Budget bashing

When the UK has to rely on the sole support of Malta for slashing EU funds, it knows it is in trouble, writes Nicholas Watt in The Guardian:

The awarding of the George Cross to the people of Malta in 1942 for their heroism in withstanding Nazi bombing raids is clearly not forgotten on the tiny Mediterranean island. As Europe's mighty powers tore strips off Britain this week over its plans to trim the EU budget by £16bn, the lone voice of Malta's foreign minister could be heard offering support for the island's former colonial master. Malta was "more on the receptive side of the spectrum", Dr Michael Frendo declared in the Times of Malta after a bruising meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

The support from Malta, if slightly lukewarm, was gratefully received by Jack Straw, the foreign secretary, who endured a barrage of attacks from across Europe over his plans to cut the EU budget from £580bn to £564bn. But when Britain is reduced to relying on the EU's only other Commonwealth member - with a population of just under 400,000 people - it knows it is in trouble...

Malta’s EU budget allocation unchanged