LONDON : Britain\'s Prime Minister David Cameron (R) leaves 10 Downing Street, in London, on October 27, as he prepares to address the House of Commons on Britain\'s relations with the European Union. — AFP Photo LONDON, Oct 28 (AFP) : British Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday brushed off an EU payment demand despite the European Commission's warning that Britain faces fines if it does not pay up by December 1.
"Britain will not be paying two billion euros to anyone on December 1 and we reject this scale of payment. We will be challenging this in every way possible," he told parliament.
"The scale and timing of this demand is unacceptable," he said, earning cheers from members of his Conservative Party.
"It is British taxpayers' money, it is not small change, it is a vast sum."
Jacek Dominik, the interim EU budget commissioner, said Monday that Britain must contribute an extra 2.1 billion euros ($2.66 billion) to the European Union budget or face fines.
But Cameron responded by saying: "There is no pressing need for the money to be paid."
He said that the EU figure was a provisional estimate that would not be definite until next year.
Cameron faces a rising tide of eurosceptic voters deserting the Conservatives for the UK Independence Party, making the latest exchanges with Brussels even more high-stakes ahead of the May general election.
He has pleged to try to renegotiate Britain's relationship with the EU if he remains prime minister after the election, then hold an in-or-out referendum by the end of 2017 on the outcome.
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