Brussels is demanding Britain continues to contribute a scheme promoting bear breeding in the Pyrenees.

The scheme was contained in the small print of a £90billion divorce demand which UK negotiators spent this week debunking.

The line by line scrutiny outraged EU officials and prompted a tense press conference on Thursday between Brexit Secretary David David and EU negotiator Michel Barnier.

But the new details that emerged today will reinforce Brexit supporters belief that the UK team was right to stand its ground.

Brussels is demanding Britain continues to contribute a scheme promoting bear breeding in the Pyrenees (pictured is a Pyrenees bear)

EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier (pictured at Thursday's press conference with David Davis) lashed out at Britain's refusal to meet obligations it made as an EU member

The Sun on Sunday said the £1.6million bear breeding scheme was contained within a package of 'green' schemes.

The UK is expected to continue to part-fund a £1million project making mountain huts more environmentally friendly.

A further £2.5million has been pledged to restore grasslands in Estonia.

The EU is also signed up to billions in long term loans to Ukraine and valuable aid packages to African, Pacific and Caribbean countries.

Tory MP Peter Bone told the Sun: 'I have always been critical of giving money to an organisation to distribute in a way which wouldn't satisfy people in this country.

'When we leave the EU we shouldn't be committed to any projects. If you want to throw money down the drain, give it to the EU and they will do it for you.'

Mr Davis defended his decision to play hard ball in the talks.

He told Andrew Marr today: 'They have set this up to try to create pressure on us on money, that's what it's about, they are trying to play time against money.'

Brexit Secretary David Davis (pictured today on the Andrew Marr Show) defended his decision to play hard ball in the talks

Comparing Brussels' demands to a hotel bill presented to a guest on checking out, Mr Davis said: 'We are going through it line by line and they are finding it difficult because we have got good lawyers.'

He said Mr Barnier 'wants to put pressure on us, which is why the stance this week in the press conference - bluntly, I think it looked a bit silly because there plainly were things that we had achieved'.

Tory MP said the EU could be trusted to spend money badly

Mr Davis insisted he was not branding Mr Barnier personally 'silly', adding: 'I said the commission would make itself look silly.'

The Brexit Secretary dismissed as 'nonsense' claims that the UK would pay a £50 billion fee to exit the EU.

The 'strict position' was that there was 'no enforceable' legal basis for the UK to pay money to Brussels but 'we are a country that meets its international obligations - but they have got to be there'.

Those obligations 'may not be legal ones, they may be moral ones or political ones', he said.

In Thursday's frosty press conference, Mr Barnier warned: 'EU taxpayers should not pay at 27 for obligations undertaken at 28. In July, the UK recognised it had obligations beyond the Brexit date.

'But this week it explained its obligations would be limited to obligations before departure.'