- UK was £8.6billion worse off in 2013, up from £4.3billion in 2009
- Ukip leader Nigel Farage says Britain cannot afford to stay in the EU
- Biggest cause of rise was Tony Blair sacrificing part of EU rebate
- Margaret Thatcher secured rebate in 1984 by banging on the table
- Comes as Brussels demands an extra £1.7billion by December 1
- Sharp rise in support for leaving the EU after row over shock bill
- Nick Clegg travels to Paris to seek support from France over battle
Britain's
contributions to the European Union have doubled in five years, even
before the latest demand for an extra £1.7billion, it has emerged.
After
billions have been paid into Brussels coffers - and some returned
through the rebate and EU spending programmes - the UK was £8.6billion
in 2013, up from just £4.3billion in 2009.
It
comes as UK ministers launch a fresh attempt to persuade other member
states to tear up the £1.7billion bill which David Cameron has refused
to pay by December 1.
Figures dating back to 2007 show how the UK's net contribution has risen dramatically in recent years
The British government has been stunned by the demand, which emerged a week ago.
The
European Commission used rules dating back to 1995 and found Britain's
economy has grown faster than expected, so must pay a greater share to
Brussels.
To add insult to injury, France will receive a £790million rebate because its economy is struggling.
However, payments dating back to 2007 show how the payments to the European project have been quietly rising.
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major cause has been Tony Blair's decision to agree to a 7 per cut in
the rebate during negotiations on the last seven-year budget deal. It
cost Britain £7billion over seven years.
Margaret
Thatcher famously secured the rebate in 1984 by banging the table and
demanding 'our own money back' during a summit with European leaders in
Fontainebleau, in France.
However, the rebate has fallen from £5.4billion in 2009 to only £3.3billion in 2013.
At the same time total payments from the UK have risen from £14.1billion to £17.2billion.
The revelation will pile pressure on
Prime Minister David Cameron, who was in Downing Street with actress
Barbara Windsor today to mark Poppy Day in London
Even
allowing for £5.2billion of EU spending in the UK, on farming,
fisheries and regeneration, the UK was still £8.6billion worse off last
year.
Ukip
leader Nigel Farage told MailOnline: 'Thank you Mr Blair for
sacrificing a large chunk of the British rebate in return for absolutely
nothing.
'Much
of the money that has come back to Britain has been used to make rich
landowners richer (through the Common Agriculture Policy).
The question is no longer can we afford to leave, it is can we afford to stay
Ukip leader Nigel Farage
'The question is no longer can we afford to leave, it is can we afford to stay.'
A
new poll today showed there had been a sharp shift in public opinion
about the EYU in the wake of the latest demand for more money.
YouGov found a week ago that only 40 per cent of people would vote to leave the EU, with 41 per cent wanting to stay.
But now 44 per cent say they would leave, with only 35 per cent wanting to stay.
Nick
Clegg travelled to Paris today for talks with the French prime minister
to seek support for renegotiating the EU's demand for £1.7 billion in
additional funding.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg today
insisted the government would 'scrub' the EU's figures to examine how
the £1.2billion figure was calculated
In the wake of the row over the
£1.7billion bill, there has been a sharp rise in support for leaving the
EU, according to a new poll by YouGov
Britain
faces the biggest increase to its payments covering the last four
years. The UK is being asked for an extra €2.1billion euros.
Preliminary
figures show that the Netherlands will have to pay an extra €642million
(£506million), while Germany will receive a rebate of €779million
(£614million), France €1billion (£790million) and Poland €316million
(£250million).
If it is Britain in the spotlight today, it could be France or Germany next time
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg
Mr
Clegg warned Manuel Valls that, while France is a winner from the
current round of readjustments to national contributions, it could find
itself targeted with a massive bill through the 'arbitrary and random'
process in future.
Speaking
ahead of the meeting in Paris, Mr Clegg said that the UK will 'scrub
these figures very, very hard' - including an analysis of any impact on
the UK's £3 billion-a-year EU rebate - and pledged: 'We will make sure
that it is lower.'
France
is the biggest gainer from the recalculation of national contributions
to EU budgets, and is due to receive one billion euro (£800million),
while EU partners including the Netherlands, Italy, Greece and Malta
face surcharges
Chancellor
George Osborne last night insisted he is 'confident' of securing
changes to the figures, which shocked David Cameron when they emerged
during a European Council summit in Brussels last week.
New figures reveal the increased bill
the UK faces, on top of the £8billion-a-year it already pays, is higher
than any other EU country, because its economy has been growing faster
than expected. France, Germany and Denmark are among those told they
will get money back from Brussels
After
talks with fellow EU finance ministers on the fringe of an OECD forum in
Berlin, Mr Osborne said Italy and the Netherlands were 'allies' in the
drive to review the figures.
Mr
Cameron has insisted the UK will not pay 'anything like' the amount
being demanded, and secured agreement at the European Council for the
issue to be discussed at a scheduled meeting of EU finance ministers in
Brussels on November 7.
Mr Clegg told LBC Radio that he and the Prime Minister were 'as one' on the issue.
'We are not going to pay this money by the December 1 deadline that has been set,' said the Deputy Prime Minister.
'It
is a completely arbitrary, random way to behave to suddenly have this
bill dropped into your lap without any warning and without any
explanation.;'
Mr
Clegg said the UK needed to 'build alliances' to challenge the European
Commission demands, adding: 'We are not going to pay this money. It is
not a way to do these things. It is not just a British problem, it is a
European problem.
'If it is Britain in the spotlight today, it could be France or Germany next time.'
He
added: 'We want to have a really close look at this and see what the
retrospective effect is. We want to see what the effect is on the UK
rebate. We are not going to pay it by that deadline, no matter what they
say elsewhere.'
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