LONDON (REUTERS) - Britain will pay "substantially" less to the European Union than the roughly £39 billion (S$70 billion) withdrawal bill agreed with the bloc if there is no final agreement, Brexit minister Dominic Raab said on Thursday (Sept 13).

"I'm not going to put a number on it but what I would say is that it would be substantially below the financial settlement in the withdrawal agreement," he said when asked about how much Britain would pay in a BBC interview.

Raab said it may take time to work out how much Britain would need to pay if London and Brussels failed to reach agreement on Britain's exit from the EU.

Asked whether he expected the EU to shift its attitude on Northern Ireland, where the future of the border with the Republic of Ireland has become a key sticking point, Raab said: "I think there has to be a shift across the board in the EU's approach and they're going to have to meet us halfway."

(This story is developing)