The future of local banking services and access to cash
An overview of policy relating to the closure of bank and building society branches and to efforts to protect access to cash.

The financial settlement - often labelled the 'exit bill' or 'divorce bill' - sets out how the UK and EU are settling their outstanding financial commitments to each other. This briefing covers the settlement in detail including the settlement’s origins, negotiations and the legal form it takes in the Withdrawal Agreement.
Brexit: the financial settlement - in detail (1 MB , PDF)
A shorter briefing Brexit: the financial settlement – a summary covers what the settlement is and how much it might cost. The summary briefing was updated in July 2022 and contains more recent estimates of the cost of the financial settlement.
In the financial settlement (the settlement), the UK and EU have set out how they will settle their outstanding financial obligations to each other. The obligations arise out of the UK’s participation in the EU budget and broader aspects of its EU membership.
The settlement says which financial commitments will be covered, the methodology for calculating the UK’s share and the payment schedule. The settlement is part of the Withdrawal Agreement, which is the legally binding treaty setting out the negotiated terms of the UK’s departure from the EU.
There is no definitive cost to the settlement. The final cost to the UK will depend on future events such as future exchange rates and EU budgets. The Office for Budget Responsibility estimate that the net cost to the UK may be £34 billion.
The UK and EU agreed some principles for the settlement:
Broadly speaking, the settlement can be split into three components:
Not everything in the settlement fits neatly into these three components. For instance, the UK has agreed to continue to contribute to the EU’s main overseas aid programme – the European Development Fund – until the current programme ends. This programme is funded directly by Member States, rather than through the EU budget. The UK’s contribution counts towards its commitment to spend 0.7% of national income on overseas aid.
Brexit: the financial settlement - in detail (1 MB , PDF)
An overview of policy relating to the closure of bank and building society branches and to efforts to protect access to cash.
In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Western allies and other partners across the globe have imposed an unprecedented package of coordinated sanctions against Russia.
A debate is scheduled to be held on Tuesday 19 September 2023 at 2.30pm in Westminster Hall on the Proposed merger between Three UK and Vodafone. The debate will be opened by Navendu Mishra MP.