EU asks UK to pay extra £1.7bn after 'increase in wealth'

The EU is asking for the payment after a revised calculation of how much each member state must contribute, based on gross national incomes, the BBC reports. The payment adds a fifth to the UK's annual net contribution of £8.6bn. It is based on a review of the UK's economic performance since 1995, and the pace of growth over the last four years. A European Commission spokesman described the payment as a result of the UK's "increase in wealth" and likened it to a tax payment.  But the additional payment comes at a time when the government is under pressure from eurosceptics. Earlier...