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EU politicians reached a political agreement on Thursday on the £42.billion (€5billion) Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR), paving the way for a first payment by December.

Eurocrats say the focus is on countries and sectors worst affected by the UK’s withdrawal from the EU and include cash for customs, health, phytosanitary and security controls.

The EU Commission said Ireland will be “by far” the largest beneficiary in absolute terms, followed by the Netherlands, France, Germany and Belgium.

But French officials have been left outraged that Ireland is getting the most funds, especially with many French fishermen struggling to survive.

Under the deal agreed by EU Politicians, a first instalment of 1.6 billion euros in pre-financing will be available by December 2021. 

Two other pre-financing tranches of 1.6 billion euro will be paid at the beginning of 2022 and 2023 whilst the remaining 1 billion euro will be paid in 2025.

A Paris source added: “We have constantly called for France to be getting a large share of funds. 

“Our fishermen are severely affected by Brexit due to the British not giving out the relevant licences with some even struggling to live.

“We feel this is a slight snub by Brussels, we were expecting to be higher up in the priority order.”

It is the latest move after fishermen in Boulogne and Calais complained about the lack of licences to fish in the English Channel from the UK Government, claims which the UK Government deny. 

Last night, the EU Commission said three factors will be used to calculate how much money each EU country will receive from the BAR.

These include the importance of trade with the UK, the importance of fisheries in the UK exclusive economic zone and the population living in maritime regions bordering the UK.

FOR THE LATEST BREXIT NEWS, PLEASE SEE BELOW: 

4.41am update:  Working for UK! Brussels on alert as Irexit momentum builds –’big debate’ swirls in Dublin^[1]

A EUROSCEPTIC Labour Peer has claimed Ireland could leave the European Union after Brexit gave the UK “a sense of freedom”.

Kate Hoey claimed it was the “logical thing to happen” for Ireland to leave the 27 member bloc due to a change in attitudes from Irish citizens thanks to the benefits the UK gets from leaving.

Baroness Hoey, a former Labour MP who is a now non-affiliated peer, added: “I feel that you know, every day there’s something that you think, goodness, we can do that now and we need to be able to grab on to that.”

The peer referred to the success of the UK’s vaccination programme as a Brexit success and added: “We just have to look, the one thing now I think has united the country is the way we handled our vaccinations.

“And that would not have happened if we’d been in the EU.”

3.39am update:  Your hands are tied, Boris! PM sent warning as UK backed into corner over EU fishing talks^[2]

THE UK was unable to take full advantage of Brexit in the first annual fishing negotiations with the EU as Britain has “one hand tied” by the trade deal signed last December, a fishing chief has said.

Last week, the UK concluded six months of bilateral talks on annual fishing quotas with the EU and set catch limits on 70 stocks.

The vast majority of quotas remained the same and British fishermen saw an increase for just eight of the stocks, something the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs says is worth an additional £27million.

The discussions were the first to take place since Boris Johnson signed the Trade and Corporation Agreement (TCA) with the EU in December 2020.

The historic agreement enables EU vessels to continue to plunder UK waters as it was agreed fishing quotas would be gradually reduced by just 25 percent over the next five years.

Barrie Deas, CEO of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO), says both sides did not want to set a precedent in the annual talks and insisted the UK was negotiating with “one hand tied”.

12.43am update:  Project fear debunked: Interest in UK jobs soars as global talent flocks to Brexit Britain^[3]

BREXIT Britain’s points-based immigration system is attracting talent from Commonwealth nations and the former British colony of Hong Kong, data shows, in a direct rebuttal of Project Fear warnings.

Jobseekers across the globe are flocking to websites advertising roles in the UK, with the numbers recently returning to pre-pandemic levels according to Indeed.

The site which helps link prospective employees with potential employers reported soaring numbers of people looking to land their dream job in Britain ahead of the easing of travel restrictions.

The UK’s new points-based immigration system is proving to be a major draw for international talent.

11.25pm update:  ‘Even the French and Dutch didn’t expect this!’ Furious ex-MEP blasts Boris’s Brexit deal^[4]

A FURIOUS former MEP has unleashed a scathing attack on Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal, claiming even European Union states were surprised by how generous the terms were on fishing.

June Mummery told Express.co.uk that French and Dutch fishermen have told her they did not expect such favourable terms on fishing for European Union states that are outlined in the post-Brexit trade agreement.

Ms Mummery added the UK’s fishing industry must now survive the next five years, while it is locked into the post-Brexit terms outlined in Boris Johnson’s deal.

The former Brexit Party MEP said: “Another 105 vessels have been granted licences to fish inside our 6-12, we did not even secure our 6-12 miles.

“I have had French fishermen and Dutch fishermen speak to me and say we did not even expect to be able to do that.

“They would have been happy with a 5 and a half year transitional period and having the rest.

