Blair eyes EU farm cash as UK gets €5bn rebate bill

BRITISH Prime Minister Tony Blair has his eye on the EU's huge farm spending, as he bids to avoid a multi-billion euro Brussels bill.

France, Germany and other member states will today bid to end Britain's €5.2 billion a year EU budget "holiday", negotiated by Margaret Thatcher in 1984.

Blair says that, without this rebate, Britain would pay 15 times what France contributes to the EU, even though their economies are comparable.