Theresa May with Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission president, in Brussels in October. The government’s legal advice sets the stage for a confrontation between the commission and British negotiators

Britain can leave the European Union without paying a multibillion-pound “divorce settlement”, government lawyers have concluded.

The legal advice states that there is no law or treaty that can compel Britain to make payments to the EU after Brexit, The Times understands.

It represents a significant boost to Theresa May’s negotiating hand as she prepares to trigger Article 50 within the next two weeks, starting exit talks.

European negotiators are expected to demand up to €60 billion (£50 billion) of financial liabilities that the EU believes it is owed. The bulk of the money consists of funds for projects that Britain signed off as a member but which have yet to be paid for.

An assessment by government lawyers has found that Brussels has no