteer has called on the government to maintain contributions to the EU's budget to secure tariff-free trade.
Nadim Zahawi, who previously served as David Cameron's apprenticeship adviser, said the UK should continue to pay “a proportion” of the £13bn paid into the EU.
Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Zahawi said Brexit leaves the EU facing an £8.5bn shortfall in its budget, and the Stratford on Avon MP added this should be used as leverage to securing tariff-free trade.
“This is a big blow for them, and part of the reason why they have taken Brexit so badly,” Zahawi said.
“Our taxpayers now foot more than 12 per cent of the organisation’s cost – and the EU cannot just go on without British money."
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Zahawi echoed recent comments from Theresa May, in which the Prime Minister argued Brexit must work for both the UK and Europe.
“We should help bridge some of the EU’s funding gap, but only on the condition that the EU delivers our demand of providing British businesses with tariff-free access to the single market,” Zahawi said.
It comes as business secretary Greg Clark has revealed the government told Nissan it would push for tariff-free trade as part of its negotiations with the EU.
However, European leaders have maintained that such a position is incompatible with migration reforms to bring about an end to freedom of movement from the EU.