Labour is prepared to pay the European Union as the price of Sir Keir Starmer's Brexit reset, Downing Street has said. Brussels has demanded that Britain pay billions of pounds ahead of talks which kick off next week.

No 10 said yesterday that the Government would send cash to the bloc if a new agreement would "provide value" to the UK. A spokesman said: "Nothing has been agreed yet. We've always said that if a proportionate contribution to a specific EU system would result in tangible benefits to the UK, then that is the sensible, fair and pragmatic decision we will take."

The Prime Minister spoke to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday evening.

He told her that any deal "must result in tangible benefits to the British public".

It comes as European diplomats have reportedly said the UK must make "pay to play" contributions to EU coffers in return for increased access to markets.

But Brexiteers have warned against handing over cash to the EU or dragging Britain back into its orbit.

Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice said: "The whole point of Brexit was to embrace competition, strike our own trade deals, and make decisions based solely on what is best for Britain.

"Further aligning with the EU only ties us to foreign interests and undermines our independence.

"Any agreement must ensure we retain our competitive advantages and that we do not pay into the EU coffers. Not that we have any confidence in this Labour Government, packed with Remainers, to ever distance itself from the orbit of Brussels."

Shadow Business and Trade Secretary Andrew Griffith warned the "last thing the UK economy needs is to shackle itself back into Brussels red tape".

He raised fears that the UK will end up paying "billions more in taxpayers' money" to Brussels.

He added: "Keir Starmer hates Brexit and that's why he's intent on taking us closer to the EU."