Boris Johnson aide claims his Twitter account was hacked after it trolled Michel Barnier
2 min read
Boris Johnson's parliamentary aide has blamed hackers after his Twitter account trolled Michel Barnier.
Tory MP Conor Burns said his emails were also targeted, forcing him to change his passwords.
It came after he was criticised for appearing to attack Mr Barnier - the EU's top Brexit negotiator - over his demands that the UK agree the amount it must pay to quit the bloc.
The tweet, which included Mr Barnier's twitter handle to make sure he saw it, said: "Britain pays her obligations. Why don't you publish them based on law ie Treaty obligations and directives. Legal facts help."
In a subsequent post several hours later, Bournemouth West MP Mr Burns insisted he was not responsible.
The confusion comes as UK and EU officials continue intense negotiations in Brussels.
European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker insisted yesterday that the Brexit divorce bill, as well as the future of the Irish border and citizens' rights, must be settled before negotiations can move on to future trade deals.
Foreign Secretary Mr Johnson insisted last week that Britain will pay what it owes, despite previously suggesting the EU could "go whistle" for the cash.
He said: "I think I was being asked then about some very large sums of money, I think 100 billion euros or pounds that the EU Commission suggested we were on the hook for, and that’s not a figure I recognise.
"Some of the sums that I’ve seen seem to be very high and of course we will meet our obligations, you know, we are law-abiding, bill-paying people, the UK has contributed hundreds of billions over the years."
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