Pat McFadden MP, Labour’s Shadow Europe Minister, said:

“It’s unacceptable that the outgoing EU Commission should spring a backdated bill on member states in this way, but UK Ministers have known about this since last week.

“The Government should be pushing for the best deal possible for the UK. The Prime Minister must now make up for lost time, and should be working in step with other affected Member States, including the Netherlands and Italy. 
 
“This is a proposal made by the outgoing EU Commission, and with a new Commission taking office imminently. So it is imperative that David Cameron now urgently discuss this with other member states, and urges the incoming EU Commission to look again at the proposed change.
 
“Labour argued against the proposed increase in EU spending in 2012, and voted for a real-terms cut in the EU budget then. We have argued for reform of the EU budget, including a greater focus on generating growth and jobs, and for the EU to undertake a zero-based review of all spending by EU agencies.”

ENDS