10.40pm update: Get your house in order! EU Brexit lecturing backfires – bloc can’t even police OWN border^[5]

The European Union’s hardline stance towards the Northern Ireland Protocol conveniently ignores its ongoing failure to police its own external borders, a Brussels-based analyst has said.

9.37pm update: Taking back control! Brexit Britain ready to tear up ‘pointless’ EU laws – new report^[6]

Brexit Britain is ready to tear up more EU laws, including complex data regulations, according to a new report published by MPs.

8.06pm update: ‘EU’s talking rubbish!’ Britons FURIOUS as Brussels fails in court row with AstraZeneca^[7]

Britons have reacted with fury after the EU suffered a humiliating court defeat with AstraZeneca over the supply of vaccines.

6.51pm update: Spain & France make official complaint over UK goods – ‘EU rules broken!’^[8]

Spain and France have complained to Brussels over concerns the UK Government is favouring British firms when it comes to awarding contracts worth billions of pounds.

5.55pm update: Brexit anniversary POLL – Do you wish you had voted differently in the 2016 EU referendum?^[9]

Next week marks five years since Britons voted to cut ties with the EU, and with a trade deal secured and independence regained Brexit Britain is well on its way to a future of freedom.

Do you stand by your decision to vote Leave or Remain or do you wish you had voted differently? Vote in our Express.co.uk poll^[10]. 

4.19pm update: ‘EU the real villains!’ Brexiteers launch attack on ‘falsified and misrepresented border^[11]

Brexiteers have rallied together to launch furious attacks on the EU against post-Brexit trading arrangements in Northern Ireland.

3.09pm update: ‘Even the French and Dutch didn’t expect this!’ Furious ex-MEP blasts Boris’s Brexit deal^[12]

A furious former MEP has unleashed a scathing attack on Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal, claiming even European Union states were surprised by how generous the terms were on fishing.

James Bickerton takes over live reporting from Richard Percival

2pm update: Coveney ‘deliberately ignoring’ British concerns in Brexit row: ‘Trying to raise tensions’^[13]

Simon Coveney has been accused of “deliberately ignoring” the concerns of unionist and loyalist communities over the Northern Ireland Protocol.

In a brutal rebuke of the Irish Foreign Minister, Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) MLA Steve Aiken said the attitude of Irish politicians towards post-Brexit Britain had contributed to the upheaval in the Six Counties.

Mr Coveney has claimed the disruption was caused by the “type of Brexit that was chosen by the British Government”, not the protocol.

1pm update: Brexiteers launch attack on ‘falsified and misrepresented border’

Brexiteers have rallied together to launch furious attacks on the EU against post-Brexit trading arrangements in Northern Ireland.

Several hundred people turned out at the Square in Newtownards, Co Down on Friday, for a protest against the Protocol.

The Protocol, which was incorporated into the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement to help avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland, has left Northern Ireland tied to a range of EU customs and regulatory rules.

12pm update: Fall in EU workers looking for jobs

Searches from EU workers for jobs in the UK are down by almost half since the Brexit referendum five years ago, new research suggests.

Interest has fallen most in lower-paid jobs in hospitality and retail, according to a study by jobs site Indeed.

There has also been a decline in Europeans’ interest in higher-paid jobs, although it has been offset by demand from non-EU countries, said the report.

The Government’s new immigration regime aims to prioritise those with the highest skills but in practice it is also making it harder to recruit foreign workers for most lower-paid jobs, said Indeed.

The Royal British Legion will no longer sell poppies in the European Union due to red tape following Brexit, according to reports.

The charity, which provides support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, is said to have sent an email to supporters stating it will “need to cease sales to customers in countries in the EU” for the foreseeable future until legislation surrounding Brexit is reviewed.

The i newspaper reported that it could not justify the expense, including customs charges, to send poppies overseas following Britain’s departure from the EU’s customs union on January 1.

The UK wants to sign a multi-country trade deal with East African nations which could be worth at least £1billion.

Trade Commissioner to Africa said the UK will forge closer links with African countries in the years ahead following a landmark agreement that was signed with Kenya. 

The UK signed a trade deal with Kenya in December 2020 to ensure that all companies operating in Kenya can continue to benefit from duty-free access to the UK market, but this will be expanded out to members of the East Africa Community. 

The SNP has demanded that the UK government publishes details of the promised protections for British farmers and food standards in the UK-Australia trade deal agreement.

Deidre Brock MP challenged UK government ministers to set out those safeguards but was told that MPs will get “the details as they emerge in the course of this year.”

It comes as Sustain, which represents over 100 food and farming organisations, warned: “Coming into regulatory alignment with Australia would put the UK’s precautionary approach on products such as pesticides at risk, as well as potentially lowering the standard of nutritional information on food packaging.”