A number of EU states, including Germany, Italy, France and the Czech Republic have expressed their approval for the European Commission’s plan to demand that the UK pays a hefty compensation bill before the Brexit talks will even start.

French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, Italian Minister for EU affairs Sandro Gozi and a number of senior German diplomats have backed the European Commission’s calls for the UK to come to an arrangement on the “divorce settlement” before any negotiations on the future of British relations with the EU could take place.