Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Friday, March 29th, 2024

Brexit Planning Cost Britain 4.4 Billion Pounds

Brexit Planning Cost Britain 4.4 Billion Pounds

LONDON - The British government has spent about 70% of the funds allocated to cover the cost of Brexit preparations. The money mostly went to cover staff costs, new infrastructure and gathering external expertise.
Preparations for the United Kingdom's exit of the European Union cost British taxpayers 4.4 billion pounds (€5.1 billion, $5.7 billion), according to the UK's National Audit Office (NAO).
In the first detailed estimate of the cost of the Brexit, the NAO on Friday estimated that the British government spent about 70% of the 6.3 billion pounds allocated to cover the cost of preparations between the June 2016 referendum and March 31 of this year. The allocated money accounts for the possibility of the UK and EU not reaching a trade deal before the end of a transition period that expires at the end of 2020.
The EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, warned of "serious divergences" in expectations between the EU and the UK as the first round of post-Brexit trade talks wrapped up on Thursday.

In June 2019 two suicide bombers targeted officers of the law in two parts of Tunis, killing one person and injuring nine others. The terrorist group Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attack. (xinhua)