The bill that the United Kingdom has to pay for the separation from the European Union, seems to be higher again. This is according to a new estimate from the UK Ministry of Finance.

The bill is now expected to amount to 42.5 billion pounds. This means that the obligations that the UK still has to meet are around 5 billion pounds higher than last year.

The bill includes things like agreed payments to infrastructure projects and developing countries, but also the wages and pensions of EU employees. The UK entered into these projects as a member of the EU and did not suddenly get rid of them after Brexit. And so the British pay a bill to buy these things off.

Initially, Boris Johnson’s government assumed an amount of between 35 and 39 billion pounds, but according to a high-ranking official, the bill is now estimated at 42.5 billion.

The fact that the account is now higher has to do with rising interest rates and high inflation rates. As a result, pension obligations are higher. However, the minister stressed that this is an obligation over several decades. As a result, the things that now provide a higher estimate can fall again at a later time, so that the bill is lower again.