Pay up in instalments, EU to tell Britain on disputed bill

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron speaks on high speed rail link HS2, at the launch of the HS2 report, in Leeds Civic Hall, northern England October 27, 2014. REUTERS/Lynne Cameron/Pool

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU finance ministers told Britain on Friday that the only way to resolve a row over a surprise budget bill to Brussels is to pay in interest-free instalments, officials said, but the Chancellor insisted the bill was "unacceptable".

The row has become a highly contentious issue in Britain in the run-up to a general election in May, putting Prime Minister David Cameron under pressure from Eurosceptics at home and costing British support for the country's continued membership of the European Union.