Brexit and The Great Hole In The EU Budget!

Brexit will open up a vast €10.2billion (£8.99bn) hole in the EU’s coffers when the UK permanently quits the bloc in 2021 - with those four states all facing much bigger bills than other European Union nations because of the how Britain’s annual rebate is calculated.

The new research, published by the European Parliament, will spark genuine fear in Brussels as three of the four nations - Austria, Sweden and the Netherlands - already have very large and growing Eurosceptic populations. 

And it has prompted celebrations from Brexiteers who say the study shows Britain was right to leave the EU - with Brussels no longer “able to milk this cash cow”. 

The situation arises because the UK, under Margaret Thatcher’s leadership in 1984, negotiated a 66 per cent discount on its net contribution to the EU - which the other countries in the bloc at the time agreed to make up for. Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express.t

“But the future is rosy for Britain when we start looking to the wider world. Eventually, once we've paid the 'divorce bill' that Theresa May should never have agreed to, we'll have our annual EU membership fee back to spend right here in the UK helping our own people. With the NHS in crisis we need that money now more than ever." 

Ukip MEP Jonathan Arnott, the party’s economy spokesman, said the news would spark a further rise in euroscepticism across the bloc. 

He said: “The UK has been the second-largest contributor to the EU budget for many years, but after Brexit the EU won't be able to milk this cash cow any longer. 

“Without the British taxpayer footing the bill, I wonder whether other countries will start to realise that the EU is all take and no give? The Austrian, Swedish and Dutch people aren't exactly happy with the EU right now anyway - how will they feel when they're suddenly expected to stump up more money? 

“But the future is rosy for Britain when we start looking to the wider world. Eventually, once we've paid the 'divorce bill' that Theresa May should never have agreed to, we'll have our annual EU membership fee back to spend right here in the UK helping our own people. With the NHS in crisis we need that money now more than ever."  Express.