European Union diplomats have warned that any move by Dominic Raab to link payment of the £39 billion Brexit bill to a free trade deal would damage hard-won trust between Britain and the bloc.

The new Brexit Secretary told the Sunday Telegraph that the payment of Britain’s agreed divorce bill should be made conditional on the EU agreeing to a free trade agreement. That has infuriated Brussels, which insists that the bill is simply a settling of accounts.

“The new minister will, as a lawyer, surely understand the value of honouring one’s legal obligations and the importance of building up trust for successful negotiations,” said one EU diplomat.

“The Brexit bill is not a payment for future rights but to cover the outstanding membership fee,” the diplomat said before warning that the air had only just cleared after a similar gambit by David Davis, Mr Raab’s predecessor, at the start of the Brexit talks.

EU officials and diplomats from the 27 remaining member states point to the December agreement made by Theresa May and Jean-Claude Juncker after months of stalled and frustrating negotiations.

That pact, with Britain’s assent, made no link between the bill in the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement and talks on the future relationship, which frustrated Brexiteers.