David Cameron furiously rejected a demand from Brussels for more than two billion euros in backdated charges at a summit Friday, setting up a new showdown over Britain's place in the EU. The prime minister hijacked a meeting that was meant to be focused on Europe's stalling economy, saying the "unacceptable" bill was a surprise and that Britain was being punished for running a successful economy.
But his stance triggered a major clash, with other leaders telling him to pay up and the head of the powerful European Commission insisting Cameron knew about the 2.1 billion euro ($2.6 billion) demand in advance. "I am not paying that bill on the first of December. If people think that is going to happen they've got another thing coming," Cameron told a news conference, thumping the lectern and going red in the face. "We are not suddenly going to take out our chequebook and write a cheque for two billion euros, it is not happening." The clash, which sources said held up the summit for around an hour, stole the limelight from a landmark European Union deal on climate change targets and a pledge to give one billion euros to fight Ebola.
It renews questions over Britain's vexed membership of the 28-member EU, which Cameron has vowed to put to a referendum in 2017 if he wins a general election next May. Britain's bill is the biggest of those imposed on several EU nations as a result of a revision in the way in which the economic output of member states is measured. It now includes previously hidden elements such as drugs and prostitution, and the overall performance of the economy.
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