Call to halt ‘political’ over EU budget

Britain’s new European commissioner said yesterday that a row between London and Brussels over a demand for €2.1bn budget payment had become highly political and needed to be calmed down.

The intervention suggests Jonathan Hill, who remains little known in his native country, will play the role of peacemaker between the government and European Commission at a time when Britain’s membership of the EU is at the heart of an emotive debate before a general election next year.

“The sensible thing now is to try to calm the situation down and to look at the facts and to look at a practical solution that various member states face,” Hill told BBC radio.